Saturday, January 12, 2019

Squared seas

Ocean conditions were interesting today (12 January 2019).  The marine forecast called for "squared seas," when the wave height and wave period are similar.  

Around midday, the swell height was ~14 feet and the wave period was ~14 seconds.  Viewing the incoming waves from shore in these conditions makes it look like the waves are right on top of each other:











It was a good day to be beyond the breaking waves!

2 comments:

  1. Wow. Do any waves wash over the cliff tops?

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  2. Hi!

    In my experience, it generally takes swell heights of over 25 feet to breach the tops of the cliffs. It's only happened a few times since I've moved here (in 2005). I should specify that this refers to the lowest elevation portions of Bodega Head. However, most of the cliff edges on Bodega Head are pretty high, and although it's possible for wave *splash* to reach those heights (after hitting the rocks below), it's unlikely the waves themselves would. [At least for now -- as sea level rises and Bodega Head sinks, I'm sure at some point waaaaaay into the future, waves will be topping other portions of Bodega Head.]

    Note: I should add that it's best to be extremely cautious around these big waves and generally to stay far back from the bluff edges. Especially on Bodega Head, the cliffs are crumbly and unstable. (All of my photos were taken with a large zoom lens from a safe distance and then cropped to highlight interesting portions of the waves.)

    Jackie

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