Hi:

There is no such thing as a freak, sneaker, rogue, or maverick wave.

Waves come and go because of several factors that influence crest,
trough, length etc. Wayne B. has the right idea. Why would a monster
wave appear out of nowhere 100 miles off the Oregon coast? Gee, maybe
Cobb Sea Mount?! Water depth is about 12 fathoms at the top of the sea
mount and just a few feet later you're looking down at 2,500 feet of
deep blue sea. Gee, why would a long sea swell traveling 1000s of
uninterrupted miles randomly, an possibly sneaky, break there?

The problem is knowing enough to be prepared and knowing that really
weird stuff happens for a reason. Conditions and events are predictable
or at least to be expected. Do not blaming the sea when you get caught
with your pants down.

The latest boat deaths on the Oregon coast were caused by Richard J.
Oba, a licensed charterboat operator with 30 years of maritime
experience. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of seaman's
manslaughter in the Sept. 19 deaths.

He was a charterboat operator who failed to follow USCG and other
charterboat operators advice to not enter the closed bar at Winchester
Bay, OR. What part of, "the bar is closed" that is so confusing? He
drowned 3 passengers. Interesting, the indictment states that Oba never
conducted a safety briefing for his passengers as required by law;
never told them where the life jackets were on the boat; and was the
only one wearing a life jacket when the boat was swamped. Interviewed
by the Oregonian newspaper he was quoted saying that a sneaker wave
came out of nowhere and capsized his boat. The same story happened a
couple years ago on another charter boat called the Taki-Too.

Taki-Too, a 35 charter boat capsized with 19 on board. Eleven people
including, the captain, died in similar conditions as the above boat.
That day the Coast Guard issued a warning of high surf and rough bar
conditions that morning and declared the Tillamook Bay bar closed to
all recreational boaters as well as to charter boats that had not been
inspected and approved for heavy surf conditions. The Taki-Too was
inspected and approved for heavy surf conditions. Again another
"sneaker wave" came out of nowhere and swamped the boat according
to a crewmember.

There is no such thing as a freak, sneaker, rogue, or maverick wave.
Granted there are some that are bigger than the rest. But they are that
way for a reason.
Read, learn, and watch the ocean. Watch the ocean a lot. Unusually
large waves are rather predictable.
Bob