Rogue waves are massive “freak” waves that quickly form and disappear in the middle of the ocean (an important distinction from tsunamis) seemingly without warning. They form due to constructive interference between smaller waves, meaning that the energy transported by smaller waves colliding “adds” together to form a larger wave. As such, they form more often around extreme climate events such as hurricanes.
Here’s a little graphic that shows constructive (right) and destructive (left) interference between waves.
The largest rogue waves on record are around 100 feet (or 30 meters) tall. This is the most recent as of January 2023, although a 112 foot wave has been reported in the 1930s. In comparison, the average wave height is closer to 11 feet.
Sailors have been discussing rogue waves for centuries, but until recently, scientists used to think that they only occurred once in a thousand years. These are now proven to to be a common phenomenon. The unpredictability of rogue waves means that they’re very dangerous when suddenly encountered in ships, which aren’t typically built to withstand such large forces. Research is ongoing into predicting these to make seafaring safer.
Bonus #0: rogue waves are large, but they’re nowhere nearly as massive as the one in that scene from Interstellar! I had to look this up since it’s been a while since I watched it.
Bonus #1: “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” is often mistakenly thought to be a tsunami, but now believed to be a rogue wave. I created a post on this as well!
Congrats for making it to the end! I love this topic, so this post was a little lengthier than usual.
Images sources: wave interference: Wikimedia Commons, wave size graphic: sleep fish
Sources: wave info and heights, rogue wave info, semi-truck height, average car length
sleep fish. 
Leave a comment