The largest wave conquered. The biggest wave in the world: still to come. Where are the biggest waves?

Waves most often calm and mesmerize the person watching them. Just imagine: the beach, the setting sun drowning in the ocean waves, one after another rolling in white foam onto the golden sand. “Idyll,” you say. Now imagine: strong gusts of wind, a cooling breeze and a huge 30-meter wave that grew right in front of you in a matter of seconds. “Idyll,” the big wave surfers will say.

Today we will talk about the most famous spots with big waves: how and where these ocean Hulks come from and who is hunting for them. Source: birdymag.ru

(Total 14 photos)

Mavericks, California

1. Perhaps, these giant waves have become the most popular and are familiar even to people far from surfing, and all thanks to the film “Wave Conquerors” (2012), which tells real story the young surfer Jay Moriarty, who conquered those same Mavericks. But that’s not about that now.

The spot got its name back in 1967, when three surfer friends came to surf the unnamed spot. There was a dog with them - a German shepherd named Maverick, who loved to swim next to the guys. Leaving the dog on the shore, they swam by boat to the line-up, but the dog still went after them. The boat had to be turned around in order to tie Maverick more tightly - the weather had deteriorated greatly and it was unsafe for the dog to be in the water. In terms of riding, that day was not successful: the guys were surfing close to the shore, and the giant waves rising far in the ocean seemed very dangerous to them. Returning to shore, they decided to name the place after the dog, who was much luckier that day.

2. Since then, the small town of Half Moon Bay in Southern California has become a Mecca for surfers who cannot live without deadly waves. But not for everyone. For many years, the spot was a great secret, jealously guarded only by a select few. And all the rumors about Mavericks looked more like crazy nonsense. Only in the 90s, thanks to Surfer Magazine, the spot received wide publicity and became a magnet for everyone who wanted to watch and ride the rogue waves.

3. These waves acquire such power due to the unique bottom topography: at a distance of about one and a half kilometers from the shore, the reef has depressions that, like a pump, pump up the wave with an additional volume of water coming from other deep-sea reefs. But this is only “meeting a good friend on the threshold”: the waves themselves are formed long before approaching the shores of California. Mavericks in their pristine state are echoes of storms in nearby areas of the North Pacific Ocean. Overcoming a distance of 320 km (ideal), the waves move south, driven by the westerly wind. Another important component for a large Maverick is the period with which swell waves arrive at the reefs, this period should exceed 16 seconds. When all the factors come together, a huge 25-meter wall rises in front of you.

Nazare, Portugal

4. Who would have thought that an ordinary fishing village would instantly become a surfing center of attraction? And all thanks to the recently opened spot of the same name with truly terrifying waves.

As in the case of Mavericks, it plays into the hands of surfers deep canyon Nazaré (Canhao da Nazaré). This is the largest underwater gorge in Europe, stretching along the coast for 170 km. In some places, the width of the Nazaré Canyon reaches 5 km, and the depth is about 300 m.

5. Find a surfer

6. Nazaré waves are “fed” by strong Atlantic storms, the swells of which move towards Europe. The canyon, like an arrow pointing straight to the beach of Praia do Norte, enhances the power of the waves, and the sharp difference in depth between the gorge and the reef allows the waves to grow in height, reaching 30 m, and sometimes more. There are plenty of madmen who have conquered such giants.

7. Take, for example, the Guinness record holder, American Garrett McNamara, who rode a wave 23.7 meters high in 2011. And just two years later he increased his success by conquering a 30-meter giant in the same Nazaré. The deadly St. Jude storm helped Brazilian Carlos Burla beat McNamara by 1.5 meters. By the way, Burle’s girlfriend, big wave surfer Maya Gabeira, almost lost her life after falling from a giant wave in Nazaré.

Garrett McNamara catches Nazaré's monster

Jaws, Hawaii

8. The Hawaiian spot Jaws (“Jaws”) on the northern coast of the island of Maui is happy to open its mouth for everyone from November to March. This name was given to it by local surfers in 1975 in honor of Steven Spielberg’s just-released blockbuster of the same name. The waves that arise here are really similar to the unpredictable behavior of a shark: suddenly a quite friendly wave can turn into an 18-meter monster.

