Rogue Wave????

ah, the secrets of the east...

 

alot of times those outside breaking waves are on shoals and are more of a novelty wave then a spot. Rhode island, maine and new hampshire do have some reefs that will hold the right swells.

 

#ItsBelmaryaKooks #RoguewavesonlyatBelmar #SecretRogueWaveSpot@Belmar

 

Although I'm sure that wave was clearly much bigger than the rest, I highly doubt it was double the size of the significant wave height that day. At least there's no way to tell with just that one picture to say for certain that it was in fact a rogue wave (most likely a sneaker wave).

 

http://www.bobfreemansurf.com/shoals.htm

here is a good story and another good (big) wave spot.

 

Right on!!! Only in Belmar!

Nice pic seldom... Enjoying the thread! That second pic really looked like it did last week in Belmar,nj

#saltlife
#belmarlife

 

I wouldn't call that a rouge wave. In California, we called them rouge sets... Its a little different on the east coast. I would explain it like this: Pipeline has 1st reef, 2nd reef and 3rd reef. Depending on the swell size, the water depth etc and the force of the surf, it will break further out. Many beaches, including where I live now, have offshore sanbards that you can see at low tide. Not fully exposed, but you can see the water featuring over the outside bars.... Nothing breaks out there ususally, but on a massive cane swell, with the right tide, with the water pulling back out on the seafloor, I would expect the sand bar to break... Its about 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile out....

So, with the right conditions, I wouldnt say that its a "rouge wave" I would say its one of the larger sets of the day with a long fetch that just catches a Sand Bar (And in Rhode Island, it could be an offshore reef which would make even more sense)

I would say it isnt all that typical on the east coast but it happens.

One of these days, when I converDV tapes, I will post a ridiculous video out on Sunset Cliffs that shows from an elevated angle what happens when a Rouge set hits an outer reef unexpectedly. I was out on the biggest day in decades they said. Got about 4 waves, on the last one, I was out in front of the impact zone so I just navigated in rather than taking 20 footers on the dome for 30 minutes getting back out... When i packed up, I took out my video camera and filmed for about 20 minutes... I actually narrate the situation, because I was standing up above Indicators, which is the outer most reef in all of southern california. It doesnt wake up until its about TOH. I could see a "Rouge" set literally about 3 miles out to sea. I start filming and freaking out. I am like "Watch what is about to happen in about 2 minutes".... You can see this mother fu**er just building and building. The lineup there is already almost a mile out and this rouge set broke a solid 1/4 - 1/2 mile out further.... the First wave Mowed down the entire lineup, It was a solid 30 foot wave face at a low tide so the ocean just lifted up and detonated. The next 3-4 set waves were so big, you couldnt see behind them, and I was about 350 feet above sea level up on a cliff.... About 1 minute later, there was no lineup. Guys were washed into the cove, all the leashes snapped. The chopper was out and the lifeguard boat was scooping people up. I mean, it broke so far out and just mowed people down. There was no avoiding it. You could see them like flies just trying to move and there was nothing to do but get destroyed.... Biggest waves I have EVER seen on the west coast other than Ghost Trees and Mavs....

I was in the water at South Garbage one day when it was about 15-17 feet. We were having fun. I was super confident cause we were all getting great waves and popping out in the channel and paddling back with dry hair. I heard a couple of old guys talking next to me. He said that the last rouge set had come about 2 hours prior. The tide was dropping and the cove had too much water trapped in it. He said that in the next couple of minutes, because of all those factors, he knew a cleanup set was coming. He and the other guy just starting paddling out to sea. Like they were going to Japan. I followed behind them, leaving about 10 people in the lineup. We got out about 400-500 yards outside the lineup and sure enough, a HUGE rouge set swung with a crazy south angle on it, different than the rest of the sets all day. It was about a 20 foot set, I made it under the falling death lip of the first two, and then the third wave, I ducked under the lip and got about 5 feet deep, I could feel the lip graze my back and it slammed the tail of my board. Because I was so deep, I was actually standing on the tail trying to get more leverage, when the lip hit the tail, it snapped the back of the board like a catapult and it broke two of my toes instantly.... I was held down for about 15 seconds, i just kept calm and followed the light. As I got to the surface, I anticipated another death bomb, but luckiluy I had been nailed by the final set wave, and I look over and my board is floating upside down only about 15 yards away. The set must have sent us both so deep, the board didnt get caught in the wave energy. I swam over and grabbed it and had to paddle like a mile back in.... But needless to say, there was no lineup after that. The two old guys were laughing and high fiving and they basically saved my ass because I listened to them, by there were boards crashing against the rocks and people bobbing up and down in the ocean. It was nuts..... Wiped out an entire lineup of very skills surfers.....

So yeah, long story short, Rouge Sets happen all the time. All it takes is a little change in the bottom contour I.E. obstruction, sandbar or reef and boom, you have a big mother fu**er breaking way out.... usually those waves are nothing to worry about even if they are 10-12 footers because they break, roll our and reform before they will get anywhere near you.... Its those deep water reefs that you worry about because they dont reform, they detonate and then continue in a white wall of terror about 15feet high and a few hundred yards wide.

 

Great story, I can see how it went down in my head, sounds pretty scary. Biggest rogue wave I ever saw was at Waiemea Bay shore break. Every wave that hit the shore was around 10 foot faces and every couple of hours the lifeguards would get on the loudspeaker and say" Attention all swimmers a very large set is coming in from the outside, we recommend all inexperienced swimmers to exit the water" So I stayed in and saw a set break at the real Waimea and then travel into the shore break. Wave had to be 25 feet high, one of the funniest days just swimming under the waves and getting pounded in the shore break. Place is amazing. Cant believe those guys drop into those closeouts on sand. .

 

Funny I'd be finding you around these parts.