Why does Nazar have the biggest waves in the world? Interesting Facts
The biggest waves in the world are legendary. The stories about them are impressive, the painted pictures are amazing. But many believe that in reality there are no such high ones, and eyewitnesses simply exaggerate. Modern ways tracking and fixing leave no doubt: giant waves exist, this is an indisputable fact.
What are they
The study of the seas and oceans using modern instruments and knowledge made it possible to classify the degree of their excitement not only by the strength of the storm in points. There is another criterion - the causes of occurrence:
- killer waves: these are giant wind waves;
- tsunamis: occur as a result of the movement of tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions;
- coastal ones appear in places with a special bottom topography;
- underwater (seiches and microseiches): they are usually invisible from the surface, but they can be no less dangerous than surface ones.
The mechanics of the occurrence of the largest waves is completely different, as are the height and speed records set by them. Therefore, we will consider each category separately, and find out what heights they conquered.
killer waves
It is hard to imagine that a huge tall solitary killer wave really exists. But for recent decades this statement became a proven fact: they were recorded by special buoys and satellites. This phenomenon has been well studied in the framework of the MaxWave international project, created to monitor all the seas and oceans of the world, where satellites of the European Space Agency were used. And scientists used computer simulations to understand the causes of such giants.
Interesting fact: it was found that big waves able to merge with each other, as a result of their total strength and the height is summed up. And when meeting with any natural barrier (shoal, reef), “wedging out” occurs, this further increases the strength of the waves of water.
Killer waves (they are also called solitons) arise as a result of natural processes: cyclones and typhoons change Atmosphere pressure, its drops can cause resonance, which provokes the appearance of the highest water columns in the world. They are able to move at great speed (up to 180 km / h) and rise to incredible heights (theoretically up to 60 m). Although these have not yet been observed, the recorded data is impressive:
- in 2012 in the southern hemisphere - 22.03 meters;
- in 2013 in the north of the Atlantic - 19;
- and a new record: near New Zealand on the night of May 8-9, 2018 - 23.8 meters.
These highest waves in the world have been observed by buoys and satellites, and there is documentary evidence of their existence. So skeptics can no longer deny the existence of solitons. Their study is an important matter, because such a mass of water moving at great speed is capable of sinking any ship, even an ultra-modern liner.
Unlike the previous ones, tsunamis occur as a result of serious natural disasters. They are much higher than solitons and have an incredible destructive force, and even those that do not reach special heights. And they are dangerous not so much to those who are at sea as to residents of coastal cities. A powerful momentum during an eruption or earthquake raises giant layers of water, they are able to reach speeds of up to 800 km / h, and fall on the coast with incredible force. In the "risk zone" - bays with high coasts, seas and oceans with underwater volcanoes, areas with increased seismic activity. Lightning speed of occurrence, incredible speed, huge destructive power - this is how all known tsunamis can be characterized.
Here are a few examples that will convince everyone of the dangers of the highest waves in the world:
- 2011, Honshu Island: After an earthquake, a tsunami 40 meters high hit the coast of Japan, killing more than 15,000 people, and many thousands more are still missing. And the coast is completely destroyed.
- 2004, Thailand, the islands of Sumatra and Java: after an earthquake of magnitude more than 9 points, a monstrous tsunami with a height of more than 15 m swept across the ocean, the victims were in the most different places. Even in South Africa, people were dying 7,000 km from the epicenter. In total, about 300,000 people died.
- 1896, Honshu island: more than 10 thousand houses were destroyed, about 27 thousand people died;
- 1883, after the eruption of Krakatoa: a tsunami about 40 meters high swept from Java and Sumatra, where more than 35 thousand people died (some historians believe that there were much more victims, about 200,000). And then, at a speed of 560 km / h, the tsunami crossed the Pacific and Indian oceans, past Africa, Australia and America. And reached the Atlantic Ocean: in Panama and France, changes in the water level were noted.
