Rogue Waves

[BoMan]

I've only experienced one of these in my surfing life. The wave was about 5 feet high compared with the normal 3 foot and it broke over the outside sandbar, surprising a few of us who were caught inside. Has this happened to you?

Francesco Fedele published an 18 year study...

Rogue waves form when lots of smaller waves line up and their steeper crests begin to stack, building up into a single, massive wave that briefly rises far above its surroundings. https://www.sciencealert.com/18-year-study-reveals-truth-of-where-giant-rogue-waves-come-from

[oldmansurfer]

Rogue waves happen in deep water. That was a set wave

[oldmansurfer]

I always heard rogue waves develop in the open ocean and disappear there too. If they hit the shoreline they are like 100 feet tall or taller but after reading a bit it seems some people have made the name to mean waves occurring anywhere that are bigger than expected. I have never seen a rogue wave myself that I know of. Only set waves

[CloneSan]

I've seen one, playa hermosa near dominical in costa rica around 2006. you could see it arrive from afar, just one wave while all the others were sets. It was easily twice the size of the normal waves. It took playing high school graduates by surprise who where playing soccer near to the shoreline, and pulled the whole group in the water and into a rip, one person died that day as we pulled the other two to shore, we never saw him.

[BaNZ]

In Taiwan they call it the mad dog wave. For me it happens all the time when the forecast says it's over 6 feet. Some bigger sets that comes in at 8-10 feet and I'm like scrambling to not die. I stopped going out that big because getting pinned down and close to drowning is not fun. This happens to me once a year when I surf the winter swell. My apple watch goes nuts as the heartbeat goes to 190 and I'm close to blackout.

[Geezer]

Never seen a true rougue wave but do know one absolute truth which is when I sit on the outer reefs waiting on a bommie to appear for an extended period with no joy, the surefire trigger for one to show up is when I give up and dip inside.