Freaque Waves

Life's ebb and flow

2013-05-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

U. Southern Cal.'s USC News yesterday yesterday published this article, written by Marc Ballon, entitled "Life's ebb and flow" that tells a rather sad, freakish happening but emerged as an inspirational and uplifting story of their Engineering Ph.D. student, Ryan Williams:

Ryan Williams led a charmed, sun-splashed existence.

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering PhD student found his classes stimulating, professors engaging and research on autonomous underwater robots fascinating. And then there was his California Dreamin’ lifestyle.

Williams, a native of Roanoke, Va., luxuriated in the Southern California sunshine, golfing, swimming and skiing. He even took up surfing, which energized him.

“The California mentality was refreshing and, of course, the weather was amazing,” he said.

And then everything changed. On Jan. 27, 2008, Williams went to Santa Monica with friends to catch some waves. As he paddled toward the breakers, he dove under an oncoming swell.

In a freak accident, he landed headfirst in a hidden sandbar and snapped his neck. He lost all feeling in his legs and arms. If not for the two surfers who pulled him from the water, Williams would have surely drowned.

At just 26, the former high school pitcher and star basketball player had become a quadriplegic, with no use of his legs and limited use of his hands. Many people in a similar position would have understandably retreated into self-pity and bitterness. Not Williams.

“I don’t feel downtrodden at all,” he said. “I try to say, ‘this is life. This is the way it is. Let’s try to do something with it.’ ”

He's certainly determined to "do something with it" with a roaring start! That's really showing a remarkable and courageous young scholar with a brilliant future. We wish all the best for him. Go for it!

Dark soliton?

2013-04-25T10:37:00.000-05:00

About two weeks ago, United-Academics magazine published the following story about "Dark Solitons" that entitled "Dark Solitons Demonstrated For the First Time":

In physics and math there are wave structures called solitons (notsolutions) that are defined as self-contained packets or pulses. Two types of solitons that have long been of interest in the world of scientific research are bright and dark solitons. Until recently, only bright solitons have been successfully demonstrated in a wave tank. This month a team of researchers at Imperial College London, including mathematician Amin Chabchoub, successfully created an example of a dark soliton in water. Their actions bring important new information that will impact the world of optics, oceanography, and beyond.

In the context of the ocean, waves evolve in that familiar manner as they as ebb and flow. Solitons, on the other hand, somehow manage to keep a constant size and shape. They also travel more slowly than regular waves. In the 60′s and 70′s oceanographers observed bright solitons in the deep sea, later successfully recreating them in a laboratory setting. Their work revealed that bright solitons are the cause of, among other phenomena, rogue waves that occur at sea. It was then theorized that dark solitons must be capable of the opposite- decreasing the power of a wave.

Using a 17 meter long wave tank, Dr. Chabchoub and his team simulated wave formations as they passed through dark solitons. What they found was that, indeed, there was a reduction in the amplitude of the waves. With this result the team now wants to investigate what happens when bright and dark solitons come together. Their hope is that if they continue down this current path, this information could help coastal regions better deal with large waves caused by extreme weather or earthquakes. Today’s dark soliton experiments in a laboratory could become tomorrow’s anti-tsunami safety system.

Their source was this article in Physics World with this impressive figure that called "dark dip".

I think the key sentence that may get everyone excited is this one:

Their actions bring important new information that will impact the world of optics, oceanography, and beyond.

I guess oceanographers and ocean wave scientists would be interested. But, but, BUT, I just failed to see there's any real ocean wave connection here that can be translated the theory to the real ocean, especially deep-trough kind of freaque waves in the ocean are not uncommon. Obviously theoreticians do need this ocean implication to justify their far out theoretical mumbo-jumble could have some sort of real world usefulness, but what, where, and how it can be done are still the unanswerable questions every time a new theory came around to make this conjecture and this one this time is certainly no exception. There is as yet just no conceivable road way to link between theoretical ivory tower and the real ocean -- an unavoidable fact that no theoretical gurus would care to face!!

