Surf
Scientists have just registered the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, measuring in at an astonishing 78ft high.
The experts believe the wave, which was measured in New Zealand, is record-breaking. It was measured by a buoy on New Zealand’s Campbell Island in the Southern Ocean on Tuesday.
The previous record for the southern oceans was previously held by a 72-footer in Tasmania, Australia, back in 2012. Larger waves have been registered north of the equator.
MetService senior oceanographer Dr. Tom Durrant said: “This is a very exciting event and to our knowledge, it is the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere.
It is also likely that the peak heights during this storm were actually much higher, but to conserve battery during the one-year deployment, the solar-powered buoy samples the waves for just 20 minutes every 3 hours. It’s very probable that larger waves occurred while the buoy was not recording.
He said storms moved across the Southern Ocean largely unhindered due to a lack of land adding: “Surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week’s time.”