But the biggest wave in the history of mankind should be recognized as the tsunami in Lituya Bay in Alaska. Skeptics may doubt, but the fact remains: after the earthquake on the Fairweather fault on July 9, 1958, a supertsunami was formed. A giant column of water 524 meters high at a speed of about 160 km / h crossed the bay and the island of Cenotaphia, rolling over its highest point. In addition to eyewitness accounts of this catastrophe, there are other confirmations, for example, uprooted trees on the highest point of the island. The most surprising thing is that the casualties were minimal, the crew members of one longboat were killed. And the other, located nearby, was simply thrown over the island, and he ended up in the open ocean.
coastal waves
The constant roughness of the sea in narrow bays is not uncommon. Features of the coastline can provoke high and rather dangerous surf. Unrest of the water element can initially arise as a result of storms, the collision of ocean currents, at the "junction" of waters, for example, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It should be noted that such phenomena are permanent. Therefore, we can name especially dangerous places. These are Bermuda, Cape Horn, the southern coast of Africa, the coast of Greece, the Norwegian shelves.
Such places are well known to sailors. It is not for nothing that Cape Horn has long enjoyed a “bad reputation” among sailors.
But in Portugal, in the small village of Nazare, the power of the sea began to be used for peaceful purposes. Surfers have chosen this coast, every winter a period of storms begins here and you can ride waves of 25-30 meters in height. It was here that the famous surfer Garrett McNamara set world records. The coasts of California, Hawaii and Tahiti are also popular with conquerors of the water element.
Underwater unrest
Not much is known about this phenomenon. Ocean scientists suggest that seiches and microseiches result from differences in water density. It is on the border of such a watershed that seiches occur. The layer separating the waters of different density first slowly rises, and then suddenly and sharply falls by almost 100 meters. Moreover, such movement is practically not felt on the surface. But for submarines, such a phenomenon is just a disaster. They abruptly fall to a depth where the pressure can many times exceed the strength of the hull. When investigating the causes of the death of the Thresher nuclear submarine in 1963, the seiches were the main version and the most plausible.
The biggest waves in history are most often associated with tragedies. Ships and people perished, coasts and infrastructure were destroyed, huge liners were washed ashore and entire cities were washed into the water. But it must be admitted that a huge column of water rushing at an incredible speed makes an indelible impression. This spectacle will always frighten and fascinate at the same time.
Which amazes with its power, strength and boundless energy. This element attracts the attention of researchers who are trying to understand the very nature of the occurrence of giant waves in order to prevent terrible consequences from the destructive power of water. This review will present a list of the most grandiose tsunamis in their scope that have occurred over the past 60 years.
Destructive wave in Alaska
The largest tsunamis in the world occur under the influence of various factors, but earthquakes are the most common cause of this phenomenon. It was the tremors that became the basis for the formation of a deadly wave back in 1964 in Alaska. Good Friday (March 27) is one of the main Christian holidays- marred by an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 points. The natural phenomenon had a direct impact on the ocean - there were waves 30 meters long and 8 meters high. The tsunami demolished everything in its path: the West Coast of North America suffered, as well as Haiti and Japan. On this day, about 120 people died, and the territory of Alaska decreased by 2.4 meters.
Deadly tsunami in Samoa
The photo of the largest wave in the world (tsunami) invariably impresses and evokes the most conflicting feelings - this is both horror from the realization of the scale of the ensuing catastrophe, and a kind of reverence for the forces of nature. In general, similar pictures for last years appeared a lot on the news resources. They depict the terrible consequences of a natural disaster that took place in Samoa. According to reliable data, about 198 local residents died during the disaster, most of them children.
An 8.1 magnitude earthquake caused the most big tsunami in the world. You can see photos of the consequences in the review. The maximum wave height reached 13.7 meters. The water destroyed several villages as it moved 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. Subsequently, after this tragic event, the region began to monitor the situation, which made it possible to evacuate people on time.
Hokkaido Island, Japan
The rating "The biggest tsunami in the world" cannot be imagined without the incident that occurred in Japan in 1993. The root cause of the formation of giant waves is an earthquake, which was localized 129 km from the coast. The authorities announced the evacuation of people, but it was not possible to avoid casualties. The height of the largest tsunami in the world, which occurred in Japan, was 30 meters. Special barriers were not enough to stop the powerful flow, so the small island of Okusuri was completely submerged in water. On this day, about 200 people out of 250 inhabitants who inhabited the city died.