9. “Jaws” arrives thanks to the storms of the big-wave entertainment-rich Pacific Ocean. These high, fast and powerful waves attract town-in-surfers, i.e. those who get caught on a wave by being towed on a jet ski. By the way, this method was invented precisely at the Jaws spot in the 1980s.

10. “Jaws” appears due to an underwater ridge that appeared as a result of a volcanic eruption. The ridge sharply slows down the rapid movement of the swell, driven by sharp gusts of wind, and the reef, concentrating this entire mass, collapses it in a certain place. In the same place where the XXL Big Wave Awards will be held on May 1.

"Jaws": a surfer for mom, a surfer for dad...

Teahupoo, Tahiti

11. The Teahupu spot (or rather, the name is pronounced “Chopu” in the local dialect) is located in the southwest of the main island French Polynesia- Tahiti in Pacific Ocean. Translated, the name sounds like “tear off the head” and it fully justifies itself. Of course, it appeared as a result of the bloody inter-tribal wars that happened in these parts hundreds of years ago. But these days it does not lose its relevance. And all because gigantic heavy waves rise 500 meters from the shore and crash onto reefs slightly covered by shallows, sharp as a thousand knives. This is due to the strong southwestern swell carrying the left wave, and the unique semicircular “jagged” relief of the reef, sloping steeply down, allows it to show itself in all its treacherous, ponderous glory. It seems that giants simply grow out of nowhere.

Rhys Wartenberg, surfer, traveler: “When I climbed out of the water after my first brutal “kiss” with the reef in Chopu (on my thigh), one of the surfers warming up on the shore said that I was lucky not to grab this beauty with my face. And then I realized: yes, damn it, I really am the lucky one!”

Chopu is included in Transworld Surf magazine's "Top 10 Deadly Waves" list. The full power of the “daredevil” was experienced by surfer Bruce Taerea in 2000. An unsuccessful attempt to duck dive a 4-meter wave ended in death for a professional athlete: a powerful wave pushed the athlete, throwing him onto the reef. From a broken neck and spine, Bruce fell into a coma and then died in the hospital.

Gave chopu

Pipeline, Hawaii

12. What can we say, Hawaii is the historical birthplace of surfing, attracting riders of all levels and ages to its waves. But big wave hunters have a specific point here - the Pipeline spot on the shore of the island of Oahu, or rather, on Banzai Beach. In winter, huge (up to 10 meters) pipes stand here, which, when closed in shallow water, add another 10 points to the danger level.

13. It is noteworthy that, depending on the size of the incoming swell, the wave on the Pipeline breaks into several peaks, the most traveled of which is First Reef. This is logical, because the reef, extending into the ocean, is divided into three parts by depressions, giving the incoming waves additional power. Encountering shallow water, this whole huge mass collapses, creating a perfect, but damn dangerous pipe.

By the way, about pipes. The Pipeline spot got its name, surprisingly, not because of the characteristics of the waves. It was 1961 when director Bruce Brown decided to film some guys on anonymous waves for his surfer film In Search of Summer. And very nearby there was work on laying underground communications in the ocean. So Brown christened the place - “The Pipeline” - very unromantically.

14. Since the 1970s, The Billabong Pipeline Masters competition has been held here annually, where the strongest athletes fight the elements for a prize of $425,000. But everything is not so rosy: since 2000, six deaths of professional surfers and photographers have been recorded here.

Of course, these are not the only places on earth where you can come face to face with huge waves. But to learn, and most importantly, to understand them all, you need to make a lot of effort. Not only physical, but also mental. After all, big wave surfing is a deadly dangerous enterprise. And for those who still dream of riding, for example, Mavericks, we have come up with the motto: “Explore. Go for a ride. Rule."

