So I saw that at one point Gustav had gusts of 185, even as high as 212, at some point a few days ago. Plus 48 foot seas.
And I thought: that would be cool to see up close.
You don’t want to be outside on land – too many projectiles.
But why not ride it out, literally, on the water?
You don’t want a boat of any kind; it’ll certainly sink. So just jump in, with a survival/flotation suit and let the waves take you where they will.
Drawbacks: maybe you’d need some air supply for if the rain/spray got too all-encompassing (or, for when you were plunged below the waves). Okay, a simple rebreather should do the trick.
Who knows, maybe you’d want one of those chainmail shark suits too.
What else? Any reason my bodysurf-a-hurricane plan isn’t feasible?
Survival suits are insulated but, more importantly, the thing about the strongest hurricanes is that they usually occur when the surface temperature of the water is in the 80s. I think it was that high in the GoM this past week, from the readings I recall.
I would think you’d run a serious risk of getting bonked on the head from other stuff out there in the water. Stuff like boats, bits of pier, dead fish, houses, etc.
Even if you’re wearing a helmet, you could very well suffer a spinal injury.
Without independent propulsion, I don’t see how you are going to get in and out of the storm, other than to be deposited on its projected path, and if the storm is about 400 miles across (which I believe Gustav was at some point), you’re talking about maybe 25 hours in the water, much of the time being battered by huge waves. You’re gonna need a lot of air, I think.
You may be thinking that waves in the open ocean are just big swells that go up and down, but in extreme weather, they break randomly. Ever been in the middle of a 48-ft breaking wave? They don’t call it breaking for nothin’ – your body will be broken into itty bitty wavy bits.
When we have big waves in front of my house, the kids like to hold hands and stand where the waves break over them to see if they can resist. If you get hit just right, it’s a big shock and the white water afterwards is boiling mad. Standing up is impossible and you may have to fight just to stay above water, since the wave power can hold you down for quite a while. And these aren’t 48 footers, either – the most I ever saw register on the open-water official buoy in the last 10 years was 18 ft, and that looked too dangerous to be anywhere near.
Not to mention that water gets “harder” the faster you’re falling, so depending on how the waves toss you around you might not even need debris to injure you.
A glass bottle with a stopper will have absolutely no problem surviving in any kind of rough seas.
Same thing for a sturdy barrel. A person could survive easily in any kind of such a sturdy container but it’s going to be a very rough ride. It’s not like you are quietly observing the outside.
A (fit) human with no protection would not immediately suffer injuries just by the action of the water pressure but would probably drown in short order.
The hull of a well-built small boat should be able to withstand the punishment. The force of tons of water hitting the deck and sides is something formidable but a well-built boat intended for open ocean voyaging should withstand that without problem. The boat will take more punishment than the crew. It is extremely hard to be for days in a boat which is being tossed about in the waves and accidents are most likely. Many people have gone through this type of situation but being locked below decks is not a fun way to experience a hurricane.
If the sailboat has a tall mast, as is usual these days, the mast would not survive if the boat turned turtle (upside down) but the boat with right itself again minus the mast. Next thing the mast and rigging need to be cut loose or they will damage the boat.
All this assumes no collissions with any other solids, only water.
In any case I think you are safer on land in a sturdy refuge.
[Ron White] It’s not that the wind is blowin, it’s what the wind is blowin. If you get hit in the spleen with a Volvo, it really doesn’t matter how many sit-ups you did that morning.[/RW]
The most I’ve ever experienced at sea for any length of time was a reasonably steady 45 - 50 knots (for about a day and a half). Even at that windspeed, the surface is largely a seething mass of foam and spray. You would need supplementary air a high percentage of the time. You’d definitely be challenged to survive the constant pounding from huge breaking waves.
I don’t think hypothermia is a big concern - you won’t last long enough.
Years of living in Florida and a coupla years riding a motorcycle taught me a few things:
It is a natural fear to flinch when you see Lincoln Towncars.
Rain hurts at about 20mph.
It is virtually impossible to heat the entire world with your body.
You are far, far, far, far more fragile than you think.
If they tell me to git, I git. I have absolutely no faith in my mushy little bodies ability to withstand a hurricane or tornado. Nor do I have much faith in my concrete block houses ability. Heck, ask Miami how tough you gotta be. Have you seriously looked at the damage from Andrew?
Shark suit your little heart out, it will make sure the little fishies get fed too.
If you would like to read about someone who has sailed solo 'round the world, encountering hurricane force winds, etc, check out the story of Pete Goss.
