What Causes Waves In The Ocean?

Waves are probably one of the fascinating natural phenomena to watch. At some point in our lives, we have glanced through the ocean to focus on the waves that were gracefully performing before our eyes. Not to mention the couples and some children who were ecstatically hopping in them and splashing each other. You were also able to feel the excitement of the surfers who were unapologetically living their passion with their skin golden while playing with the most incredible and friendly waves underneath the sun.

Priceless situations such as these tell us that waves can be one reason people from all walks of life, regardless of hobbies and interests, are fond of visiting the oceans and beaches of different countries or places. Waves are a treat to watch, and they make a refreshing vibe. You will feel alive when you see them crashing and hit the shore. Those calm and large waves that come in regular intervals enliven beachgoers and surfers.

From skilled professional surfers to amateurs, surfing is enjoyable with the rush of the great waves. Due to the excitement that surfing gives, it is also the goal of many to learn this watersport. It is no doubt that waves are impacting the lives and mood of many travelers and ocean lovers. But the question now is: Where did the waves come from? Are they continuous and unending in oceans where they occur? What causes waves in the ocean?

Find the answers to those questions in this article:

• The Ocean Waves
• What Causes Waves In The Ocean?
• Wave Forms
• Heal the Oceans and Wave Tribe Eco Surfing Products

Hearing or seeing ocean waves crashing totally invigorates me, and it even doubles when I'm finally surfing and playing along with them. Their sound is a music to my ears. Learning what causes these waves that are made to be friends to surfers like me is something very important.

What Are Waves

So, what are ocean waves? In science, a wave is defined as a transfer of energy. Another term given to ocean waves is mechanical waves as they travel through a medium, which is water. Though the water moves up and down, it doesn’t travel along with the wave. Instead, it is the energy that travels with it.

“Waves start in the deep, open ocean as relatively vertical in shape,” said Presnell, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service Marine and Coastal Services Branch. “As a wave travels toward the shore, though, the bottom part of the wave drags along the ocean floor.”  The wave seen above the water level is only part of the wave; the wave extends down through the water column to the ocean floor. The shape that an ocean wave makes is art and a performance itself.

"At a certain point, the wave tilts enough that it curls over, creating what is called a breaker and showing off the characteristic, rolling shape of a crashing wave,”  he added. The upper part of the wave above the water line starts to move faster than the rest of the wave. The drag on the wave's bottom becomes stronger as the ocean depth decreases closer to shore, and the upper part of the wave begins to tilt forward. This specific event creates a rolling shape.

Presnell told LiveScience that "The surf zone is where people do most of their activities, like fishing and swimming—it's where most people go and have fun at the beach."  The area between the first line of breaking waves at the beach and the shore is known as the surf zone.

What Causes Waves In The Ocean?

Waves may look uncomplicated and straightforward, but there are various types of waves in the ocean. But the answer to the question, “What causes them?” is simple. The usual waves you frequently see at a beach are created by none other than the wind. There will be little waves or ripples on the surface if the wind blows over a smooth ocean. The waves can grow even larger if the wind continues to blow.

If the wind blows faster (speed), the bigger the waves will grow. The further the wind blows (scale), the bigger the waves will grow. And the longer the wind blows (duration), the bigger the waves will grow. The waves will only stop growing if the wind ceases or switches direction. However, they won’t stop traveling.

They will continue to travel away from where they were created in a straight line, at times for a couple of days, until they run across a beach where they are stopped because they break. This explains why waves are still occurring even if you have noticed that there is no wind. As waves reach the shore, the shallower the water becomes. The bottom of the wave also slows down. Consequently, the top of the wave is going faster, so the top spills forward and topples over in a large splash. Not all ocean waves are gentle; they can be dangerous and deadly. These waves are called "rogue waves".

Oceanographers have measured waves produced in the Southern Ocean and see them travel across the Pacific Ocean. Not less than a week later, the break happens on the beaches of North America. A fun tip you can try that not everyone knows in determining whether the waves come from a far destination or were created nearby is to count.

Count the seconds between waves breaking on the beach. If the time between waves is ten seconds or more, this simply means that the waves have come from a long way away. On the other hand, if the waves were created nearby, the time between waves will be short, not exceeding ten seconds.

Waves can get massive during big storms. If large waves from two different storms meet together, enormous waves can be created. We call them “rogue waves” or “monster waves,” which can disable and sink even the most significant ships and oil rigs. According to the Guinness World Book of Records, the most enormous recorded monster wave was in 1995 with 84 feet high and struck the North Sea’s Draupner oil platform. It’s the type of wave that is not a surfer’s friend, and none ever wishes to happen again.

Wave Forms

We tend to think that waves are the same. They crash and create a rolling shape. But waves seen in the oceans are irregular that no two are exactly alike. Due to the complexity of the forces that operate to create waves, it is convenient for scientists to speak and visualize waves concerning an ideal waveform.

Progressive waves give the effect of water traveling from one point to another. For instance, if you drop a pebble into a pool, the water travels toward the edge from the point where the stone struck. In the real sense, what appeared is the wave traveling along the surface of the water. On the other hand, a light object such as a leaf floating on the pool would merely move up and down as waves passed beneath it and would progress very little along the water’s surface.

Standing waves may be formed by two similar progressive waves traveling across the same area at the same speed but in opposite directions. For instance, by slightly tilting the tank then setting it back on its stand, the water levels in the ends of the tank will rise and fall opposite each other while the water in the middle of the tank remains constant. One type of standing wave, called a seiche, may occur in large lakes.

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