Interesting. I would have to wonder where in the Bering Sea (near land
or open waters), but the satellite radar, will probably end up being the
best source for actual numbers, from what I've heard about it.

otn

Calif Bill wrote:
According to the Government they figure 200' swells possible in the Bering
sea area. Spent a few deficit dollars looking at them with satellite radar
to figure out how to measure and keep ships out of their path.

On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 18:20:28 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:

G Picture a submarine, diving.
Judging wave heights, at sea is not easy. On a ship, judging heights up
to @30-40' can be done with reasonable accuracy (the bigger the ship the
better), but above that it becomes much more difficult.
If you read various books, I believe you'll find that @60' is considered
the maximum that waves can reach at sea. I feel the number is
considerably higher, but no where near 200'.

I personally can't attest to wave heights, but there is evidence for
100' waves having existed.

Having said that (and I've looked but can't find a source on the web,
I'll have to look for another one) I read somewhere that the
theoretical height limit for a "rouge" wave is 178' - has to do with
the speed, weight of the water, etc. After a certain point, the water
can't support it'self.

It's kinda like reporting roll angles with a "clinometer" .... "we were
rolling 40 deg by the clinometer" .... in truth, their roll angle was
closer to 20 deg.

Hey, makes for a good story and god knows, I love a good story.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
-----------
"Angling may be said to be so
like the mathematics that it
can never be fully learnt..."

Izaak Walton "The Compleat Angler", 1653

Would have to be open waters, otherwise the wave mechanics would make for
bigger surfing waves than Mavericks. I think the problem is they are not
the nasty waves as the pics show, but huge swells with long periods that can
break a ship because of the lack of center support. Figure the super
tankers are 1/2-3/4 mile long now. Wave with a 1 mile period would not
break into white water, but would break a ship.
bill

"otnmbrd" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Interesting. I would have to wonder where in the Bering Sea (near land
or open waters), but the satellite radar, will probably end up being the
best source for actual numbers, from what I've heard about it.

otn

Calif Bill wrote:
According to the Government they figure 200' swells possible in the
Bering
sea area. Spent a few deficit dollars looking at them with satellite
radar
to figure out how to measure and keep ships out of their path.

"K. Smith" wrote in message ...
Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:08:02 +1100, "K. Smith"
wrote:


Calif Bill wrote:

http://tv-antenna.com/heavy-seas/




Hmmm contrary view has to be put & as always only too happy to discuss
it:-)

Thanks for the pics though, they prove yet again that "huge" waves in
open water are the stuff of over active imaginations


Ummmmm....ok, I'll bite.

Why?

Look at the pics, some show a wave seeming to be breaking "onto" the
boat?? whereas in reality the boat is ploughing "through" & in part
creating the wave, waves don't break like that in open water until they
get disturbed by the proximity of the ship's displacement.

what??? IF the boat IS plowing through the wave, and the ship's
freeboard is 30', then the wave is higher than that. If it weren't the
ship wouldn't plow through it.


At sea in heavy weather you're usually running (got not much choice on
small yachts:-)) & invariably someone comes up from below & looks astern
only to see the mythical huge wave standing up about to break upon the
boat, what this person is actually looking at is down the back of the
wave that just past under the boat, through the trough then up the steep
face of the next approaching wave, however having no reference other
than the confusion of their own balance he/she in all honesty "sees'
that all as all up & the face of an approaching huge wave.

Jeez, it can't be any more simple, if you are standing on a ship's
deck, and there is 30' between you and the water, and the wave breaks
over you, then the wave has to be greater than 30', or it could not
possibly break over you.

An older Bowditch claims a reliably reported 112 footer. This may have
been updated, now that we have the various satellites which can measure
more accurately, as Calif B has stated.

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:


I personally can't attest to wave heights, but there is evidence for
100' waves having existed.

Having said that (and I've looked but can't find a source on the web,
I'll have to look for another one) I read somewhere that the
theoretical height limit for a "rouge" wave is 178' - has to do with
the speed, weight of the water, etc. After a certain point, the water
can't support it'self.

basskisser wrote:
"K. Smith" wrote in message ...

