If You Notice Square Waves In The Sea, Stay Away From The Water

Jun 26, 2019 by apost team

Our planet is truly a magnificent and mesmerizing place. While its beauty often captivates us into exploration, its strength and power remind us that we are mere visitors to what belongs to Mother Nature and must be careful of her dangers.

The latest example of such balance between marvel and caution is a photograph taken off the Isle of Rhe, a popular French tourist destination. It captures a new definition of a perfect storm, and it’s not a massive tidal wave.

The isle is just a short and narrow sliver of land that spans three miles wide by 19 miles long. Its most famous worldly mention was perhaps in the book "The Expedition To The Isle Of Rhe" by Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury, K.B. This little-known book was published in 1860 and tells the story of a fleet of 100 English ships carrying over 6,000 men becoming bogged down on the tiny island while fighting the French in 1627.

Today, however, the Isle of Rhe is famous for the photography that captured “square waves,” which is the perfect example of how nature’s power and force can come in such an alluringly beautiful package.

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These unique waves appear in a chessboard grid across the water, forming unique square patterns that have been captured by photographers at the isle’s lighthouse. The photographs have become quite the internet sensation, and people are wondering what in the world caused the distinctive square waves and why people are just now seeing them? 

The answer is that the island lies in an area where two seas meet. The intersection of water is called a cross sea. When two wave systems (one from each sea) are created by two different weather systems and cross each other perpendicularly, it can create the grid waves like those seen off the coast of Rhe, reports Surfer Today. There’s a catch, though.

The conditions must be just right to visually see what’s happening. Waves, or swells, travel long distances over the surface of the water, often to far away shores from the weather system that created them. When these swells collide in the presence of minimal wind sea, it creates a cross-sea grid.

The angle of approach is also important. Too shallow and it may appear that the swells come from the same direction. Not enough energy and the flattened crest will be nearly impossible to distinguish. Too much local wind and the swell’s shape is broken. If you’re looking flat at the sea, which most are from a beach, it can also be difficult to spot the square waves.

So, the presence of cross sea is quite common, but actually seeing the visual effects in pattern form requires a perfect storm of conditions. And, these conditions are rarely all aligned.

While stunning to view in person, note that cross seas are some of the most dangerous waters known to man because of the unusually strong riptides that can carry you far out to sea within seconds. It’s easy to be lulled by the beauty and novelty of the square waves from cross seas, but never think you’re stronger than Mother Nature. Entering this perfect storm of colliding swells isn’t advised.

Is the Isle of Rhe on your bucket list now? Have you been lucky enough to capture a cross sea square wave? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section. Don't forget to let your loved ones know about this natural phenomenon!