A rogue wave, a freak wave, or something!

2013-04-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

This recently happened tragic case in Gulf of Mexico SE of Galveston, Texas is nicely summarized by Marc Lallanilla, Assistant Editor of LiveScience.com as reported in the Yahoo!News:

The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Sunday (April 21) that it was suspending the search for four fishermen whose boat is believed to have been destroyed by a rogue wave.

The 50-foot Nite Owl vessel was tied to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of Galveston, Texas, in rough weather on Friday morning (April 19), according to the Associated Press .

But in the early morning darkness, "a rogue wave, a freak wave or something hit the side of the boat," John Reynolds, the sole survivor of the accident, told the AP.

The wave "tore the wheel house and canopy off the boat," Larry Moore, owner of the commercial fishing vessel, told the Beaumont Enterprise from his home in Golden Meadow, La. "Everyone was asleep when it happened." The shattered craft sank within two minutes." [Shipwrecks Gallery: Secrets of the Deep]

Rogue waves, sometimes called "freak waves," are extremely large waves that occur far out at sea in apparent isolation and without any obvious cause. The waves can easily reach 100 feet (30 meters) or more in height.

Though researchers have yet to understand how rogue waves develop, some scientists claim atmospheric pressure may play a role. Other research suggests rogue waves could result from the clash of two interacting wave systems traveling perpendicular to each other.

After a possible rogue wave destroyed the Nite Owl, all five men aboard were thrown into the choppy water without life jackets.

Though Reynolds tried to help the other men into the life raft he found, his efforts were thwarted by the rough sea's 12-foot (3.7 m) waves and his crewmates' poor swimming ability, he said.

"I got in the raft. I heard them call out. There was a little ring inside there with a 60-foot line on it," Reynolds told the AP. "I threw it in the direction I heard [a crewmate] hollering from, hoping he could grab a hold of it and pull himself to the life raft. Apparently, he couldn't get a hold of it."

Reynolds, 56, was rescued by the Coast Guard later that morning after firing flares into the air. Though he has worked as a commercial fisherman for 35 years, Reynolds told the Beaumont Enterprise that this was the first time he had ever ended up in the water.

The key information is clearly what the sole survivor told AP: "A rogue wave, a freak wave, or something hit the side of the boat!" But the scary part has to be that the boat was tied to an oil rig and still only one was lucky to be near a life raft. The oil rig was obviously survived, but 5 lives lost unfortunately. May they all rest in peace now. This is another case that science will not able to do anything to help!

Surfing at Cribbar

2013-04-16T16:11:00.001-05:00

For us outsiders who may not ever heard Cribbar, Wikipedia has this to tell about Cribbar completes with map location:

The Cribbar (English: Ploughed Reef), also known as the Widow Maker, is a reef off the Towan Headland in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom.

The Cribbar is best known for creating annual big waves, popular with experienced big wave surfers from across the world. Wave faces can be in excess of 30 ft (9.1 m). The Zorba is a reef 2 miles (3.2 km) further off the coast and can create even higher waves.

Now here's an article in today's UK Daily Mail showing a series of photos and a video along with this:

They call it the Bone Cruncher, and sometimes the Widow Maker - a rare 20ft swell that comes crashing down on the Cornish coastline.

Only the bravest surfers are willing to take it on - and that's exactly what this daredevil succeeded in doing yesterday.

These images show the solitary surfer had a clear path ahead as he rode on the crest of the infamous Cribbar wave.

The swell became the stuff of legend in 1966 when three visiting Australian surfers stumbled upon it.

So in north America the spring is still not quite arriving yet, surfing in other part of the globe is already started! Have a strong, satisfactory, and of course safe, surfing year!