5 most famous surf spots where legendary huge waves come

The biggest
waves of the world

5 most famous surf spots,
where the legendary come
huge waves

Mavericks, California

Perhaps, these giant waves have become the most popular and are familiar even to people far from surfing, and all thanks to the film “Wave Conquerors” (2012), which tells the real story of the young surfer Jay Moriarty, who conquered those same Mavericks. But that’s not about that now. The spot got its name back in 1967, when three surfer friends came to surf the unnamed spot. With them was a dog - a German shepherd named Maverick, who loved to swim next to the guys. Leaving the dog on the shore, they swam by boat to the line-up, but the dog still went after them. The boat had to be turned around in order to tie Maverick more tightly - the weather had become very bad, and it was unsafe for the dog to be in the water. In terms of riding, that day was not successful: the guys were surfing close to the shore, and the giant waves rising far in the ocean seemed very dangerous to them. Returning to shore, they decided to name the place after the dog, who was much luckier that day.

Since then, the small town of Half Moon Bay in southern California has become a mecca for surfers who cannot live without deadly waves. But not for everyone. For many years, the spot was a great secret, jealously guarded only by a select few. And all the rumors about Mavericks looked more like crazy nonsense. Only in the 90s, thanks to Surfer Magazine, the spot received wide publicity and became a magnet for everyone who wanted to watch and ride the rogue waves.

These waves acquire such power thanks to the unique bottom topography: at a distance of about one and a half kilometers from the shore, the reef has depressions that, like a pump, pump up the wave with an additional volume of water coming from other deep-sea reefs. But this is only “meeting a good friend on the threshold”: the waves themselves are formed long before approaching the shores of California. Mavericks in their pristine state are echoes of storms in nearby areas of the North Pacific Ocean. Overcoming a distance of 320 km (ideal), the waves move south, driven by the westerly wind. Another important component for a large Maverick is the period with which swell waves arrive at the reefs, this period should exceed 16 seconds. When all the factors come together, a huge 25-meter wall rises in front of you.

Nazare, Portugal

Nazaré waves are “fed” by strong Atlantic storms, reaching a height of more than 30 m.

Who would have thought that an ordinary fishing village would instantly become a surfing center of attraction? And all thanks to the recently opened spot of the same name with truly terrifying waves. As in the case of Mavericks, the deep Nazaré Canyon (“Canhão da Nazaré”) plays into the hands of surfers. This is the largest underwater gorge in Europe, stretching along the coast for 170 km. In some places, the width of the Nazaré canyon reaches 5 km, and the depth is about 300 m. The waves of Nazaré are “fed” by strong Atlantic storms, the swells of which move towards Europe. The canyon, like an arrow pointing straight to the beach of Praia do Norte, enhances the power of the waves, and the sharp difference in depth between the gorge and the reef allows the waves to grow in height, reaching 30 m, and sometimes more. There are plenty of madmen who have conquered such giants. Take, for example, the Guinness record holder, American Garrett McNamara, who rode a wave 23.7 meters high in 2011. And after 2 years he increased his success by conquering, all in the same Nazar, a 30-meter giant. The deadly St. Jude storm helped Brazilian Carlos Burla beat McNamara by 1.5 meters. By the way, Burle’s girlfriend, big wave surfer Maya Gabeira, almost lost her life after falling from a giant wave in Nazaré.

Jaws, Hawaii

The Hawaiian spot Jaws (Jaws) on the northern coast of the island of Maui is happy to open its “mouth” to everyone from November to March. This name was given to it by local surfers in 1975 in honor of Steven Spielberg’s just-released blockbuster of the same name. The waves that arise here are really similar to the unpredictable behavior of a shark: suddenly a quite friendly wave can turn into an 18-meter monster. Jaws arrives thanks to the storms of the big wave-rich entertainment of the Pacific Ocean. These high, fast and powerful waves attract town-in-surfers, i.e. those who get caught on a wave by being towed on a jet ski. By the way, this method was invented precisely at the Jaws spot in the 1980s. Jaws appears thanks to an underwater ridge that appeared as a result of a volcanic eruption. The ridge sharply slows down the rapid movement of the swell, driven by sharp gusts of wind, and the reef, concentrating this entire mass, collapses it in a certain place. In the same place where the XXL Big Wave Awards will be held on May 1.

