What has been the biggest waves you've been in?

[Seif911]

Hey All,
So what has been your biggest waves you have been in? I bet some of you Ocean goers have seen some pretty big ones.

So I went to the marina yesterday to go fishing. This has been the 3rd time I was thinking about turning around and going home because of the winds and the waves. I just couldn't do it so we went out. Hmmm...maybe not such a good decision.

So there were suppose to be 2-4 footers, but garenteed there were some 6-8 footers out there. I've been on Lake Michigan through many large waves but these had me a little worried. It was good to see what my Mariner could handle. I will probably not go out in such big waves again but chalk this up to a good experience.

There were small craft advisories. When we got to the dock, the Coast Guard actually put out a location of a boat that was in 'distress'. We were tempted to go help but know how close the Coast Guard is to this boat and they would definitely beat us there.

[waybomb]

Been out on the ocean in Ventura. The wave frequency plays a roll. One time we went out in something like 8 footers, but 30 second frequency. My wife was mad. The boat had a hard time climbing the hill, and then skied down the back side. I thought it was quit fun.

8 footers on Lake Michigan - you would not be able to turn around without capsizing. 4 foot is quit a large wave in Lake Michigan. 4 footers usually have all the tops blown off of every on of them, not just some (white caps). Me thinks you were concerned enough you thought they were 8 footers.

[Seif911]

You may be right . Sure felt like 8. I know the tip of the boat went to the water quite often and that has to be 4' from the water. There were maybe 3 or 4 boats out total. It was amazing to watch the sail boats go by w/o their boats hardly rocking at all. What a difference in boats.

[waybomb]

You should be in my 46 Cougar out in this slop at 70 or 80 mph. What a ride.

[Seif911]

Wow, I seem your pics but didn't realize it was 46'. I can imagine, fun and daring at the same time. I've calmed my daredevil stunts a tad since my Airborne Ranger days Though now my wife promised my son that I'd go Sky Diving with him. I'm getting too old...

[waybomb]

Do any HALO jumps?

Hey - thanks for your service!

[Seif911]

Thank you. I did 21 or 23 HALO jumps and the rest were static line, might have even 63 in all. The 1st 15 were the hard ones, when I was tense. After that, I could land anywhere and it did not hurt too bad.

[waybomb]

How high was your highest and how low did you open?
I've never jumped, but still think the whole idea of HALO is cool.

Hey, if you can do that, what's the problem with 4 or 8 foot waves?

[Seif911]

Well for HALO, I have opened at 13,000 and dropped to a little under 4000. We practiced as if we were dropping from 25,000 but they did not have the air supply for us to do it.

When I was using static line, we dropped as low as 800. This gives you 1-2 seconds to pull your reserve if you need to.

The waves are a different kind of challenge. I have my faith in God so I don't panic too much, but I did go out, I turned around and ran back to the harbor, then we slowly went out again.

[dirtdoc1]

It's hard to say. I had to reach up over my head to touch the hard top of my Skip Jack while standing on the dock. I've had waves taller than that. I've had waves hit the hard top and window with such force that I got drenched and I was totally enclosed at the helm. I still haven't figured that one out. When the waves are all rolling in the same direction it's not too bad. You just have to throttle back, take them at about 30 degrees and take your time. When they start going all over the place like boiling water it gets difficult. The boat starts wallowing around and it's hard to get anywhere. My SJ was 25' and I've climbed waves that were long/tall enough to where it seemed like the length of the boat was shorter than the wave. So at 30 degrees climb over a length of 25' that would be a height of a little under 15'. No that can't be right. My guess is 10' waves are the biggest that I've been in. I'm not sure how to judge the wave height. It once took me three hours to get from Angel Island to the Bay Bridge. On a nice day it's about a 15-20 minute cruise. I was the only boat on the bay except for a huge tug that shadowed me all the way. Once I got to the Bay Bridge (heading inland) the waves got worse. When I got to the top of the wave it seemed to disappear and I would get hit broadside by wind and water and then the boat would land on it's side. That scared the shit out of me. I did that about 3 or 4 times then ducked into the San Francisco Marina which, happened to be right there. When I finally got the boat docked I was soaking wet and shaking from cold and fear. The harbor master told me that the marina was full and that I had to leave. I told him that I was not going anywhere and that he better make room! He said that since I was seeking refuge he could not turn me down. I thought that me and my 25' Skip Jack could handle anything that the San Francisco Bay could throw at us but I was so so wrong! I've been told that if you can handle the San Francisco Bay on a bad day you can handle anything. I am now inclined to believe that, well almost, relative to scale of course. So how's that for a fish story? Have you ever seen the TV show Deadliest Catch? Those crab fishermen on the Baltic Sea are nuts!!! Those guys fish in 40' waves in Cyclone winds! Ya their ships are 90 to 120' but they go down all the time. They would laugh at the San Francisco Bay. Even in a 25' boat in ten footers, they would probably think it was a beautiful day. Those guys are tough!