A freaque wave encounter at Sanremo, Italy

2013-03-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of freaque wave encounter given by the web of gCaptain entitled "Wave Crashes Over Italian Seawall, Car and Motorcyclist Swept into Harbor [VIDEO]" by Rob Almeida on January 31, 2013 with this descriptrion:

The closed-circuit cameras on a yacht in Portosole, Sanremo, Italy captured the moment when on Jan. 23, 2013 a wave crashed over the sea wall, sending a motorcyclist, his bike and a car into the marina. It is believed the motorcyclist was not seriously injured.

The video ia also available here:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2FFFq7wjsTg>

Check it out! The people involved was o.k. and the damages were minor. But it was a real freaque wave encounter!

Miracle at sea: Fishermen escape death from rogue wave

2013-03-19T09:53:00.000-05:00

Here's a heart-warming story as told by a skipper published in Halifax's Herald News, entitled "Miracle at sea: Fishermen escape death from rogue wave" written by Brian Medel of Yarmouth Bureau:

THE HAND of God delivered two Nova Scotia fishermen from the deep earlier this month, says a Woods Harbour skipper.

Sandy Stoddard, captain of the Logan & Morgan, spoke Monday about a miracle at sea two weeks ago, when two young men who were tossed overboard after a violent rogue wave slammed into their boat were returned from almost certain death.

Just 16 days after the entire crew of the Miss Ally was lost, Stoddard went to sea. It was the halibut fisherman’s first trip since that tragedy.

March 5 was a dark night.

“We were off Canso … probably 75 miles,” Stoddard said. “We were hauling our gear when it happened. A huge wave came out of nowhere.”

Winds were gusting 75 to 90 kilometres per hour.

“In 40-some years … I’ve never seen nothing like that,” 56-year-old Stoddard said with a note of disbelief in his voice.

SEE ALSO: Investigation into sinking of Miss Ally ends

“It just came out of nowhere and just picked us right up and threw us down. And when it threw us down, it threw two men overboard.”

The small group of fishermen working aft were in their oil gear work clothes. They had no time to don survival suits.

Stoddard, the fifth man on board, was in the wheelhouse.

Wind screeched through cables and deck gear banged together hard as the boat slammed back down into the trough behind the wave.

The four crew members straining to hold on suddenly became two. The men on deck looked around frantically and screamed to Stoddard at the helm, “They’re gone!”

How in the world did the crew get their friends back, people have asked.

“Listen,” said Stoddard, speaking deliberately.

“I’m telling you right now … it’s only by the grace of God that we got ’em back. That’s the only way.

“One guy we got back … it’s hard to explain where this guy went. He told me he stood on something and it threw him back aboard the boat.

“We’re Christian people. It was God’s hand that he stood on, and God flipped him back aboard the boat.

“He didn’t get wet. He was to his neck in the water and he was still dry when he came back aboard the boat.”

That man was Gordie Rhyno, Stoddard said.

When he dropped on deck, he ran to the stern, where the other missing man — Gregory Nickerson — would suddenly surface.

“He just knew,” Stoddard said. “Gordie was on the stern hollering for Gregory and then Gregory answered him.”

Nickerson appeared under a 1.6-metre aluminum overhang, a platform supported by braces.

“He came up underneath there and he was panicking and his hand hit one of the braces and he grabbed the brace,” Stoddard said. “He only called out the once. We (didn’t) hear him no more.”

The men threw a lifesaver to where Nickerson’s voice was last heard.

“On the fourth throw … Gordie said, ‘I got him,’” Stoddard said.

Readings on board showed the water temperature was 2.2 C.

The men worked on Nickerson because he had swallowed a lot of water.

“It took us an hour before we got Gregory back,” Stoddard said.

An emergency call was never made.

“It happened so fast. It was over and there was nothing to call in.”

Nickerson said Monday that he is feeling better and will probably head back to sea soon.

“We was all there joking and laughing, then it was just, bang,” he told CBC News. “Nobody knew nothing. Nobody seen it coming.”

Some have asked why the outcome with the Miss Ally was so different. Both had crews of five men. Both sought halibut in much the same area of ocean.

“We cannot and will not and do not have the answers to the things that we … know nothing about,” Stoddard said.