Teahupoo, Tahiti

The Teahupu spot (or rather, the name is pronounced “Chopu” in the local dialect) is located in the southwest of the main island of French Polynesia - Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean. Translated, the name sounds like “tear off the head” and it fully justifies itself. Of course, it appeared as a result of the bloody inter-tribal wars that happened in these parts hundreds of years ago. But these days it does not lose its relevance. And all because gigantic heavy waves rise 500 meters from the shore and crash onto reefs slightly covered by shallows, sharp as a thousand knives. This is due to the strong southwestern swell carrying the left wave, and the unique semicircular “jagged” relief of the reef, sloping steeply down, allows it to show itself in all its treacherous, ponderous glory. It seems that giants simply grow out of nowhere.

Rhys Wartenberg

Surfer, traveler

“When I climbed out of the water after my first brutal “kiss” with the reef in Chopu (on my thigh), one of the surfers warming up on the shore said that I was lucky not to grab this beauty with my face. And then I realized: yes, damn it, I really am the lucky one!”

Chopu is included in Transworld Surf magazine's "Top 10 Deadly Waves" list. Surfer Bruce Taerea experienced the full power of the “head off” in 2000. An unsuccessful attempt to duck dive a 4-meter wave ended in death for a professional athlete: a powerful wave pushed the athlete, throwing him onto the reef. From a broken neck and spine, Bruce fell into a coma and then died in the hospital.

Pipeline, Hawaii

What can we say, Hawaii is the historical birthplace of surfing, attracting riders of all levels and ages to its waves. But big wave hunters have a specific point here - the Pipeline spot on the shore of the island of Oahu, or rather, on Banzai Beach. In winter, huge (up to 10 meters) pipes stand here, which, when closed in shallow water, add another 10 points to the danger level. It is noteworthy that, depending on the size of the incoming swell, the wave on the Pipeline breaks into several peaks, the most traveled of which is First Reef. This is logical, because the reef, extending into the ocean, is divided into three parts by depressions, giving the incoming waves additional power. Encountering shallow water, this whole huge mass collapses, creating a perfect, but damn dangerous pipe. By the way, about pipes. The Pipeline spot got its name, surprisingly, not because of the characteristics of the waves. It was 1961 when director Bruce Brown decided to film some guys on anonymous waves for his surfer film In Search of Summer. And very nearby there was work on laying underground communications in the ocean. So Brown christened the place – the Pipeline – very unromantically. Since the 1970s, The Billabong Pipeline Masters competition has been held here annually, where the strongest athletes compete against the elements for a prize of $425,000. But everything is not so rosy: since 2000, 6 deaths of professional surfers and photographers have been recorded here.

Of course, these are not the only places on Earth where you can come face to face with huge waves. But to learn, and most importantly, to understand them all, you need to make a lot of effort. Not only physical, but also mental. After all, big wave surfing is a deadly undertaking. And for those who still dream of riding, for example, Mavericks, we came up with the motto: “Explore. Go for a ride. Rule."

The most dangerous waves- these are the ones that every surfer “must know by sight.” The waves that made surfing what it is today, the waves that challenge the brave. This article will talk about the largest and most dangerous waves for surfing, which have claimed many lives. We will talk about Pipeline and Jaws in Hawaii, Mavericks in California, Teahupoo in Tahiti and Shipsterns Bluff in Australia, off the coast of Tasmania.

The most dangerous waves for surfing.