City of Tumaco: the horror of a December morning
1979, December 12 - one of the most tragic days in the life of people living in the Pacific coast. It was on this morning at about 8:00 am that an earthquake occurred, the magnitude of which was 8.9 points. But this was not the most serious shock that awaited people. After that, a whole series of tsunamis hit small villages and cities, which swept away everything in its path. Within a few hours of the disaster, 259 people died, more than 750 were seriously injured, and 95 residents were reported missing. Below, readers are presented with a photo of the largest wave in the world. The tsunami in Tumaco cannot leave anyone indifferent.
Indonesian tsunami
5th place in the list of "The biggest tsunamis in the world" is occupied by a wave 7 meters high, but stretching for 160 km. The resort area of Pangadaryan disappeared from the face of the earth along with the people who inhabited this area. In July 2006, 668 residents died, more than 9,000 turned to medical institutions for help. About 70 people were reported missing.
Papua New Guinea: tsunami for the benefit of mankind
The largest tsunami wave in the world, despite the severity of all the consequences, was an opportunity for scientists to advance in the study of the underlying causes of this natural phenomenon. In particular, the primary role of strong underwater landslides, which contribute to water fluctuations, was determined.
In July 1998, an earthquake occurred, the magnitude of which was 7 points. Despite the seismic activity, scientists were unable to predict the tsunami, which caused numerous casualties. More than 2,000 people died under the pressure of 15- and 10-meter waves, more than 10 thousand people lost their homes and livelihoods, 500 people disappeared.
Philippines: no chance for salvation
If you ask experts what is the largest tsunami in the world, they will unanimously name the wave of 1976. During this period, seismic activity was recorded near the island of Mindanao, in the source, the strength of the tremors reached 7.9 points. Because of the earthquake, a grandiose wave was formed in its scope, which covered 700 km of the coast of the Philippines. The tsunami reached a height of 4.5 m. The inhabitants did not have time to evacuate, which led to numerous casualties. More than 5,000 people were killed, 2,200 people were declared missing, and about 9,500 local residents were injured. A total of 90,000 people were affected by the tsunami and lost their homes.
pacific death
The year 1960 is marked in red in history. This is due to the fact that at the end of May this year, 6,000 people died due to an earthquake of magnitude 9.5. It was the seismic tremors that contributed to the volcanic eruption and the formation of a colossal wave that swept everything in its path. The height of the tsunami reached 25 meters, which in 1960 was a true record.
Tsunami in Tohuku: nuclear disaster
Japan faced it again, but the consequences were even worse than in 1993. A powerful wave, which reached 30 meters, hit Ofunato, a Japanese city. As a result of the disaster, more than 125 thousand buildings were decommissioned, in addition, the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant was seriously damaged. The nuclear disaster has become one of the most serious in recent years in the world. Reliable information about what was the true damage inflicted environment, still no. However, there is an opinion that the radiation spread to 320 km.
Tsunami in India - a threat to all mankind!
The natural disasters listed in the World's Biggest Tsunamis cannot compare to the event that occurred in December 2004. The wave hit several states that have access to the Indian Ocean. This is a real global one that required more than 14 billion dollars to correct the situation. According to the reports that were presented after the tsunami, more than 240 thousand people living in various countries: India, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.
The reason for the formation of a 30-meter wave is an earthquake. His strength was 9.3 points. The water flow reached the coast of some countries 15 minutes after the start of seismic activity, which did not give people a chance to escape from death. Other states fell into the power of the elements after 7 hours, but, despite such a delay, the population was not evacuated due to the lack of a warning system. Some people, oddly enough, were saved by the children who studied the signs of an impending disaster at school.
Tsunami in the fjord-shaped bay of Alaska
In the history of meteorological observations, a tsunami was recorded, the height of which exceeds all conceivable and unthinkable records. In particular, scientists were able to record a wave with a height of 524 meters. A powerful water stream rushed at a speed of 160 km / h. There was not a single living place left on the way: the trees were uprooted, the rocks were covered with cracks and faults. The La Gaussy spit was wiped off the face of the Earth. Fortunately, there were few casualties. Only the death of the crew of one of the launches, which at that moment was in the bay nearby, was recorded.