And while the community grieves for the five lost from the Miss Ally, Stoddard said he’s thankful his men were saved.

“That makes five men I’ve lost,” said Stoddard, who was a captain at 19.

He lost three in the 1980s.

“I got em all back.”

Stoddard hasn’t been on the ocean since the harrowing incident. But soon, maybe this week, he will head out.

“We’re facing, for some reason, way more rogue waves today than we ever faced before. I don’t remember ’em being like this.”

People need to be ready, Stoddard said, because the end may be closer than they realize.

This story was given by Woods Harbour fisherman Capt. Sandy Stoddard when he talked with reporters outside of the Woods Harbour Community Centre in Woods Harbour on Feb. 23, 2013. Thanks to Brian Medel for recording this great story. One just can not quarrel with the skipper about' "The hand of God" behind all these! We just wish to thank the Good Lord Who does allow such a nice story be actually happen and be told. Deo Gratias!

Tragedy in Ireland over St. Patrick Day weekend

2013-03-19T09:10:00.000-05:00

A St Patrick weekend tragic Irish news reported in the independent.ie by Greg Harkin and Tom Shiel shows some important lessons to note:

A Polish man who had been living in Ireland for a number of years died after being hit by a freak wave on a fishing trip with friends.

The 55-year-old fisherman, who was married and had been living in Co Kildare, drowned when he fell off rocks into the sea at Mullaghmore Head, Co Sligo.

The report also included this tidbit:

The incident happened in an area notorious for freak waves. Local anglers tend to avoid the area.

So two points here should be of particular note: first the area where the tragedy happened is known to be "an area notorious for freaque waves". And further "Local angelers tend to avoid the area!" Therefore when visiting some fishing place it is clearly advisible to seek local informations to learn the local experiences and for safety! By all means avoid any place local people are known to have avoiding!

Happened along Mexican beach

2013-03-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

Beach going, a stroll along the beach front should be the most enjoyable part of a vacation outing. Right? Yes! But that's not always work out as expected. The unexpected happenings lurking behind them can be tragic as this ChristianPost.com reports:

A giant wave is being blamed for the death of an elderly woman who was walking with a companion on a beach in Mexico when it broke on the shoreline, sucking her and a companion out to sea.
Local officials indicated that the deadly wave broke on shore as the pair of U.S. tourists was walking on the beach close to the famous stone arch in the Pacific resort of Cabo San Lucas. A 65-year-old woman was killed in the unusual event, while her 70-year-old partner was listed in serious condition at an area hospital.

This almost familiar story line happened again 10 days ago as this article by Myles Collier reports. The headline tells all: "Giant Wave Kills Tourist in Freak Accident Along Mexican Beach." I guess all accidents are to some extent freaque, but in this case it was caused by a giant wave broke on shore. May the tragic victim rest in peace!

When Lake Michigan shore freezes . . .

2013-03-04T02:39:00.000-05:00

I thought I can imagine what a lakeshore looks like when the lake freezes in winter. But wait, that certainly does not quite look like this ?

I found this UPI picture (Credit Leda Olmsted) in the UPI article by Kristen Butler entitled "Massive ice boulders om Michigan shore."

Giant ice boulders line the shore of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. While ice does break off from floes on Lake Michigan, residents say they've never seen anything like this.

So I am not the odd one who have not seen something like this! It is something local residents have never seen anything like this before. Now my question to the global warming alarmists: Is this a prove of global warming or disprove? Or may be they just want to forget about it!

Unprecedented glacier melting

2013-02-28T16:56:00.000-05:00

Europian Geosciences Union released this news item with the above picture and entitled "Unprecedented glacier melting in the Andes blamed on climate change" along with this introduction:
Glaciers in the tropical Andes have been retreating at increasing rate since the 1970s, scientists write in the most comprehensive review to date of Andean glacier observations. The researchers blame the melting on rising temperatures as the region has warmed about 0.7°C over the past 50 years (1950-1994). This unprecedented retreat could affect water supply to Andean populations in the near future. These conclusions are published today in The Cryosphere, an Open Access journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).
O.K. for a lay person like me I have only one stupid question: If there is such thing as "rising temperatures" why are we still having the kind of cold winter we have. Where is global warming?