The Banzai Pipeline wave, which is located off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, is considered a surfing mecca. A legendary wave with stunning tubes occurs where the energy of the swell meets the coral reef. Pipeline hosts many competitions, including the Pipeline Masters. Professional surfers come here from all over the world to ride one of the biggest and most dangerous waves on the planet. In winter, waves reach sizes of up to 30 feet (about 10 meters). Depending on the size of the swell, Pipeline breaks on several peaks: the most famous is First Reef, this peak works most often and is the most powerful; Backdoor - right wave at the same peak; and Third Reef, which is not surfed as often, but has even bigger waves.

The most dangerous waves are here: Pipeline is called the deadliest wave in the world. Several professional surfers and photographers have died here, including Malik Joyeux, a Tahiti surfer who became famous for his surfing on Teahupoo.

This wave is located in the south west coast islands of Tahiti. Teahupoo is often called the heaviest wave in the world the world). The name in the local dialect is correctly read as Chopu, but many simply call it Teahupu. Chopu became popular in the sixties of the last century, thanks to its unique shape. It is simply impossible to confuse this wave with any other. The semicircular reef, which goes steeply down, is precisely thanks to it that Chopu gets up so sharply, quickly and has such a thick linden during big swells.
There have been five deaths reported on Teahupoo since 2000. In 2001, surfer Briece Taerea fell from a 13-foot wave (just over 4 meters), hit a reef, broke his neck and spine in 3 places, fell into a coma, and two days later said goodbye to his life.

Shipsterns Bluff

Formerly called "Devil's Point" after the headland that juts out over the ocean, Shipsterns Bliff is located in the south-eastern corner of Tasmania, which absorbs the storms of the Indian Ocean. The spot is famous for its complex bottom topography, which creates a wave that seems to mutate until it breaks.

“The wave doesn’t just break here,” says Shipsterns master Marti Paradisis, “the ocean folds, trying to destroy everything in its path. To surf here you have to put yourself in the mindset to fight... this wave is completely unpredictable.” And this is true, especially when the famous "steps" begin to appear, trying to knock the surfer off his feet.

“When you launch at Shipsterns, you see the ocean suck the water off the reef and the surface begins to curve according to the topography of the bottom, and this is what forms the “step”,” explains Marty. “As soon as you see it, you have to decide what to do: either jump the step as quickly as possible when the wave is small, or, when its size becomes larger, ride in the pipe. It's a challenge!"

Many surfers who dared to ride this wave were unable to escape unscathed. “I remember being stuck in the current 300 meters from the safety of a dry rock, bleeding. At that point, I was trying not to think of myself as food,” recalls Kieren Perrow, referring to shark food.

Jaws

The wave called Jaws, or Peahi in Hawaiian, is located on the north shore of the island of Maui under impressive cliffs. Windsurfers were the first to ride this wave, and in the late 90s Jaws became test site for the emerging toe-in surfing movement led by Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama.
The most big waves here they can reach heights of 40-70 feet (13-23 meters), thanks to winter storms. To achieve the speed necessary to take off on a wave, toe-in surfers are accelerated using water scooters. However, recently, surfers such as Shane Dorian, Carlos Burle and Mark Healey have begun to tackle this wave manually.

“Of all the big waves in the world, I think this is the fastest,” says Mark Healy. “She moves faster and hits harder.” Rescue operations using jet skis is very difficult because the foam avalanche hits a 300-foot cliff.”

Jaws got its fearsome name when Hawaiian surfers John Roberson, John Lemus and John Potterick, surfing here in 1975, noticed a sudden change in conditions when the wave turned into a huge, dangerous monster. They nicknamed it after the film of the same name, comparing the unpredictability of conditions to the suddenness of a shark attack.

Mavericks

Known to most Russian surfers from the movie Chasing Mavericks, this wave is located in Halfmoon Bay in northern California. And it became the site of the most dramatic events in the modern history of big wave surfing. Only a select few dare ride this dangerous, sometimes deadly wave, which can reach up to 80 feet (about 25 meters) in height.

Grant Washburn has been riding for the Mavericks almost the longest. He says that the incredible thrill of riding this wave makes you obsessed with it, but sometimes you have to pay for the desire to “conquer” the most dangerous waves. This fact is confirmed by several deaths and tragic cases where surfers almost drowned in the waters of this spot.

