# Satellites confirm huge "rogue" waves are for real and not that uncommon! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 23, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482 "2004-07-23T05:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/1 "2004-07-23T05:21:28Z")
[‘Rogue waves’ reported by mariners get scientific backing](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1540&u=/afp/science_sea&printer=1) ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/2 "2004-07-23T13:28:49Z")
There was an article about this in the July 2004 _Discover_. Unfortunately it’s available online only to subscribers. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/3 "2004-07-23T14:05:03Z")
Scary. I can’t even imagine what a 100-foot wave would look like, especially in otherwise calm water. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/4 "2004-07-23T21:17:19Z")
[Time Magazine](http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1101040719-662800,00.html) recently had a story on nutjobs who try to surf waves this size. > [@](#): > > Jul. 19, 2004 > When The Surf’s Way Up > Who cares if it’s dangerous? A cadre of daredevils is chasing the 100-ft. swell > By TERRY MCCARTHY/WAIKIKI > Pete Cabrinha had ridden killer waves before, but this time, as he surfed down the face of a giant swell rolling in over the notorious Jaws reef off Maui, Hawaii, last January, he couldn’t find the bottom. " It was growing in front of me and growing behind me, so it felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere," recalls Cabrinha, 42, a veteran surfer from Hawaii. There had already been 10 " horrific wipeouts" that morning. As Cabrinha was gaining speed going down the wave, its breaking lip was closing in fast from behind. People watching from the shore began shouting, " Go, Pete, go!" as he raced ahead… ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/5 "2004-07-23T22:31:35Z")
20 or 30 years ago the San Diego fishing boad _Fishin’ Fool_ was on a two day trip and anchored for the night not far off the Mexican coast down around Ensenada along with some other boats a few miles away. In the morning all that was sticking up out of the water was about 10 ft. of its prow, upside down. The theory was that a rogue wave had done the job. I forget how many survivors made it to shore but it wasn’t many. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/6 "2004-07-24T01:17:44Z")
I was afraid somebody would have already posted this. I’m somewhat disappointed that no one did. The rogue waves are the result of the children of Mother Hydra and Father Dagon rising to drag the land back beneath the waves. Soon, the stars will be right. Cthulu waits and dreams in the deep! And the cities of man shall fall before him! ---
**Author:** ![Sundog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sundog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sundog)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/7 "2004-07-24T06:01:54Z")
The Jaws isn’t really a rogue wave in the sense the OP describes. Jaws and other monster waves like it can be predicted to a certain degree, enough to the point where the big wave surfing community goes chasing them all over the Pacific year after year. BTW, those big waver surfers are really a breed apart. They have their own specialized equipment, techniques and tactics that involve a lot of trust and teamwork. Plus, if you screw up on the Jaws, there’s a real possibility that you’re gonna die out there. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites-confirm-huge-rogue-waves-are-for-real-and-not-that-uncommon/256482/8 "2004-07-24T09:50:17Z")
30 foot waves I’ve seen. 30 metre waves I cannot even begin to imagine.