Are Sneaker Waves a myth?

[Tinman]

Are sneaker waves real, or merely myth? The reason I ask is that I grew up on the beaches of Southern California, and never saw a sneaker wave. As a surfer and surf fishermen, I've spent a couple of decades down at the beach, watching and riding waves. I count several ocean lifeguards among my friends, and they have never heard of sneaker waves either. Why would there be sneaker waves in Oregon, and not 1000 miles south of here?

Many times I have watched the first few wave sets of a new swell roll into the beach from a distant storm. Usually within a couple of hours, the sets become pretty consistent. Conversely, I have watched as an established swell starts dying off, finally sputtering out in final set or two. In both cases, intermittent sets of large waves can roll in, and I understand these could look like isolated incidents, when in fact they are part of a new or subsiding swell.

But sneaker waves, as I understand them, are usually SINGLE waves (perhaps 2 or 3), that are very large and totally out of character with the day's established swell pattern. Again, I have never seen such a sneaker wave in my 20 years at the beach, or in my 8 years in Oregon.

At least one crusty old salmon troller agrees that sneaker waves do not exist, and today's Oregonian (front page, "Charter Industry in Rough Water")speaks of a charter skipper that does not believe in them either.

I'm open-minded on this question, and eager to hear your opinions.

[GutshotApe]

I tend to agree that so-called "sneaker" waves are scarce around here...I've never seen one and I've spent a fair amount of time on the coastal bays & beaches between Brookings and Ilwaco...as well as almost 3 years "sea duty" in the Navy...and about half of that time was actually out there "haze gray and underway". No sneaker waves sighted.

Some waves are higher than others...and on a rising tide the waves may seem to "sneak" up...but I, too, am skeptical that there are very many true "rogue waves". Inattentive boaters & beachcombers? Yes. Sneaker waves? I am doubtful. :whazzup:

[Mello-Yello]

I'm no expert on this, but I'll share an incident I witnessed first hand (and will never forget). About 20 years ago, a buddy and I were bottom fishing off Simpson Reef out Charleston. The ocean was flat as I've ever seen it. No noticable swells, and absolutely no wind chop. Beautiful sunny day. We were in a 15' fiberglass runabout. One could not ask for better conditions...so I guess one could say it tended to lull you into complacency.

We had been fishing for well over an hour, when I just happened to glance to the west. About 200 yds out was a 4-5' wave, standing straigh up and breaking at the top. The wave ran as far North and as far South as one could see. After a milli-second pause while I regained my composure, I yelled out to my buddy. He fired off the engine and we just got turned into it by the time it hit us. We hit the deck, it stood us straight up and we slammed back down hard. Now surrounded by dead bottom-fish and everything else in the boat that wasn't strapped down, we peered over the gunnels. Calm seas to the west as far as one could see. We regained our composure, and finished out the day with more fishing. From that day forward, I have always made a point of keeping one eye on the west. I've yet to see this happen again, but will never forget the experience. Had we not seen it in time, I'm certain it was big enough (and steep enough) to roll us.

Sneaker wave, or just another big blue phenomenen...I dunno...but given the right conditions, it had everything it would take to provide one with a "really bad day".

M-Y

[happybrew]

No, sneaker waves are not a myth. I got hit by one fishing off the rocks near Big Sur, California, when I was 16. We were about ten feet up from where the highest waves were breaking, catching a lot of perch with squid under a bobber. I turned around and went back up a bit to re-bait my hook, and as I was fiddling with my tackle, I heard one of my buddies start to yell, only to be cut off suddenly, then I was hit from behind by a wave that soaked me head to toe, and knocked one of my buddies into me, although he was about 3 feet below me on the rocks. Given that the waves that day were about four feet, and that wave reached up about five feet above the spot I was standing in, which was at least 10 feet above the highest waves, that would make the wave around 20 feet on a day when the surf was about four feet. We were lucky we didn't lose anybody. As it was, all of our tackle got washed into the ocean, but nobody got washed in themselves. It was a serious reminder never to take your eyes off the ocean, which we did, assuming we were safe as high as we were on the rocks. I am leery of fishing on the rocks to this day, although I do it. The entire time I fish off the rocks, I've got this expectation of something reaching out and soaking me. The ocean should always be treated with a very healthy respect.

happybrew

[Big Dog]

Might also check with Hogmaster.

