Favourite Photos

But the spray is being whipped off the top of the wave in the direction of the wind, indicating a strong wind force. But the surrounding sea has barely any indication of any wind?? And the white spray ends in a stright line, didn't know spray was clever enough to calculate an 180 degree line!

you couldnt get just one wave that big on its own could you? if there were waves that big around i think you'd have more on your mind than taking pictures. and if it isnt propwash Jim what is it?

Originally posted by Wave Rider But the spray is being whipped off the top of the wave in the direction of the wind, indicating a strong wind force. But the surrounding sea has barely any indication of any wind?? And the white spray ends in a stright line, didn't know spray was clever enough to calculate an 180 degree line!

The spray is being whipped off the top of the wave by the apparent wind generated by the fact that a big wave is moving at something like 15 knots, and steepening as it hits the shallow water which may create some more airflow.

Look at the pic attached; not much wind, lots of peeling spray. The amount of wind on the face of a big wave, even in a glassy calm, is surprising and one of the reasons there's a size limit to the waves you can paddle a surfboard onto; when they get really big you have to tow onto them partly because the wind resistance won't let you drop in without help (as I understand it). You really notice this when windsurfing, when the gust of apparent created by the wind is often the vital boost that gets you over a wave.

I've taken yachts out the bar where the pic was taken, I've windsurfed over it, I can see no problems with the pic being real. Plus someone in a position to know (and there are plenty of Queenslanders on Sailing Anarchy who race the boat each weekend) would have called BS.

PS Even if it was propwash near the photo boat rather than a quarter wave being kicked over by the chaotic chop prevalent on the bar, the fact that it may have come from an angle (and I don't think it did, mooring cleats like the one visible are normally mounted fore and aft), there is a very good explanation. You don't always just charge dead ahead going across a bar; you can weave the oncoming waves to avoid the worst part. Wide Bay Bar is very wide with a poorly-defined channel; many boats try to enter it at dawn because it's hard to pick up the leads without the morning sun shining on them. It's not a narrow river bar between breakwaters, where you have no room to dodge waves. The photo boat may very well be slaloming around to get a better position for the next oncoming wave. When I raced my own boat offshore we normally sailed out of ports with bars and sure as hell we didn't just chug straight on through.

Mike re "you couldnt get just one wave that big on its own could you?"

Who said it's on its own? There could be another in the set about to hit the photo boat. 


Edited by CT249

i shall shut up on that front then.

bloody great pic of the surfer Chris. and that one of the yacht is amazing.

erm>?