Sound of Russian meteorite

2013-02-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

PopSci posted this interesting article in their website yesterday entitled "What the Russian Meteor Explosion sounded like" wtitten by Kelsey D. Atherton. Here's my captured segment of sound record when the meteor hit from the video:

and here is the video:

I always thought some of the noisy freaque waves can be captured by sound recording, that should be a hugely interesting research project. But where? how? by who? with what? It'll remain the pipe dream of a retired old man!

Mount Etna Eruption

2013-02-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest post from the website of Our Amazing Planet two days ago on the eruption of Italy's Mount Etna that took place on the morning of February 19, 2013. The dramatic scene was captured in a video by Klaus Dorschfeldt, a videographer and webmaster at Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. :

The article was written by Becky Oskin as

Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, had emitted signs of an imminent paroxysm in recent weeks. On Jan. 22, lava and strong flashes in the volcano's New Southeast Crater were clearly visible from the Sicilian foothills; these often herald a new paroxysm: short, violent eruptive bursts.

Dorschfeldt said he knew Mount Etna's recent signals could precede new activity. "[I've] followed the activity of Etna for many years, and with time you learn to know it as if it were your friend," he said in an email interview. "Following it constantly [you] learn to be a keen observer and a minor change can lead to something important," he told OurAmazingPlanet.

The tallest volcano in Europe, Mount Etna is almost constantly spewing gas or lava. Its Bocca Nuova crater also erupted earlier this year, from Jan. 10 to Jan. 20. In 2011, Etna's violent bursts were spotted from space.

I got it from Sigma Xi's Science Smart Brief this morning.

Super Winter Storm Nemo 2013

2013-02-19T23:52:00.002-05:00

Here is a satellite picture of the recent super winter storm Nemo hit the Northeast New England area with mega snows:

and here's a video of on shore waves during the same winter storm

The video was taken on Feb 9, 2013 as Nemo sends huge waves crashing along the Massachusetts coastline at high tide. The video was filmed by Jim Edds of ExtremeStorm.com. The video is also available in Youtube here.

Now here is a picture of snow fall in Billerica, Massachusetts as posted in Wikipedia:

So we have seen the main effects of the Super Winter Storm Nemo of 2013. The storm was well predicted and people were prepared for it. Hopefully the damages were all minimized. At least this kind of winter storm will not happen very often, even though it is part of the nature we all have to face some time!

Surfing the coastal waves on skis!

2013-02-14T19:39:00.000-05:00

O.K. we all have seen surfing on nearshore big waves, and we all have seen ski on snowy mountain slopes. But how about ski on big waves nearshore? Well, seeing is believing, take a look at the following YouTube:

Here's the article from the TNT Magazine with this desceiption:

Daredevil Chuck Patterson found a novel way to tackle the waves off the coast of Hawaii – on skis!

It looks like another big wave riding hero but look a little closer and you can see that the man at bottom of the wall of water is not on a board but skis. Look a little closer still and the mental wave rider has two ski poles in his hands as well.

Chuck is a ‘driven by his passion for snow’. He grew up skiing in Lake Tahoe California as a young man but has made the transition to water, now.

He obviously gets a little snow-sick for the slopes though and decided to give himself a little reminder as his ski-surf YouTube video above shows.

Surfing the wave on skis! Hmm, I never thought that can be done. Now how about ski with a surfing board? Why not? Anything is possible!!!

Clearing snow tips!

2013-02-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

Here are 8 tips for clearing snow in winter which I found from the Accuweather site here which is provided by the Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA):

1. The first step that SIMA recommends is not letting snow build up for long. If you regularly go out when there are a few inches of snow on the ground versus waiting until 2 feet have piled up, you'll be working with more manageable weights.

