Ocean Swells: The Storm Season is Upon Us!

Wednesday, 24 September 2008 00:21

Ocean Swells: The Storm Season is Upon Us!

By: David H. Johnston

Here in Ontario (as well as many other parts of the world), it is the beginning of the storm season. It's the time of the year that storms are magnified due to the cooler air and the warmer water below it. That differential in temperatures allows a lot more moisture and energy to be absorbed into the low pressure systems passing over head.

For paddlers who are looking for bumpy conditions, it's the time to get out paddling.

Here in Toronto, we get fairly decent conditions. Don't get me wrong, it is nothing like the ocean but for fresh water, it can get a little crazy. We don't get the super large swells that always seem impressive when telling the tale back home but what we get are wind waves which are closer together but not a high. Much steeper and more likely to actually knock you over into the drink.

I can make a very safe bet and say that nothing you have been out in is comparable to the high seas that are in the three short videos below. They all made me scared. Really scared.

Rough seas in Iceland - A fishing in Iceland coming home during the the wintertime.

Bad Weather - A clip of working in winter conditions on the North Sea.

Kitty Hawk's Big Storm - Here's video of the USS Kitty Hawk going through a big storm. Remember that this boat is over a 1000 feet long and the deck is about 40 feet above the oceans surface...