At the end of December 2004, one of the strongest earthquakes in the last half century occurred near the island of Sumatra, located in the Indian Ocean. Its consequences turned out to be catastrophic: due to the displacement of the lithospheric plates, a huge fault was formed, and a large amount of water rose from the ocean floor, which, at a speed reaching one kilometer per hour, began to move rapidly throughout the Indian Ocean.
As a result, thirteen countries were affected, about a million people were left without a “roof over their heads”, and more than two hundred thousand died or went missing. This disaster turned out to be the worst in the history of mankind.
Tsunamis are long and high waves that appear as a result of a sharp displacement of the lithospheric plates of the ocean floor during underwater or coastal earthquakes (the length of the shaft is from 150 to 300 km). Unlike ordinary waves, which appear as a result of exposure to water surface strong wind (for example, a storm), a tsunami wave affects the water from the bottom to the surface of the ocean, because of which even low-raised water can often lead to disasters.
Interestingly, these waves are not dangerous for ships in the ocean at this time: most of the agitated water is in its bowels, the depth of which is several kilometers - and therefore the height of the waves above the water surface is from 0.1 to 5 meters. Approaching the coast, the back of the wave catches up with the front, which at this time slows down slightly, grows to a height of 10 to 50 meters (the deeper the ocean, the larger the shaft) and a crest appears on it.
It should be taken into account that the impending shaft develops the highest speed in the Pacific Ocean (it ranges from 650 to 800 km/h). Concerning average speed most waves, it ranges from 400 to 500 km / h, but cases have been recorded when they accelerated to a speed of a thousand kilometers (the speed usually increases after the wave passes over a deep trench).
Before crashing on the coast, the water suddenly and quickly moves away from the coastline, exposing the bottom (the further it retreated, the higher the wave will be). If people do not know about the approaching elements, instead of moving as far as possible from the coast, on the contrary, they run to collect shells or pick up fish that did not have time to go to sea. And just a few minutes later, a wave that arrived here at great speed does not leave them the slightest chance of salvation.
It must be taken into account that if a wave rolls on the coast with opposite side ocean, the water does not always recede.
Ultimately, a huge mass of water floods the entire coastal line and goes inland to a distance of 2 to 4 km, destroying buildings, roads, piers and leading to the death of people and animals. In front of the shaft, clearing the way for water, there is always an air shock wave, which literally blows up buildings and structures that are in its path.
It is interesting that this deadly natural phenomenon consists of several waves, and the first wave is far from the largest: it only wets the coast, reducing the resistance for the waves following it, which often do not come immediately, and at intervals of two to three hours. The fatal mistake of people is their return to the shore after the departure of the first attack of the elements.
Reasons for education
One of the main reasons for the displacement of lithospheric plates (in 85% of cases) are underwater earthquakes, during which one part of the bottom rises and the other falls. As a result, the ocean surface begins to oscillate vertically, trying to return to the initial level, forming waves. It is worth noting that underwater earthquakes do not always lead to the formation of a tsunami: only those where the source is located at a small distance from the ocean floor, and the shaking was at least seven points.
The reasons for the formation of a tsunami are quite different. The main ones include underwater landslides, which, depending on the steepness of the continental slope, are able to overcome huge distances - from 4 to 11 km strictly vertically (depending on the depth of the ocean or gorge) and up to 2.5 km - if the surface is slightly inclined.
Large waves can cause huge objects that have fallen into the water - rocks or blocks of ice. Thus, the largest tsunami in the world, whose height exceeded five hundred meters, was recorded in Alaska, in the state of Lituya, when, as a result of a strong earthquake, a landslide descended from the mountains - and 30 million cubic meters stones and ice.
Volcanic eruptions (about 5%) can also be attributed to the main causes of tsunamis. During strong volcanic explosions, waves are formed, and water instantly fills the vacant space inside the volcano, as a result of which a huge shaft is formed and begins its journey.