Ifish 2002 archives

[ 06-19-2003, 11:50 AM: Message edited by: Big Dog ]

[Scaup]

Here's what NOAA says:

Rogue waves have been part of marine folklore for centuries. They are generally considered to be unexpectedly high waves which in some instances come from a direction different from the predominant waves in the local area. A single rogue wave has certainly been known to spell disaster for the mariner. They have, over the past twenty or thirty years, come to be recognized as a unique phenomena albeit with several possible causes.

1) Constructive interference. Several different wave trains of differing speeds and directions meet at the same time. The heights of the crests are additive so that an extreme wave may result when very high waves are included in the wave trains. The effect is normally short lived since the wave trains continue to separate and move on.

2) Focusing of wave energy. When storm forced waves are developed in a water current counter to the wave direction an interaction can take place which results in a shortening of the wave frequency. The result is the superimposing of the wave trains and the generation of extreme waves. Examples of currents where these are sometimes seen are the Gulf Stream and Agulhas current. Extreme wave developed in this regime tend to be longer lived.

3) Normal part of the wave spectrum. The generation of waves on water results not in a single wave height but in a spectrum of waves distributed from the smallest capillary waves to large waves indeed. Within this spectrum there is a finite possibility of each of the wave heights to occur with the largest waves being the least likely. The wave height most commonly observed and forecast is the significant wave height. This is defined as the average of the one third highest waves. The probability of encountering such a wave is about 1 in 10 while 1 in 1000 waves will be nearly double the significant wave height or higher. This is thought to be the source of at least some reports of rogue waves.

http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/perfect..._ps_rogue.html

I personnally have never experienced one, but I would have to agree with the 3rd theory about rogue waves as an explanation for sneaker waves. That some waves will fall outside the statistical mean wave height, just like catching a 60lb Chinook off the Oregon coast. I haven't done that either!

[ 06-19-2003, 01:29 PM: Message edited by: Scaup ]

[Lepper]

Sneaker waves are FUN AND EXCITING!! As well as expensive and will make you pucker so tight that it will take you aweek to losen up!


Had one come on us going out of bandon here.. Bar was flat and nice rolling swells about 4ft tall.. Literally out of no place had a wave start breaking in front of us. We were about 200yds out of the jaws.. Give you a good example of how big this wave was, My boat is 19'. The hole boat was climbing the wave and it was still about 5-6 ft above us when the bow of the boat broke through the wave. Everyone lived to tell the tale. But one guy was in the hospital for about 4 wks....

Always keep the eye open..

dave

[bllelk]

My kid who's a Coastie and graduate of the Heavy Weather school at Cape Dissapointment tells me he was taught there are no "sneaker waves". If you watch long enough, 30 minutes to an hour, you will see a repetive pattern.
My personal experience in the San Juans some years ago is, we saw one really big breaking wave about a mile off. We went to investigate and found nothing but left over sea foam. Our guess was it was a submarine at high speed just beneath the surface. :whazzup:

[Birdnest]

What about seismic activity? I know a subsurface earthquake they can create a tsnuami. What about minor seismic activity thoughout the Pacific Rim? Seems logical.

Joe

[reeldick]

Call them what you want, to me they are sneaker waves.
A number of years ago I was fishing with Hogmaster and friends near the Tillamook jaws. Nice day, hours of no big waves. There were lots of boats fishing between the jaws while we had trolled back in by the Coast Guard tower. Suddenly we were lifted way up, then dropped way down. None of us was sure what just happened.
Next thing we know the Coasties are out of their tower and putting on survival suits and heading to the end of the jetty.
That one special wave broke over a number of boats and the Coast Guard boats pulled many from the water and towed in several boats that day. I believe their was one fatality.
Was it part of a sequence of waves? I don't think so. I don't go near those places anymore. No fish is worth chancing the unpredictable ocean. I'll stick to the bays and rivers.
That wave scared the bejeebers out of me.

