Around The World In 80 Waves

The science of waves breaking is quite straight forward. Each wavelength has a crest (the top) and a trough (the bottom), which happily travel across the sea together at the same speed until the trough is slowed down by the friction of moving against the bottom of the sea. At this point the crest of the wave is unaffected and overtakes the trough which we see as the wave breaking. The extent to which the top of the wave overtakes the bottom generating what is known as a lip is dependent on the size of the wave and the severity with which the trough is slowed down by the sea floor.  There are three types of breaking wave:

1. Beach Break – exactly what you might imagine. The waves break when they are slowed down by the seashore regardless of what that shore consists of. E.g. sand, rock, vegetation.
2. Point Break – no bank robbing or FBI involved here just something sticking out into the water like a jetty or pier or most frequently the cliffs at the side of a bay. The water breaks on the shallow water by the point and then peels off toward the water adjacent to it on the left or right.
3. Reef Break – typically a coral reef but hardy souls such as myself are more used to rock shelves in the colder waters of the northern hemisphere. However reefs can also be man-made such as a shipwreck or the artificial reefs that have been installed at a few locations around the planet specifically to make wave break in a predictable manner.

Pipeline, and much of the rest of Hawaii’s waves are such extreme waves because they have travelled across thousands of miles of very deep water, building in scale and speed, until very abruptly the trough is dramatically slowed down by the bathymetry (or shape of the sea floor) upon contact with the islands. All the Hawaiian islands have been created by molten lava escaping from the earth’s core cooling straight away in the waters of the Pacific only to be immediately covered by the molten lava that is behind it in the fissures escaping from the earth. Over time this process has happened so abruptly that the highest mountain on Hawaii would actually be taller than Mount Everest if it was measured from the sea floor rather than sea level. This sudden change in the water depth from deep ocean to shoreline is compounded by the coral reefs and as a consequence you get seriously thick lips to waves as the crest is pitched forward. Good surfers are capable of riding waves in the space that is created underneath (known as catching a tube), but great surfers can practically live in it.

The pipe masters is the last event on this year’s ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour and after tough competition in the events that have taken place on all the globe’s prime surf locations it will decide the three horse race between Joel Parkinson, Kelly Slater or Mick Fanning to be crowned the 2012 World Champion. I should probably tell some of you that the wave is known as Banzai Pipeline because it is basically a suicide wave that I am not sure I will ever be good enough/mentally ill enough to ride. Waves 20 feet high break over water that is only a foot deep between the surface and the razor sharp coral underneath. People die surfing it, so not for the faint hearted. That it breaks so close to the shore allows spectacular pictures such as this, and enthusiastic amateurs like myself a unique opportunity to see the professionals at work at close range. You can watch it live if you like. (http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2012) I will do my best to get on screen.

Anyway enough science it is about time this surf trip involved some surfing, so I’m off to buy a board.