For example, during the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa in late XIX Art. "killer wave" destroyed about 5 thousand ships and caused the death of 36 thousand people.
In addition to the above, experts identify two more possible reasons occurrence of a tsunami. First of all, this human activity. So, for example, in the middle of the last century, the Americans made an underwater atomic explosion at a depth of sixty meters, causing a wave about 29 meters high, however, it did not last long and fell, breaking 300 meters as much as possible.
Another reason for the formation of a tsunami is the fall into the ocean of meteorites with a diameter of more than 1 km (the impact of which is strong enough to cause a natural disaster). According to one version of scientists, several thousand years ago, it was meteorites that caused the strongest waves that caused the largest climatic disasters in the history of our planet.
Classification
When classifying tsunamis, scientists take into account a sufficient number of factors of their occurrence, including meteorological disasters, explosions, and even ebb and flow, while the list includes low wave surges about 10 cm high.
Shaft strength
The strength of the shaft is measured, taking into account its maximum height, as well as how catastrophic the consequences it caused, and, according to the international IIDA scale, 15 categories are distinguished, from -5 to +10 (the more victims, the higher the category).
By intensity
According to the intensity of the “killer wave”, they are divided into six points, which make it possible to characterize the consequences of the elements:
- Waves with a category of one point are so small that they are recorded only by instruments (most do not even know about their presence).
- Double-point waves are capable of slightly flooding the coast, therefore only specialists can distinguish them from fluctuations of ordinary waves.
- The waves, which are classified as three-point, are strong enough to throw small boats onto the coast.
- Four-point waves can not only wash large sea vessels ashore, but also throw them ashore.
- Five-point waves are already acquiring the scale of a catastrophe. They are able to destroy low buildings, wooden buildings and lead to human casualties.
- As for the six-point waves, the waves that have washed over the coast completely devastate it along with the adjacent lands.
By the number of victims
According to the number of deaths, five groups of this dangerous phenomenon are distinguished. The first includes situations where deaths were not recorded. To the second - waves that resulted in the death of up to fifty people. Shafts belonging to the third category cause the death of fifty to one hundred people. The fourth category includes "killer waves" that killed from a hundred to a thousand people.
The consequences of a tsunami belonging to the fifth category are catastrophic, since they entail the death of more than a thousand people. Typically, such disasters are characteristic of the deepest ocean in the world, the Pacific, but often occur in other parts of the planet. This applies to the disasters of 2004 near Indonesia and 2011 in Japan (25,000 deaths). “Killer waves” were also recorded in history in Europe, for example, in the middle of the 18th century, a thirty-meter shaft collapsed on the coast of Portugal (during this disaster, from 30 to 60 thousand people died).
Economic damage
As for the economic damage, it is measured in US dollars and calculated taking into account the costs that must be allocated for the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure (lost property and destroyed houses are not taken into account, because they are related to the country's social expenditures).
According to the size of losses, economists distinguish five groups. The first category includes waves that did not cause much harm, the second - with losses up to $ 1 million, the third - up to $ 5 million, the fourth - up to $ 25 million.
The damage from the waves, related to the fifth group, exceeds 25 million. For example, the losses from two major natural disasters in 2004 near Indonesia and in 2011 in Japan amounted to about $250 billion. It is also worth considering environmental factor, because the waves, which caused the death of 25 thousand people, damaged a nuclear power plant in Japan, causing an accident.
Natural disaster identification systems
Unfortunately, "killer waves" often appear so unexpectedly and move at such a high speed that it is extremely difficult to determine their appearance, and therefore seismologists often fail to cope with the task assigned to them.
Basically, disaster warning systems are built on the processing of seismic data: if there is a suspicion that an earthquake will have a magnitude of more than seven points, and its source will be on the ocean (sea) floor, then all countries that are at risk receive warnings of the approach of huge waves.
Unfortunately, the disaster of 2004 happened because almost all the neighboring countries did not have an identification system. Despite the fact that about seven hours passed between the earthquake and the surge, the population was not warned about the approaching disaster.
To determine the presence of dangerous waves in the open ocean, scientists use special hydrostatic pressure sensors that transmit data to the satellite, which allows you to fairly accurately determine the time of their arrival at a particular point.
