A Rogue wave is one of nature’s most unstoppable forces. It comes with little or no warning and devastates anything in its path. Walls of water 90 feet high crash over you, sending your boat rolling, and you are flung about like a toy. When it stops rolling, you are battered and bruised and there is already two inches of water on the ceiling, which is now your floor. The ship has capsized. A worst case scenario. How will you survive?
That is what usually happens and researchers now theorize that many of the oceans’ mysterious disappearances can be credited to these immense waves, including a number of those under suspicion because they are in the Bermuda triangle. They are deadly, leave no trace, and until the last decade, were scoffed at as old sea tales. It wasn’t until an oil rig captured a measurement that they were finally accepted as being real.
How to survive a rogue wave.
To survive a rogue wave, the ship must be steered directly into the wall of water. A head on course will possibly allow the boat to rise on the wave, like a surfer, and ride it out to the other side. It will still be a dangerous, jarring ride but if the ship is hit broadside, there is a 90% chance it will flip over. If the rogue wave is powerful enough, it will roll. Repeatedly, like a NASCAR wreck.
There is usually no warning for these incredibly powerful waves so it is likely that there will not be time to turn the ship into the wave, especially if it is a big boat, like a cruise liner. When the wave hits, you want to be behind something sturdy. There will be flying glass and debris that can impale and slice and of course, water that rushes in will go out and you do not want to be swept away.
How to survive a rogue wave that flips your boat
You have to get out within two minutes or the sinking of the boat and its undertow will suck you under. You have to be clear of the boat before it goes down. The time limit varies on the damage and size of the boat. Take two seconds to breath in and get your bearings and then get moving. If you wait to take action, even for a short while, you will not get out.
