Poseidon & the Rogue Wave

For those who have watched Poseidon either in the cinema, or on national TV last night, just a little geography tip for those who are interested in what caused the sinking of Poseidon, the Rogue Wave (or otherwise know as freak waves, monster waves etc...) Anyways, Poseidon, unlike Titanic is a fiction novel written by Paul Gallico in 1969...

Rogues waves are not Tsunamis which are caused by a mass displacement of water by either a underwater volcanic eruption, a landslide, an earthquake, a meteor... But rather it is caused by a sudden shift in prevailing conditions that produces an unexpectedly huge wave. Used to be thought of as an Ocean Legend due to the inability of ocean physics to prove such a phenomenon as waves of up to 30metres high can be found in a seemingly calm deep sea condition, but recent studies and monitoring have shown that rogues waves are indeed present and real. These waves when they appear, usually leave seamen too little time to even react to it, with efforts to be futile against such enormous waves which collide with the ships and crashes down with huge amount of sea water, exerting a pressure impact that is beyond the usual operating limits of a ship even in a heavy storm out at sea. This Rogue Wave is usually accompanied by a deep trough that follows after the wave which does not help the situation. This impact usually causes a very fast sinking to the ship if it was in the direct impact region of the wave.


However, fortunately, it is a very rare phenomenon, and despite it's destructive nature, incidents of ships, cruisers, liners being sank by Rogue Waves are almost non existent. However, it remains to be a phenomenon of great interest by mariners and scientists across the globe. And perhaps, a nightmare lingering the dreams of the seamen who have seen it first hand, and a fear to those who frequently expose themselves to the rough conditions of the deep sea oceans.

Hope this little post would help you understand a little more about this amazing ocean phenomenon called the Rogue Wave... :)

"When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God"
Still, Hillsong