How to survive during the elements
If it so happens that you find yourself in an area where there is a high probability of deadly waves, you should definitely not forget to follow the forecasts of seismologists and remember all the warning signals of an approaching disaster. It is also necessary to know the boundaries of the most dangerous zones and the shortest roads by which you can leave the dangerous territory.
If you hear a signal warning of approaching water, you should immediately leave the danger area. Experts will not be able to say exactly how much time there is for evacuation: maybe a couple of minutes or several hours. If you do not have time to leave the area and live in a multi-storey building, then you need to go up to the top floors, closing all windows and doors.
But if you are in one or two-story house, it must be immediately abandoned and run to tall building or climb any hill (in extreme cases, you can climb a tree and cling to it tightly). If it so happened what to leave dangerous place you did not have time and ended up in the water, you need to try to free yourself from shoes and wet clothes and try to catch on floating objects.
When the first wave subsides, it is necessary to leave the dangerous area, since the next one will most likely come after it. You can return only when there are no waves for about three to four hours. Once at home, check walls and ceilings for cracks, gas leaks, and electrical conditions.
Ocean, sand, beach, cocktail, sun lounger and waves 30 meters high. Yes, it's all in one place, but, fortunately, in different time. How can this be? We leave for the town of Nazare on the west coast of Portugal. It is here, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, that you can see a relaxed beach holiday, and the biggest waves in the world.
This landmark of Portugal is located between the capital of Lisbon and the city of Porto.
small in summer resort town Nazare, with a population of about 15,000, is the country's classic tourist attraction. Its long sandy beaches occupied by tourists from all over the world. They bask in the gentle sun, bathe in the Atlantic Ocean. All in all, a relaxing holiday.
In winter, everything changes dramatically. Beach tourists are replaced by extreme people and lovers of unusual natural phenomena. During this period, you can observe the formation of giant waves that crash on the coast almost at arm's length. This phenomenon, incredible in its power and amazing in its beauty, attracts both travelers and the most desperate surfers.
Who produces the biggest waves on the planet
Once again, we recall that almost everything amazing, beautiful, sometimes frightening, but bewitching on our planet is produced by nature. IN this case the creator of giant waves was the atypical topography of the ocean floor near the city of Nazare, in particular the underwater North Canyon Nazare. This depression in the bottom surface reaches almost to the very shore, forming a kind of springboard for ocean waves.
It should be noted that Nazare Canyon is recognized as the deepest in Europe and one of the deepest in the world. It is located not parallel to the coast, but perpendicular. Its length is 227 km, and the depth reaches 5 kilometers (this is almost half the depth Mariana Trench). As you approach the coast, the depth decreases sharply, creating a barrier to the path of the wave and multiplying its height. There are conditions under which colossal masses of water must jump over this obstacle. Do not forget, all this happens in close proximity to tourists.
In the pictures below you can see the geological reasons for the appearance of huge waves.
A typical scheme for the formation of a giant wave But that is not all. The bottom topography alone is not enough to get the highest waves. This requires a combination of many factors.
Hell of a cocktail to get the biggest waves
The presence of the canyon creates special conditions for the creation of large waves. It splits the wave into two parts. One part increases its speed when passing through the canyon, and the second part reunites with the first part at the exit of the canyon into one big wave.
The opposite ocean current coming from the beach can add a few more meters.
For the birth of a giant wave, the wave period is important, which should be about 14 seconds. The wind, oddly enough, should be weak. The direction of the wave is very important, ideally it should come from the west or northwest. As a plus to these factors, storms are added in the northern part of the Atlantic, occurring during the autumn - winter. The combination of these factors can increase several times the usual ocean wave.
How often do big waves appear
Looking at the photos on the Internet, as well as on our website, you might think that giant waves in Nazar are formed almost every minute. But it's not. A little higher, you learned how many phenomena are required to come together to get a huge wave. It doesn't happen that often.
