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'Once in 1,300 Years': The World's Most Extreme Rogue Wave
Like the kraken, or going out for just one beer with the boys, rogue waves were once the stuff of myth. However, in recent years, scientists have been studying, analyzing, and documenting these mammoth liquid mountains, uncovering vital insights.
And of course, they've gotta start at the top – the biggest, heaviest, 'most extreme.'
Hence, the rogue wave discussed below. In November of 2020, an abnormally large wave was captured by buoys off British Columbia, measuring 17.6 meters (58 feet) high. And that wave, after the scientists dug in, dubbed it the 'most extreme' on record.
It's been called the Ucluelet wave. And due to its size in comparison to the surrounding seas, it's been given that title as, not the biggest, but most extreme. Why?
"Proportionally, the Ucluelet wave is likely the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded," said Dr. Johannes Gemmrich of 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."As mentioned, this wasn't the biggest rogue wave ever recorded. That designation belongs to the Draupner Wave, which occurred off the coast in Norway in 1995. It struck an offshore oil rig and measured in at 25.6 meters (84 feet), while the surrounding waves averaged 12 meters (40 feet). Learn more about that behemoth here.
But the Ucluelet Wave, although not as big as the Draupner, was the most intense due to the massive jump in size paralleled to the other waves around it.
Speaking to their research, MarineLabs CEO, Dr. Scott Beatty, said: "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. 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."
Rogue waves: Once fable, now fact.'Once in 1,300 Years': The World's Most Extreme Rogue Wave first appeared on Surfer on Aug 4, 2025
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