But in addition to the dangerous conditions typical of huge waves, Mavericks have their own hidden threat.
“Right below the huge peak is a deep hole in the ocean floor, into which it is rapidly drawing water with each passing wave,” says Washburn. - This place is called “The Cauldron”, and “thanks to” it keeps surfers under water for two waves, and it is also responsible for the deaths of Mark Foo and Sion Milosky.

As you can see, the most dangerous waves attract people whose surfing is not just a lifestyle, but their passion and excitement. But, unfortunately, not everyone was able to compete with nature. We invite you to watch this video so that you can clearly see which giants we are talking about.

Ocean, sand, beach, cocktail, sun lounger and waves 30 meters high. Yes, it's all in one place, but fortunately, in different time. How can this be? We head to the town of Nazare on the west coast of Portugal. It is here, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, that you can see the relaxed beach holiday, and the biggest waves in the world.

This landmark of Portugal is located between the capital Lisbon and the city of Porto.

Small in summer resort town Nazaré, with a population of about 15,000 people, is the country's classic tourist destination. Its long sandy beaches tourists from all over the planet occupy it. They bask under the gentle sun, bathe in Atlantic Ocean. In general, an ordinary relaxing holiday.

In winter, everything changes dramatically. Beach tourists are replaced by extreme sports enthusiasts and lovers of unusual natural phenomena. During this period, one can observe the formation of giant waves that hit the coast almost at arm's length. This phenomenon, incredible in its power and amazing in its beauty, attracts both travelers and the most desperate surfers.

Who produces the biggest waves on the planet

Let us remind you once again that almost everything amazing, beautiful, sometimes frightening, but fascinating on our planet is produced by nature. In this case, the creator of the giant waves was the atypical topography of the ocean floor near the city of Nazaré, in particular the underwater Northern Canyon of Nazaré. This depression in the bottom surface reaches almost to the very shore, forming a kind of springboard for ocean waves.

It should be noted that the Nazaré Canyon is recognized as the deepest in Europe and one of the deepest in the world. It is located not parallel to the coast, but perpendicular. Its length is 227 km, and its depth reaches 5 kilometers (this is almost half the depth Mariana Trench). As you approach the coast, the depth decreases sharply, creating a barrier in the path of the wave and increasing its height many times over. Conditions arise under which colossal masses of water must jump over this obstacle. Don't forget, all this happens in close proximity from tourists.

In the pictures below you can see the geological reasons for the appearance of huge waves.

Typical diagram of the formation of a giant wave

But that is not all. The bottom topography alone is not enough to produce the highest waves. This requires a combination of many factors.

Hell of a cocktail for getting the biggest waves

The presence of the canyon creates special conditions for the creation of large waves. It splits the wave into two parts. One part increases its speed while passing through the canyon, and the second reunites with the first at the exit of the canyon into one large wave.

Opposing ocean current coming from the beach can add a few more meters.

For the birth of a giant wave, the wave period is important, which should be about 14 seconds. The wind, oddly enough, should be weak. The direction of the wave is very important; ideally it should come from the west or northwest. Added to these factors are storms in the northern part of the Atlantic that occur during the fall and winter. The combination of these factors can increase the average ocean wave several times.

How often do big waves appear?

Looking at the photos on the Internet, as well as on our website, you might think that giant waves in Nazaré are formed almost every minute. But that's not true. A little higher, you learned how many combined phenomena are required to produce a huge wave. This doesn't happen that often.

The Big Waves season in Nazaré occurs from October to February. During these months there are usually between 1 and 6 giant waves and tens or hundreds of much smaller waves. If you want to see a truly huge wave, then plan to spend at least 2 weeks here, or keep an eye on the forecasts on surfing websites. For a large wave, the forecast should indicate a wave size of more than 3 meters, a wave period of more than 13 seconds and a slight northerly wind.