The Big Waves season in Nazaré falls between October and February. During these months, there are usually 1 to 6 giant waves and tens and hundreds of much smaller waves. If you want to see a truly huge wave, then plan to spend at least 2 weeks here, or follow the forecasts on surfer sites. For a large wave, the forecast should indicate a wave size of more than 3 meters, a wave period of more than 13 seconds, and a slight northerly wind.
If you are already there, then check the state of the sea in real time through the online forecast and webcams. But, even if all forecasts point to ideal conditions large waves, then everything can change in just an hour and spoil the day with a favorable forecast.
But in Peru you can see the longest sea waves in the world. They are much safer than the waves in Nazar, and you can ride them for up to several minutes in a row, passing more than one hundred meters on the crest of one wave.
The story of conquering the giant waves of Nazaré
There are people in the world who "don't feed honey", just let them conquer the biggest waves. They are usually called surfers. They, probably, with the advent of boards began to collect the most best places for your hobby. They did not bypass the waves near the city of Nazare. For the first time, surfers were noticed here back in the 60s of the last century. Since then they have been frequent guests here. But there is no data on the conquest of huge waves. It was only in November 2011 that the world learned about the taking of the biggest wave. Then Gareth McNamara, a surfer from the Hawaiian Islands, conquered a wave 24 meters high. The brave comrade did not calm down and in January 2013 he broke his own record by taking a 30-meter wave.
Gareth was the first to describe the sensations of such adventures. This proved to be incredibly difficult due to the unpredictability of wave behavior.
In this event, McNamara involved three assistants and one wife (his own). At the moment of wave formation, the first assistant on the jet ski tries to drag the surfer as high as possible on the crest, and keeps close to him for safety net. Look at the photo of these waves, and you will understand that it is unrealistic to swim to them on your own.
A little further away, the second assistant runs and insures both. The third one watches over all the others. And from the shore, a gray-haired wife watches everything and gives instructions to her husband on how best to catch the wave.
The first time everything went well and no help was needed, but the second time he proved the effectiveness of triple insurance. Then the first assistant was washed away by a wave from the jet ski, and the second assistant pulled out the surfer, and the third one pulled out the first one.
The danger of such adventures is extremely high, so surfers try not to climb waves 30 meters high without much need. They only do it for the records.
In October 2013, Brazilian surfer Carlos Berl rode a wave that turned out to be even bigger. But there is no absolutely accurate data on the height of subdued waves, since it is rather problematic to make measurements.
Annual meeting of surfers in Nazar
Despite the danger of such big waves, since 2016 Nazare has hosted a meeting or competition of surfers Nazare Challenge - WSL Big Wave Tour under the control of the World Surf League. This competition brings together the best surfers from all over the world and lasts only one day. In addition, it does not have a fixed date. It all depends on the forecasts of the state of the sea. The period of holding or better to say waiting is from October 15 to February 28. The day of the competition is approved 3 days before its holding. This is the best that can be achieved with modern technology sea conditions and wind forecasting.
For surfers, this is a milestone event. Here is how one of the participants describes it -
"What followed after the starting signal was a dizzying, wild and unprecedented display of courage, stupidity and skill"
Where is the best place to watch the biggest waves
The best way to watch a giant wave is to stand on its crest on a surfboard. Any surfer will say that. Well, for ordinary tourists it is best to do this from Cape Nazare, on which the lighthouse is located. Since the place is very interesting, you are unlikely to get lost. Fort San Miguel Arcanjo is also located here. You can also go down to the sand on the beach via a dirt road, but be very careful. In the Big Wave season it is very dangerous.
Now, in addition to big waves, the attraction of Nazare are surfers who “ride” them. This, incidentally, gives a good idea of the size of the waves. When you see a little man running away from a huge multi-ton wave, you can imagine how great and powerful not only the Russian language is, but also the Atlantic Ocean.
- As a rule, many famous surf spots have a bottom topography similar to that near Nazare, but on a smaller scale. The most famous are Teahupoo in Tahiti, Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii and Maverick's Beach off the coast of California.
- Local fishermen have long been afraid of this place. There have been several shipwrecks here. At the bottom of the canyon is a sunken German submarine from World War II.
What causes the appearance of most waves in the oceans and seas, about the destructive energy of the waves and about the most gigantic waves, and the largest tsunamis that man has ever seen.