2. Their second tip is to wear breathable layers. Your body can still heat up quickly doing manual work outside in the cold. Layering is important to help you keep from overheating in your warm winter clothes. You could end up dehydrated if you get too hot and start to sweat. Opt for fabrics made from cotton or silk that allow more evaporation than wool or man-made materials.

3. You should also wear good boots. Good snow boots will be warm, waterproof and have good traction. Slipping on snow and ice can lead to a lot of unnecessary injuries, so be sure to move carefully and wear the right gear for your feet.

4. Like any other strenuous physical activity, you should take the time to properly stretchbefore you head outside to shovel. This is especially important considering you will be "working out" in cold weather. This will help prevent pulled muscles.

5. You'll put less stress on your body if you focus on pushing and not lifting snow out of the way. This will use less energy to help you stave off fatigue and will also be easier on your back and shoulders.

6. Staying hydrated is essential for preventing dehydration. Take water breaks, as you would if you were working out in a gym or playing a sport.

7. Working on driveways and sidewalks can put you dangerously close to traffic, so be sure topay attention to your surroundings. Cars can lose control on snowy roads and end up leaving the pavement. Be aware of the traffic around you when you are near the street.

8. Finally, you should be sure to have your phone on you in case something does go wrong. Being able to call for help at the first sign of an emergency could make a big difference.

Have a wonderful winter, enjoy snow!

Mark Beaumont's boat -- lost and found!

2013-02-05T12:27:00.001-05:00

Here's a news published in The Sun about a year ago by Kenny Angove on Feb. 24, 2012 :

ACTION man Mark Beaumont last night described the terrifying moment his tiny rowing boat was flipped over by a massive wave.

Mark, 29, and five crewmates came close to death when their vessel capsized in the Atlantic last month.

The Scot told how he he was left trapped upside down in the boat.

He said: “It pitched up without warning. I was upside down and fighting to get my shoes out of the rowing straps. They were stuck.

“I managed to pull my feet free and kicked for the surface.”

The crew were trying to break the 30-day record for rowing across the Atlantic. They were 520 miles from the finish in Barbados on day 27.

Mark, from Newburgh, Fife, added: “We survived so ultimately the expedition was a success.”

Now this morning in this Scotsman news has this story published, Tuesday 5 February 2013 09:49:

SCOTS ADVENTURER Mark Beaumont’s ill-fated record attempt boat has been salvaged after floating at sea for a full year, he revealed today.

• Boat found with currency and equipment still on board

• Vessel ran aground on the Florida shoreline

• ‘Sarah G’ was adrift at sea for a year

The £70,000 vessel capsized after being hit by a massive wave during the the trans-Atlantic mission, forcing the six-strong British and Irish crew to escape into a lifecraft.

Mark made several dives into the depths of the freezing ocean to retrieve vital life-saving equipment but the rest of the cargo of the 36ft fibreglass craft, named Sara G, was thought to be lost.

The Perthshire 30-year-old, who has just returned from a cycling trip in Malaysia, said the boat’s recovery was “incredible”.

It had been spotted drifting in the Carribean several times in the past 12 months by the US coastguard but it had been deemed too expensive and complicated to recover.

However it finally ran aground on the Florida shoreline at the weekend.

It still contains wallets, food and hundreds of dollars and pounds abandoned when the men had to flee for their safety.

US salvage expert Mark Hutchings, owner of TowBoatUS on Key Largo, Florida, told how he spied upturned The Sara G which is covered in what looks like bullet holes.

He said: “We salvage boats every few days but this one is unique. I’ve never seen one like it.

“Sitting there, it looked like an upside down sailboat.

“I’ve seen some boats come apart after just a few days on the water. This was was out there for a year so its a pretty substantial boat. Some stuff on board was destroyed but other things were totally intact.”

He added: “It still smells pretty bad in there.”

He said personal items would be returned to the rowers as soon as possible.