[Lepper]

Originally posted by bllelk:
My kid who's a Coastie and graduate of the Heavy Weather school at Cape Dissapointment tells me he was taught there are no "sneaker waves". If you watch long enough, 30 minutes to an hour, you will see a repetive pattern.
My personal experience in the San Juans some years ago is, we saw one really big breaking wave about a mile off. We went to investigate and found nothing but left over sea foam. Our guess was it was a submarine at high speed just beneath the surface. :whazzup:

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">I'd have to disagree with your kid then.. I watched the bar for a good 45min-1hr before going out and it was flat....

[rojo]

Don't know what you want to call them, but have been out in the middle of the pacific when a bigger than normal swell would seem to come out of nowhere. You could tell by the the difference in the feel of the ship. Also have had them come from a different direction then the normal sets and kind of hit you broad side but these where not that big just out of the ordinary...Roger

[bllelk]

Lepper:

I'll ask him for a more detailed explanation of what he was taught and the theory behind it. It is possible, I suppose, that to us civilians an unusually large wave or surge would come as a suprise (sneaker) but to the professionals that can read and interpret all the data and bouy reports all day and night, it's not unexpected at all.

Paragrah 3 of Scaups post is pretty interesting. One in a thousand?

Seismic activty would cause waves for sure. Pyramid Lake in Nevada has been known to shake like a bowl of jelly and generate some pretty good wave activity.
:shocked:

[lingslayer]

A month or so ago I was enjoying my first fishing experience on the mussel shoals at Depoe bay. I was into my 3rd ling of the afternoon. Up to that point the highest wave had "washed" my ankles. The tide was dropping so I wasn't concerned.
The next thing I knew there was a wall of water higher then my head coming at me and shortly after I was picking my drenched self up off the rocks with a sprained ankle and some bloody hide.
I didn't lose the ling tho,... :smile:
My 2 cents worth?? Yes there is such a thing as a "sneaker wave".
As someone with more experience than I pointed out, "never take your eyes off the big blue."
Advice I have taken to heart.
Do as you will., but keep one eye on the water.
Jamie

[blast and cast]

I witnessed a "sneaker" wave at Garabldi a few years ago. Very calm conditions, very large wave out of nowhere that ended up putting 10+ people in the drink and flipping a few boats in the south hole.

[tailchaser]

I've yet to see a "rogue wave" out in the ocean, but when the conditions are right 4-5' swell with a little chop it seems to pick up a few very large swells in the mix. Several times we've had waves that were well over 2-3 times the average come by and we always make sure to turn into it. Thankfully we've been outside the jetties when it's happened in deeper water but makes the pucker factor increase quite a bit when you see one coming. These could be deemed sneakers by people caught not paying attention and occassionally cause a bad day for someone. Lepper had a bad day with one this year and caused a lot of damage to his boat and passengers involved. Always keep one eye glued to the incoming water. [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

I actually overheard a couple from the east coast not want to stay at the hotel in charleston because there was a sunami sign nearby. I can understand about the cocroaches and hooligans, but the sunami was too much. Couldn't help but chuckle over that one.

tc

[Mello-Yello]

Ok, I think I can pretty much wrap this post up at this point...if you have a good feel for what the wave patterns are, and a wave sneaks up on you....call it what you want. I'm gonna call it a 'Sneaker wave'.

If you have calm seas and out of nowhere comes an out-of-the-ordinary large wave, all by itself, call it what you want, I'm gonna call it a "Rogue Wave". However, if I don't see that Rogue Wave coming......you got it, I'm calling it a Sneaker Wave....

So there!
[img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

[bllelk]

Well done!!!

[corrirod]

M-Y, [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]