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Waves
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Why re the waves i nHawaii and Australia so big?
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this is the coldest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. So, it's the right time of year to think about being some place warm, and a sunny beach wouldn't hurt. If you're into surfing, a place that has nice sand, a palm tree or two, a sultry breeze, and reliable ocean swells sounds especially inviting.
In general, the windier regions and consequently the heaviest seas, are found in the zone of the trade winds and the westerlies. Of course, the biggest waves result form the most powerful storms, but also, the greater the fetch (the distance of open water over which the wind is blowing) the higher the waves are likely to be. Southern California, South Africa, and the southeastern coast of Australia all have some wonderful beaches and outstanding surf. However, just like many mountaineers look forward to some day climbing the highest peaks in the Himalayas, most surfers set their sights on Hawaii's big waves.
If you're a surfer dude, Hawaii has about everything you need, and in particular, big waves you can usually count on. The three main factors that determine the size of waves are wind speed, fetch and the duration of the wind. Since Hawaii sits pretty much in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it has a tremendous fetch, regardless from which direction the wind is blowing.
Hawaii lies in the zone of the trade winds. Winds here typically blow from the southeast. While hurricanes (not typhoons) may on rare occasion visit the Hawaiian Islands, extratropical storms may be even more rare. However, you don't need to be in a storm to feel its affects. Because of the long fetch, a storm may miss Hawaii by thousands of miles and still generate potent waves on the island's distant shores. That's what happened in late January of 1998. A powerful storm that formed near southern Japan and moved east across the Pacific with the prevailing westerly winds, missed the Hawaiian Islands by about 3,000 km (1,900 miles).
In general, the windier regions and consequently the heaviest seas, are found in the zone of the trade winds and the westerlies. Of course, the biggest waves result form the most powerful storms, but also, the greater the fetch (the distance of open water over which the wind is blowing) the higher the waves are likely to be. Southern California, South Africa, and the southeastern coast of Australia all have some wonderful beaches and outstanding surf. However, just like many mountaineers look forward to some day climbing the highest peaks in the Himalayas, most surfers set their sights on Hawaii's big waves.
If you're a surfer dude, Hawaii has about everything you need, and in particular, big waves you can usually count on. The three main factors that determine the size of waves are wind speed, fetch and the duration of the wind. Since Hawaii sits pretty much in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it has a tremendous fetch, regardless from which direction the wind is blowing.
Hawaii lies in the zone of the trade winds. Winds here typically blow from the southeast. While hurricanes (not typhoons) may on rare occasion visit the Hawaiian Islands, extratropical storms may be even more rare. However, you don't need to be in a storm to feel its affects. Because of the long fetch, a storm may miss Hawaii by thousands of miles and still generate potent waves on the island's distant shores. That's what happened in late January of 1998. A powerful storm that formed near southern Japan and moved east across the Pacific with the prevailing westerly winds, missed the Hawaiian Islands by about 3,000 km (1,900 miles).
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