The highest wave
Most often, waves are generated by wind: air moves the surface layers of the water column at a certain speed. Some waves can accelerate up to 95 km / h, while the wave can be up to 300 meters long, such waves travel huge distances across the ocean, but most often their kinetic energy is extinguished, consumed even before they reach land. If the wind subsides, then the waves become smaller and smoother.The formation of waves in the ocean is subject to certain patterns.
The height and length of the wave depends on the speed of the wind, on the duration of its impact, on the area covered by the wind. There is a match: highest altitude wave is one seventh of its length. For example, a strong breeze generates waves up to 3 meters high, an extensive hurricane - up to 20 meters on average. And these are already truly monstrous waves, with roaring foam caps and other special effects.
The highest ordinary wave of 34 meters was noted on the territory of the Agulhas Current (South Africa) in 1933 by sailors from the American ship Ramapo. Waves of this height are called "killer waves": in the gaps between them, even a large ship can easily get lost and die.
In theory, the height of normal waves can reach 60 meters, but these have not yet been recorded in practice.
In addition to the usual wind origin, there are other mechanisms of wave formation. The cause and epicenter of the birth of a wave can be an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a sharp change in the coastline (landslides), human activity (for example, testing nuclear weapons) and even falling into the ocean of large celestial bodies- meteorites.
The biggest wave
This is a tsunami - a serial wave that is caused by some kind of powerful impulse. A feature of tsunami waves is that they are quite long, the distance between crests can reach tens of kilometers. Therefore, in the open ocean, a tsunami does not pose a particular danger, since the height of the waves is on average no more than a few centimeters, in record cases - a meter and a half, but the speed of their propagation is simply unthinkable, up to 800 km / h. From a ship on the high seas, they are not noticeable at all. The tsunami acquires destructive power when approaching the coast: reflection from the coast leads to compression of the wavelength, but the energy does not go anywhere. Accordingly, its (wave) amplitude, that is, the height, increases. It is easy to conclude that such waves can reach much higher heights than wind waves. 
The most terrible tsunamis occur due to significant disturbances in the relief seabed, for example, tectonic faults or shifts, due to which billions of tons of water begin to abruptly move tens of thousands of kilometers at the speed of a jet aircraft. Catastrophes occur when all this mass slows down on the shore, and its colossal energy first goes to increase the height, and eventually falls on land with all its might, a water wall.
The most "tsunami-prone" places are bays with high banks. These are real tsunami traps. And the worst thing is that a tsunami almost always comes suddenly: in appearance, the situation at sea can be indistinguishable from an ebb or flow, an ordinary storm, people do not have time or even think to evacuate, and suddenly they are overtaken by a giant wave. The warning system is little developed.
Territories with increased seismic activity are areas of special risk in our time. No wonder the name of this natural phenomenon is of Japanese origin.
The worst tsunami in Japan
The islands are regularly attacked by waves of various calibers, and among them there are truly gigantic, entailing human casualties. An earthquake off the east coast of Honshu in 2011 triggered a tsunami with a wave height of up to 40 meters. The earthquake is rated as the strongest in the recorded history of Japan. The waves hit the entire coast, together with the earthquake, they claimed the lives of more than 15 thousand people, many thousands went missing. 
Other highest wave in the history of Japan, it collapsed in 1741 in the west of the island of Hokkaido as a result of a volcanic eruption, its height is approximately estimated at 90 meters.
The biggest tsunami in the world
In 2004, on the islands of Sumatra and Java, the tsunami caused by strong earthquake in the Indian Ocean, turned into a massive disaster. Died, according to various sources, from 200 to 300 thousand people - a third of a million victims! To date, it is this tsunami that is considered the most destructive in history. 
And the record holder for the wave height is named "Lutoya". This tsunami, which swept through Lituya Bay in Alaska in 1958 at a speed of 160 km / h, was triggered by a giant landslide. The wave height was estimated at 524 meters.
Meanwhile, the sea is not always dangerous. There are "friendly" seas. For example, no river flows into the Red Sea, but it is the cleanest in the world. .
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