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Which wave is the LOUDEST?
- Thread starter JJJJS
- Start date
I know of a certain right hand point break that has a section that I call "Dynamite"... when the lip hits the bottom on a full moon low tide it sounds like the world is going to end, like a mountain of rocks has just exploded, like the twin towers coming down in unison on quadrophonic HD surround sound.
One summer I snorkeled out there to study the bottom contours, so as to be more understanding of how and why the wave breaks the way it does, took a huge breath after getting my snorkel, mask and flippers on, and did a 30-45 minute backstroke to the take off spot on a completely glass day with zero wind at first light. Swam the entire line the wave takes several times just oogling the bottom from the surface. On the third or fourth pass started diving down at certain sections to see a cross section view, rather than the birds eye I was getting the first few passes. When I get to "Dynamite" I see the section is practically flat with a few dark grooves. As I dive to check it out, it seems the grooves get deeper and darker as I approach. When I get to the bottom I see clearly they are holes in the bottom. I swim to the edge of the shelf and go down further until I find a lava tube, after going back up for more air and completely against my better judgement, (never swim into a lava tube with no light at the end, the ocean just might decide to keep you, 4 eva) I go in a body length where my flippers are still at the holes edge, thinking I can pull out by my feet if needed. When I reached forward the tube was blocked at the end with little rounded volcanic rocks... as if I had found Neptune's stash of marbles. They were all different sizes, but perfectly round. Running out of breath, I went back up for more air. When I got back down to the bottom where the wave breaks I put my arm down as far as I could reach into one of the larger holes and feel the same thing.
"Dynamite", to me, was just the ocean playing with its maracas de Machin.
One summer I snorkeled out there to study the bottom contours, so as to be more understanding of how and why the wave breaks the way it does, took a huge breath after getting my snorkel, mask and flippers on, and did a 30-45 minute backstroke to the take off spot on a completely glass day with zero wind at first light. Swam the entire line the wave takes several times just oogling the bottom from the surface. On the third or fourth pass started diving down at certain sections to see a cross section view, rather than the birds eye I was getting the first few passes. When I get to "Dynamite" I see the section is practically flat with a few dark grooves. As I dive to check it out, it seems the grooves get deeper and darker as I approach. When I get to the bottom I see clearly they are holes in the bottom. I swim to the edge of the shelf and go down further until I find a lava tube, after going back up for more air and completely against my better judgement, (never swim into a lava tube with no light at the end, the ocean just might decide to keep you, 4 eva) I go in a body length where my flippers are still at the holes edge, thinking I can pull out by my feet if needed. When I reached forward the tube was blocked at the end with little rounded volcanic rocks... as if I had found Neptune's stash of marbles. They were all different sizes, but perfectly round. Running out of breath, I went back up for more air. When I got back down to the bottom where the wave breaks I put my arm down as far as I could reach into one of the larger holes and feel the same thing.
"Dynamite", to me, was just the ocean playing with its maracas de Machin.
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At smaller, glassy Cortes Bank, and I'm sure a number of other offshore shoals, if it's not too big, there will be no waves -- and thus no absolutely no sound -- between the sets. No background noise like you normally hear at any beach or reef break anywhere. Then when a set comes and unloads, it's BOOOOOM, roar as the waves roll, then hissss and fizzzz as the waves carbonation bubbles surface. Then it's silence again. That's a crazy, crazy sensation.
That’s what I was thinking. Somebody should write a book about that place.
The loudest waves I hear are places with lots of cobbles. At high tides, it's endless "rock and roll" like SurfFuerte describes. Add in an amphitheater like cove, and you have some serious sound projections.
Monster Hole can be like this. So quiet you can hear car tires on the joints going over the Sebastian Inlet Bridge.
Sadly, these days you mostly hear fishing donkeys on outboard-powered boats, oarons on stand up paddle boats, Brevardvarks on prone paddle boats....
I've surfed a shoal here somewhere between Charleston and Hatteras where this silence thing happens too. We call it the Redneck Cortes Bank. I was surfing out there with a buddy and we ride a wave in together and jump off our boards next to each other at the same time. All the sudden he just starts screaming. I'm like, oh sh!t, he's getting eaten right next to me. Turns out it was a patch of sea nettles whose stings feel like an electric shock. Somehow I avoided them. He was lit the F up. We got in the boat and left after that. The ocean is indeed always willing to kill you for free.
Here. Rumble and roll. 24/7/365. Over 6’ (12’ South Carolina) it roars like a train going by a block away. The rocks are always moving up and down. Ankle breakers.
What would be cool, is a big-wave surfing video that captures the true sounds, even magnify it, lightning crash and thunder rumble, etc. on your subwoofer. Usually there is music drowning out the rumble of the surf.
I remember one time rolling up to Ehukai Beach Park in the dark in the hopes of shooting a Pipe Masters, and being able to hear it absolutely detonating outside. Not sure if we ran that day. Never heard it like that ever since.
I was out at lowtide Mundaka years ago. It wasn't even that big, but as a wave ran across the shallow bar, it unleashed this insane sound of a continuous lightning crack, like if you're right under the lightning bolt, except it just kept going as the wave peeled off.
keiki shorebreak. stayed right there on a monster swell. could NOT sleep. relentless explosions all night.