The boat itself has suffered substantial damage, including several suspected gun shot holes where people have tried to sink it, fearing it was a shipping hazard.

The state-of-the-art craft was on-course to break the 32-day east to west cross-Atlantic rowing record in January last year.

Mark and his crew, rowing in two-hour shifts, had covered more than 2,000 miles in 27 days when the freak waves picked the boat up by the stern, rotated it and capsized it.

The men endured a terrifying three-hour wait on the lifecraft before being picked up by a passing ship and brought to safety.

Another Perthshire adventurer, Benno Rawlinson from Abernethy is now trying to smash the rowing record.

He and his team have so-far rowed almost 1,500 miles after setting off from Gran Canaria on January 18.

Mark Beaumont became famous in 2008 after breaking the record for cycling around the world - completing his 18,297 miles in 194 days and 17 hours

So it's a story with a happy ending after all! And the mighty ocean is certainly not grasping or greedy like some government we know!!!

A freaque wave occurrence in Sanremo, Italy

2013-02-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

The daytime television show called 'Right this minute" just broadcast this program called "rogue-wave-takes-out-cars-and-motorcyclist" which you can find it from their website www.rightthisminute.com with this video and

This is a clear cut case of wrong place, wrong time. A motorcyclist was riding along the docks of a harbor wave in Portosole, Sanremo, Italy. A security camera on a yacht happened to catch this intense moment. A rogue wave came over the wall and was so strong it took out not only the motorcyclist, but also the cars that were parked near there.

They have a nice video of freaque wave occurrence, go take a look of it!

Gaelic Blessing for you!

2013-02-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

Deep peace of the running wave to you!

Beach Tips to live by!

2013-01-31T13:58:00.002-05:00

Science has not been able to get a handle of it, so when it comes to freaque waves, you are on your own in deep ocean or near-shore. So here are something worthwhile to read: "Tips for Spotting A Sneaker Wave - in Oregon or Any Other Beach." It's great information, make sure read them especially before visiting the beaches!

Watching the full-moon moonrise in New Zealand

2013-01-31T13:12:00.000-05:00

Go to this PopSci site to take a look at this truly incredible moonrise video:

Fabulous, fantastic, or spectacular or whatever adjective that's appropriate, it is an incredible video of moonrise. The video was taken two days ago over Mount Victoria Lookoutin Wellington, New Zealand. And

It was filmed by Australian Astrophotographer Mark Gee, who was sweet enough to share it with NASA, who was awesome enough to post it as their Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).

It is a real treat in life to be able to watch a full moon moonrise like this one. This is the same moon, the last one of the year of Dragon this year which I took a shot with my personal point-and-click camera two days ago, but please do go there and enjoy this rare video of moonrise!

A sad tragic story happened in Kauai Island

2013-01-29T21:58:00.002-05:00

The above picture shows the rocky coast of Kauai Island, One of the Hawaii's islands. A week ago the New York Daily News posted this tragic sad story along with this picture (by DEA / G.SIOEN/De Agostini/Getty Images):

LIHUE, Hawaii — Two California men who drowned off Kauai were best friends who shared a love of music, were attracted to the water and often took trips together, according to loved ones remembering Brian Baker and Adam Griffiths.

The two men from the San Francisco area were exploring the rocky coast of Hawaii's Kauai island on Friday with several friends when a rogue wave knocked down Baker, 47, and dragged him out to sea. He was swept into the water off South Kalihiwai Point.

Griffiths, 46, jumped into the choppy waters to save his friend but also drowned. Griffiths' body was found Saturday.

On Monday, the Kauai Fire Department conducted aerial searches for Baker's body. Fire personnel also were positioned along the coastline, but the search was unsuccessful.

Officials said Tuesday that after three days of looking they were suspending the search because of extremely hazardous ocean conditions. Kauai remained under a high surf warning for north- and west-facing shores until 6 p.m.

Please click to read the further details of the tragic lost of these two close, inseparable comrades who even go into eternity together. Pray for their souls.