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:08:02 +1100, "K. Smith"
wrote:



Calif Bill wrote:


http://tv-antenna.com/heavy-seas/




Hmmm contrary view has to be put & as always only too happy to discuss
it:-)

Thanks for the pics though, they prove yet again that "huge" waves in
open water are the stuff of over active imaginations


Ummmmm....ok, I'll bite.

Why?

Look at the pics, some show a wave seeming to be breaking "onto" the
boat?? whereas in reality the boat is ploughing "through" & in part
creating the wave, waves don't break like that in open water until they
get disturbed by the proximity of the ship's displacement.


what??? IF the boat IS plowing through the wave, and the ship's
freeboard is 30', then the wave is higher than that. If it weren't the
ship wouldn't plow through it.

No the boat has huge momentum via it's mass & speed, even at slow
speeds, it's pitching up & down regardless. The bow is being pushed down
via the ship's own motion. Once the boat has some pitch motion
established even a small wave will "look" like it's breaking over the
deck, but the boat is actually diving downwards, bow first.

At sea in heavy weather you're usually running (got not much choice on
small yachts:-)) & invariably someone comes up from below & looks astern
only to see the mythical huge wave standing up about to break upon the
boat, what this person is actually looking at is down the back of the
wave that just past under the boat, through the trough then up the steep
face of the next approaching wave, however having no reference other
than the confusion of their own balance he/she in all honesty "sees'
that all as all up & the face of an approaching huge wave.


Jeez, it can't be any more simple, if you are standing on a ship's
deck, and there is 30' between you and the water, and the wave breaks
over you, then the wave has to be greater than 30', or it could not
possibly break over you.

On a very calm day even a modest patrol boat can throw green water over
the deck if driven hard into a slight swell.

The boat acts like a sea wall & as you might know waves bounce up over
sea walls much higher than the surrounding wave height.

The pictures are not a testament to big waves but to how easy it is to
be deceived when our normal established references (what's up & what's
down) are taken away.

K

"K. Smith" wrote in message
...
basskisser wrote:
"K. Smith" wrote in message
...

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:08:02 +1100, "K. Smith"
wrote:



Calif Bill wrote:


http://tv-antenna.com/heavy-seas/




Hmmm contrary view has to be put & as always only too happy to
discuss
it:-)

Thanks for the pics though, they prove yet again that "huge" waves in
open water are the stuff of over active imaginations


Ummmmm....ok, I'll bite.

Why?

Look at the pics, some show a wave seeming to be breaking "onto" the
boat?? whereas in reality the boat is ploughing "through" & in part
creating the wave, waves don't break like that in open water until they
get disturbed by the proximity of the ship's displacement.


what??? IF the boat IS plowing through the wave, and the ship's
freeboard is 30', then the wave is higher than that. If it weren't the
ship wouldn't plow through it.

No the boat has huge momentum via it's mass & speed, even at slow
speeds, it's pitching up & down regardless. The bow is being pushed down
via the ship's own motion. Once the boat has some pitch motion
established even a small wave will "look" like it's breaking over the
deck, but the boat is actually diving downwards, bow first.

At sea in heavy weather you're usually running (got not much choice on
small yachts:-)) & invariably someone comes up from below & looks astern
only to see the mythical huge wave standing up about to break upon the
boat, what this person is actually looking at is down the back of the
wave that just past under the boat, through the trough then up the steep
face of the next approaching wave, however having no reference other
than the confusion of their own balance he/she in all honesty "sees'
that all as all up & the face of an approaching huge wave.


Jeez, it can't be any more simple, if you are standing on a ship's
deck, and there is 30' between you and the water, and the wave breaks
over you, then the wave has to be greater than 30', or it could not
possibly break over you.

On a very calm day even a modest patrol boat can throw green water over
the deck if driven hard into a slight swell.

The boat acts like a sea wall & as you might know waves bounce up over
sea walls much higher than the surrounding wave height.

