They manage to record one of the mysterious “monster waves”

What was considered a sailor’s myth for centuries is now being recorded live: “monster waves” do exist and rise in Canadian waters with an unpredictable magnitude. A team of scientists from MarineLabs Data Systems managed to document a 17.5-meter wave — equivalent to a six-story building — off the coast of British Columbia in the middle of the Pacific, thanks to a network of buoys equipped with artificial intelligence.

“Basically, the waves were around six meters, but suddenly this isolated wave nearly 18 meters high appeared. It was the tallest we’ve ever recorded, and we had to review the data several times,” explained Scott Beatty, CEO of MarineLabs, in statements reported by CBC News.

These “rogue waves” or “monster waves” form from a cocktail of wind, currents, and swell that, in a chaotic and nonlinear way, concentrate energy into a single wave that doubles the height of the surrounding waves.

Unlike Cortes Bank — the legendary big wave spot off California where the world’s best big wave surfers chase predictable walls of water — the monster waves of the North Pacific appear spontaneously, far out at sea, and from unexpected directions.“People used to think they were sailor legends, but now we can measure them in real time and with accuracy,” said Johanna Wagstaffe, Canadian meteorologist and science journalist following the project.

The team is now aiming to use this data to better understand the phenomenon and move toward predicting it, a key factor for maritime safety and studying the potential of giant waves for big wave surfing.

These recordings open the door to exploring whether these walls of water could someday be safely surfed, although for now, their unpredictable nature keeps the big wave riding community and scientists alike united in astonishment at the power of the ocean.