The largest ocean wave ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere was captured off the coast of New Zealand.
The monster wave measured 23.8 meters (78 feet) high and slammed Campbell Island, a subantarctic spot of land off the southern coast of New Zealand, according to the Meteorological Metservice of New Zealand. Oceanographer Tom Durrant said: "This is a very exciting event and it is the largest wave ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere."
#Nature #OceanPower A Wave 8-Floor High, Largest Ever Recorded, Forms Near New Zealand A buoy recorded the wave dur… https://t.co/84fFwhnXzH— Aravindh JV (@Aravindh JV) 1526017507.0
It's kind of a big deal.
23.8 meter wave! Biggest individual wave ever recorded over a wave buoy in the Southern Ocean, higher than a 7-stor… https://t.co/mdYR4fGorL— The Antarctic Report (@The Antarctic Report) 1526015641.0
And people were shook:
@AntarcticReport @MetOceanNZ That's CRAZY!!— TheHamptons.com (@TheHamptons.com) 1526050769.0
@AntarcticReport @MetOceanNZ Ocean? You scary. 😱🌊🌊— halcali (École du Ciel) (@halcali (École du Ciel)) 1526022230.0
We're glad someone did this:
@AntarcticReport @MetOceanNZ Look I know this is a crazy discovery but this is all I can see in this image: https://t.co/Jl2DS1QkfM— Gilead Media (@Gilead Media) 1526142894.0
And this:
@AntarcticReport @burritojustice @MetOceanNZ https://t.co/SkdWfLAFeN— James Dunbar (@James Dunbar) 1526092427.0
This sounds like a solid plan:
Large waves like the one off Campbell Island are common in that area of the ocean, Durrant said. He added that it's possible even larger waves as high as 25 meters (82 feet) occurred concurrently during the storm, but they were not directly measured. Speaking to Fairfax media, Durrant explained why waves in this body of water are able to grow so large.
The Southern Ocean is definitely the most under-observed ocean in the world. The region accounts for about 22 per cent of the planet's oceans, and it's the most energetic part of the world's oceans in terms of waves.
No doubt...
But this one's big enough, to be honest...
A monster wave has broken the world record for the largest wave ever in the southern hemisphere. The monster wave lashed Campbell Island, off New Zealand's south coast.
The previous record for the Southern Hemisphere's largest wave was set in 2012, when a wave measuring 22.03 meters (72.27 feet) was recorded off the coast of Tasmania.
H/T: Daily Mail UK, Twitter