If you are already there, check the sea conditions in real time through the online forecast and webcams. But even if all forecasts point to ideal conditions If large waves occur, then everything can change in just an hour and ruin a day with a favorable forecast.

But in Peru you can see the longest sea waves in the world. They are much safer than the waves in Nazaré, and you can ride them for up to several minutes at a time, traveling hundreds of meters on the crest of one wave

The story of conquering the giant waves of Nazaré

There are people in the world who “don’t feed them honey,” just let them conquer the biggest waves. They are usually called surfers. They, probably, with the advent of boards, began to collect the most best places for your hobby. They did not ignore the waves near the city of Nazaré. Surfers were first noticed here back in the 60s of the last century. Since then they have been frequent guests here. But there is no data on conquering huge waves. Only in November 2011 did the world learn about the capture of the largest wave. Then Gareth McNamara is a surfer with Hawaiian Islands– conquered a wave 24 meters high. The brave comrade did not calm down and in January 2013 he broke his own record, taking on a 30-meter wave.

Gareth was the first to describe the sensations of such adventures. This proved incredibly difficult due to the unpredictability of wave behavior.

In this event, McNamara involved three assistants and one wife (his own). At the moment of wave formation, the first assistant on a jet ski tries to pull the surfer as high as possible onto the crest, and stays close to him for safety net. Look at the photo of these waves, and you will understand that it is impossible to swim to them under your own power.

The second assistant runs a little further away and insures both of them. The third one keeps an eye on everyone else. And from the shore, a gray-haired wife watches everything and gives instructions to her husband on how best to catch the wave.

The first time everything went fine and no help was needed, but the second time proved the effectiveness of triple insurance. Then the first assistant was washed away from the jet ski by a wave, and the second assistant pulled out the surfer, and the third assistant pulled out the first one.

The danger of such adventures is extremely high, so surfers try not to climb waves 30 meters high unless absolutely necessary. They do it just for the records.

In October 2013, Brazilian surfer Carlos Berl rode a wave that was even bigger. But there is no absolutely accurate data on the height of the waves conquered, since it is quite problematic to take measurements.

Annual surf meeting in Nazaré

Despite the danger of such large waves, since 2016 a meeting or competition of surfers, the Nazare Challenge - WSL Big Wave Tour, managed by the World Surf League, has been taking place in Nazar. This competition brings together the best surfers from all over the world and lasts only one day. Moreover, it does not have a fixed date. It all depends on forecast sea conditions. The holding period, or better yet, the waiting period, is from October 15 to February 28. The day of the competition is confirmed 3 days before it takes place. This is the best that can be achieved with modern sea and wind forecasting technology.

This is a significant event for surfers. This is how one of the participants describes it:
“What followed after the starting signal was a dizzying, wild and unprecedented display of courage, stupidity and skill.”

Where is the best place to watch the biggest waves?

The best way to watch the giant wave is to stand on its crest on a surfboard. Any surfer will say that. Well, for ordinary tourists it is best to do this from Cape Nazaré, on which the lighthouse is located. Since the place is very interesting, you are unlikely to get lost. Fort San Miguel Arcanjo is also located here. You can also walk down to the sand on the beach via a dirt road, but be very careful. During the Big Wave season this is very dangerous.

Nowadays, in addition to the big waves, the attraction of Nazaré is the surfers who “ride” them. This, by the way, gives a good idea of the size of the waves. When you see a little man running away from a huge multi-ton wave, you can imagine how large and powerful not only the Russian language is, but also the Atlantic Ocean.

As a rule, many Famous places for surfing, they have a bottom topography similar to the topography near Nazaré, but on a smaller scale. The most famous are Teahupoo in Tahiti, Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii and Maverick’s Beach off the coast of California.
Local fishermen have long been afraid of this place. Several shipwrecks have occurred here. At the bottom of the canyon there is a sunken German submarine from World War II.

What causes the appearance of most waves in the oceans and seas, about the destructive energy of waves and about the most gigantic waves and the largest tsunamis that man has ever seen.