The pictures are not a testament to big waves but to how easy it is to
be deceived when our normal established references (what's up & what's
down) are taken away.

K


Well, to quote my school roommate. There was green water rolling down the
deck of the ship. The ship was The CV Bonne Hoome Richard. And it is a
smaller aircraft carrier. The DD and DE's were completely underwater at
times. This during a typhoon off the Philipines. Which says to me they
were a lot bigger than 30' waves. Maybe you ought to go see a large surfing
break. Our local big break Mavericks will produce greater than 60' at good
swell times.
Bill

On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 16:12:03 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

~snippage~

Our local big break Mavericks will produce greater than 60' at good
swell times.

Dude!!!! Gnarly!!!

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
-----------
"Angling may be said to be so
like the mathematics that it
can never be fully learnt..."

Izaak Walton "The Compleat Angler", 1653

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
hlink.net...

snip


Well, to quote my school roommate. There was green water rolling down
the
deck of the ship. The ship was The CV Bonne Hoome Richard. And it is
a
smaller aircraft carrier. The DD and DE's were completely underwater
at
times. This during a typhoon off the Philipines. Which says to me
they
were a lot bigger than 30' waves. Maybe you ought to go see a large
surfing
break. Our local big break Mavericks will produce greater than 60' at
good
swell times.
Bill

I don't see those kind of waves here in Minnesota, but don't surfing
style waves depend on a bottom that slopes just right? I don't hear of
folks out surfing in the middle of the ocean....

I have been led to believe that even a tsunami is trivial in the open
sea, but a heck of a problem when the very long wavelength gets to
shore. But surely in this day and age there are satellite/airplane/bouy
measurements of wave height in open ocean. Or would that be too hard to
look up?

OK, looked at the navy wave height forcasts. Looks like they believe in
24-30 foot waves. Of course the wavelength and hence the steepness of
the wave isn't given. If it goes up 30 feet but the wavelength is 500
feet, then it wouldn't be a problem in a small boat. I presume that is
how people can fish on the west coast in 10 foot waves.

del cecchi

del cecchi

"del cecchi" wrote in message
...

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
hlink.net...

snip


Well, to quote my school roommate. There was green water rolling down
the
deck of the ship. The ship was The CV Bonne Hoome Richard. And it is
a
smaller aircraft carrier. The DD and DE's were completely underwater
at
times. This during a typhoon off the Philipines. Which says to me
they
were a lot bigger than 30' waves. Maybe you ought to go see a large
surfing
break. Our local big break Mavericks will produce greater than 60' at
good
swell times.
Bill

I don't see those kind of waves here in Minnesota, but don't surfing
style waves depend on a bottom that slopes just right? I don't hear of
folks out surfing in the middle of the ocean....

I have been led to believe that even a tsunami is trivial in the open
sea, but a heck of a problem when the very long wavelength gets to
shore. But surely in this day and age there are satellite/airplane/bouy
measurements of wave height in open ocean. Or would that be too hard to
look up?

OK, looked at the navy wave height forcasts. Looks like they believe in
24-30 foot waves. Of course the wavelength and hence the steepness of
the wave isn't given. If it goes up 30 feet but the wavelength is 500
feet, then it wouldn't be a problem in a small boat. I presume that is
how people can fish on the west coast in 10 foot waves.

del cecchi

del cecchi



Mavericks is a reef break. The bottom comes up to 45' in a very short
distance. In July when the swell is nil, is some great fishing over the
reef. They do surf some offshore breaks. But they are pinnacles the come
to the surface. We have swells and waves. We fish 8' swells in my 21' boat
with no problem. Then in the afternoon the winds come up and we get wind
waves. 2-3'. Then things get wet and nasty. waves at different angles
than the swells, so you get beat up if having to run uphill into the slop.
Normally we try to be in by noon, when the slop arrives, but we go North and
then can come home with the wind, to ease the pain.
For a Mavericks video and the Mavericks web sites.
http://www.mavsurfer.com
http://www.maverickssurf.com/