What is a Freak Wave?
Freak waves, also known as rogue waves, are legendary waves more than about twice the size of the largest typical waves. Until one was recorded by sensors on Draupner oil platform in the North Sea in 1995, it was thought that such waves may simply be a sailors’ tall tale. Now it is known that freak waves are very much real, albeit extremely rare. They are so large, as tall as 25 m (27 yards) or more in height, that they pose a threat to ocean liners and other large ships. Because of their danger and the novelty associated with them, freak waves area a notable area of study among both oceanographers and physicists. To visualize the effect of a freak wave on an unfortunate ship, imagine a column of water the size of a 12-story building crashing down at the speed of a fast car. Freak waves have long been part of the stories of sailors in older times. They told of waves so huge that they looked almost like vertical walls of water, and were proceeded by troughs so deep that they were verita
“We knew it was going to be a large wave because we were down in the Indian Ocean which is actually one of the reasons I wanted to do the race. “We were out on watch and thankfully I had the harness on, I was clipped on so that helped to save me. “I had my back to the bow and unfortunately we just hit an enormous wave and it sent me flying across the deck and I hit my head on what we call the ‘traveller’, which is the boon that hit me on the forehead. “There was quite a lot of blood but thankfully I wasn’t unconcious so I was able to tell my colleagues what to do.