The highest wave

Most often, waves are generated by the wind: air moves the surface layers of the water column at a certain speed. Some waves can accelerate up to 95 km/h, and the wave can be up to 300 meters long; such waves travel enormous distances across the ocean, but most often their kinetic energy is extinguished and consumed before they reach land. If the wind subsides, then the waves become smaller and smoother.

The formation of waves in the ocean follows certain patterns.

The height and length of the wave depend on the wind speed, the duration of its influence, and the area covered by the wind. There is a correspondence: the greatest height of a wave is one seventh of its length. For example, a strong breeze generates waves up to 3 meters high, an extensive hurricane - on average up to 20 meters. And these are truly monstrous waves, with roaring foam caps and other special effects.

The highest normal wave of 34 meters was recorded in the Agulhas Current (South Africa) in 1933 by sailors on board the American ship Ramapo. Waves of this height are called “rogue waves”: even a large ship can easily get lost in the gaps between them and die.

In theory, the height of normal waves can reach 60 meters, but such waves have not yet been recorded in practice.

In addition to the usual wind origin, there are other mechanisms of wave formation. The cause and epicenter of the birth of a wave can be an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a sharp change coastline(landslides), human activities (for example, nuclear weapons testing) and even the fall of large celestial bodies- meteorites.

The biggest wave

This is a tsunami - a serial wave that is caused by some powerful impulse. The peculiarity of tsunami waves is that they are quite long; the distance between the crests can reach tens of kilometers. Therefore, in the open ocean, a tsunami does not pose a particular danger, since the height of the waves is on average no more than a few centimeters, in record cases - a meter and a half, but the speed of their propagation is simply unimaginable, up to 800 km / hour. From a ship on the open sea they are not noticeable at all. A tsunami acquires destructive power as it approaches the coast: reflection from the coast leads to a compression of the wavelength, but the energy does not disappear anywhere. Accordingly, its (wave) amplitude, that is, height, increases. It is easy to conclude that such waves can reach much higher heights than wind waves.

The worst tsunamis occur due to significant disturbances in the topography of the seabed, for example, tectonic faults or shifts, due to which billions of tons of water begin to abruptly move tens of thousands of kilometers at a speed jet plane. Disasters occur when this entire mass slows down on the shore, and its colossal energy first goes to increase in height, and ultimately collapses onto the land with all its power, a wall of water.

The most tsunami-hazardous places are bays with high banks. These are real tsunami traps. And the worst thing is that a tsunami almost always comes suddenly: in appearance, the situation at sea can be indistinguishable from low tide or high tide, an ordinary storm, people do not have time or do not even think about evacuating, and suddenly they are overtaken by a giant wave. Not many places have developed a warning system.

Territories with increased seismic activity are areas of particular risk in our time. No wonder the name of this natural phenomenon is of Japanese origin.

The worst tsunami in Japan

The islands are regularly attacked by waves of different calibers, and among them there are truly gigantic ones that entail human casualties. Earthquake east coast Honshu Island in 2011 caused a tsunami with a wave height of up to 40 meters. The earthquake is estimated to be the strongest in the recorded history of Japan. The waves struck along the entire coast, together with the earthquake they claimed the lives of more than 15 thousand people, many thousands were missing.

Another of the highest waves in Japanese history hit the western island of Hokkaido in 1741 as a result of a volcanic eruption; its height is approximately 90 meters.

The biggest tsunami in the world

In 2004, on the islands of Sumatra and Java, a tsunami caused by a strong earthquake in Indian Ocean, turned into a major disaster. According to various sources, from 200 to 300 thousand people died - a third of a million victims! To date, this particular tsunami is considered the most destructive in history.

And the record holder for wave height is named “Lituya”. This tsunami, which swept through Lituya Bay in Alaska at a speed of 160 km/h in 1958, was triggered by a giant landslide. The wave height was estimated at 524 meters.

Meanwhile, the sea is not always dangerous. There are “friendly” seas. For example, not a single river flows into the Red Sea, but it is the cleanest in the world. .
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