Most extreme ‘rogue’ wave ever recorded off coast of Vancouver

Wave measured the height of a four-story building

The most extreme rogue wave ever recorded has been documented off Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

The 57.7 -foot (17.6-meter) wave - the height of a four-storey building - was measured in November 2020 by MarineLabs Data Systems and confirmed by an academic study published last week.

The researchers found that the wave was a “once-in-a-millennium” event.

Rogue waves, also known as freak or killer waves, are defined as those with a height more than double others occurring around them.

Their ability to appear out of the blue and packing incredible force makes them particularly dangerous phenomenon, and they have long been a feature of sea-faring folklore.

The first-ever recorded rogue wave was documented off Norway’s coastline on New Year’s Day 1995. Called the “Draupner wave” - after the gas pipeline platform which recorded it - the wave reached around 39.4ft (12m).

“Proportionally, the Ucluelet wave is likely the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded,” said Dr Johannes Gemmrich, lead author of the study published in the journal, Scientific Reports. The research physicist studies large wave events along BC’s coastlines as part of his work at the University of Victoria.

“Only a few rogue waves in high sea states have been observed directly, and nothing of this magnitude. The probability of such an event occurring is once in 1,300 years,” he added.

In 2020 researchers from the University of Melbourne discovered that even if global emissions levels are stabilised, the climate crisis will likely lead to more frequent extreme waves this century.

The Vancouver wave was recorded by MarineLabs’ sensor buoys in waters several miles off the Ucluelet Peninsula.

MarineLabs has a network of marine sensors along North America’s coastlines and in oceans to improve safety and decision-making for marine operations and communities, the company said in a statement.

“The unpredictability of rogue waves, and the sheer power of these ‘walls of water’ can make them incredibly dangerous to marine operations and the public,” says MarineLabs CEO, Dr Scott Beatty.

“The potential of predicting rogue waves remains an open question, but our data is helping to better understand when, where and how rogue waves form, and the risks that they pose.”