Big Wave Profile

1. Design a blog post on your blog of Maverick waves from different parts of the world. Be sure to describe the geography and the topography of the ocean floor in these areas and how this helps create these massive waves.

          Hout Bay as seen from Suther's Peek, (Hout Bay is on the right)

Hout Bay, (Dutch for Wood Bay) is a small suburb within Cape Town South Africa. Hout bay, also known as Dungeons to the surfing community annually hosts the Red Bull Big Wave Africa competition, boasting waves of up to  100ft or 30 metres. 

Annual Red Bull Big Wave Africa Competition, finals 2008

Hout Bay consists of various reefs with different waves styles and sizes. The most popular of all reefs is known as '2.5' because it is 2.5 metres deep with a reef 3.5 metres deep called '3.5'. 

The reasons for the large waves are The Dungeons Reef is the first sea bottom that the ocean swells hit on their path shore wards. These swells, generated across the South Atlantic Ocean, hit the Dungeon Reefs and rear up into these giant right hand breaking waves for brave souls to attempt to ride.

A world map showing (A) where Hout Bay is located.

The huge waves that are produced at Hout Bay are due to interacting High and Low pressure systems within the Antarctic Region. Hout Bay is the first shoreline hit by the waves that produce and grow through the Southern Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean. The waves that end up being produced with the right wind conditions are clean due to the reef below the water as well as the depth of the water. 

Besides the enormous waves that are produced in Hout Bay, surfers also have to compete with the ice-cold water, the thick kelp beds that cover the inside waters, and the abundant sea life, including a few local sharks that prey on the seal colony.