Gigantic waves off Portugal coast

2013-01-29T18:34:00.001-05:00

Here's the picture of a giant surfing wave off Portugal shown in this hypervocal.com site:

I am not certain how do surfers estimate the height of surf waves, their final size usually determined by Guinness World Records, and I have no idea how does Guinness determine the accurate either. Anyway this is an impressive gigantic monster wave all right! Go visit the site there are videos also. Enjoy!

Another pulled out to sea tragedy by a freaque wave.

2013-01-29T11:58:00.003-05:00

Tragedy, with depressingly familiar script plot, happened in California again, as this Sky News reports: A 32-year-old woman is struck by a freak wave and pulled out to sea in a tragic scene witnessed by her boyfriend:

A woman has drowned after a freak wave swept her out to sea as she walked on a northern California beach with her boyfriend and dog.

Susan Archer, 32, of Shelter Cove, was on the rocky shore near her home when she was pulled into the ocean.

Her body was found after a 45-minute search by rescue boats and a helicopter.

Ms Archer's boyfriend was injured when the wave threw him against rocks. The dog was pulled into the water but was able to swim to safety.

Officials in the area have been warning beach-goers to keep their distance from the water's edge and watch out for so-called sneaker waves that suddenly rush ashore.

It is the third such tragedy in California in recent months after a man was killed near Point Reyes, north of San Francisco, on New Year's Day while he and his wife were trying to rescue his dog.

An all too familiar occurrence that happens again and again all around the world oceans. We don't know where, when, how or why. But it just repeatedly happening all over, again and again. When can we prevent it from happening and save lives???

Flood of 1953.

2013-01-28T15:07:00.001-05:00

East Anglian Daily Times just published this 60 years old story: "Flood of 1953: Freak of nature unleashed a night of horror on Felixstowe." It's not a pleasant story to read for a Monday morning. But it's the story of the "freak of nature" that did happened in real life. It's been 60 long years but "it is still difficult to grasp the enormity and the suddenness of the disaster" as the opening paragraph of the article states.

Being far away from the other side of the globe at the time, I have never heard of this case. EADT tells this historical case with today's perspective:

Modern flood warning systems did not exist and there was no way the emergency alert could be sounded.
Today there would be phone calls, TV and radio warnings, phone messages, internet warnings, social networking. The Environment Agency has direct contact with thousands of people living in flood zones.
On January 31, 1953, it was in most places a policeman on a bike – cycling round communities to knock on doors or shout a warning.

Those officers did reach some people in the nick of time, but many were sleeping in their beds when the floodwaters swept into their homes and streets.

The depression spotted off Iceland had started deepening at an alarming rate on January 30.

It was still hundreds of miles north-west of the Hebrides but Scotland was already feeling its gale force winds.

As the hours wore on, the met men watched the depression move east and then swing south into the North Sea.

With winds gusting up to 140mph, 15 billion cubic feet of water was sucked from the Atlantic into the North Sea to be driven south as a “sea surge”, a ten feet wall of water ahead of the incoming tide – and set for a head-on collision with the tide from the other direction.

With nowhere else to go in the narrow funnel of the North Sea, the enormous wall of water came thundering ashore.

It was unseen, unheard and unexpected – millions of gallons of water pouring inland in just a few hours.

We read this case also with some mixed feelings. Were it happens today would the results be better than 60 years ago? Hopefully we should be better prepared than before. Mostly, however, hope it will never happen again. "The flood of 1953" let it be the unseen, unheard and unexpected happening stayed an historical term ever and always!

Last full moon of the year of dragon.

2013-01-27T14:48:00.001-05:00

Here are two full-moon pictures from last night in SE Michigan:

Yesterday was the 15th day of the 12th month this year, the year of the dragon. It's been a snowy cloudy day all day, luckily in the early evening I managed to capture this two images from the eastern sky during the moon-rise in between clouds with my Canon aim and shot camera. This one was the last full-moon of the year of the dragon. In 15 days we'll start the new year of the serpent!