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Rogue Wave Strikes Cruise Ship, Killing a Passenger and Injuring 4 Others

The passengers were hurt after a large, unpredictable wave hit the ship, which was traveling toward the Antarctic, Viking Cruises said.

By Amanda Holpuch

A passenger died and four others were injured after a large, unexpected wave hit a cruise ship traveling toward a popular launching point for expeditions to Antarctica, Viking Cruises said.

The ship, the Viking Polaris, was struck by a “rogue wave” on Tuesday at 10:40 p.m. local time while traveling toward Ushuaia, Argentina, which is on the southern tip of South America, Viking Cruises said in a statement .

Viking Cruises did not say how the passenger was killed or provide the passenger’s name. The four passengers who were injured were treated by onboard medical staff and had non-life-threatening injuries, Viking Cruises said.

A State Department official said that a U.S. citizen died and that the department was offering consular assistance to the person’s family.

Rogue waves are unpredictable, typically twice the size of surrounding waves and often come from a different direction than the surrounding wind and waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Scientists are still trying to figure out how and when these uncommon waves form.

Ann Mah, of Topeka, Kan., told the news station WIBW that she and her husband were on the ship when it was hit by the wave and that it was “just like your whole house got shook really hard.”

“I mean, it was just a thud,” Ms. Mah said.

The Viking Polaris was launched this year and was designed for travel to remote destinations such as the Antarctic Peninsula. The ship is 665 feet long and can carry 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The ship sustained “limited damage” from the wave and arrived in Ushuaia the day after it was struck, Viking Cruises said.

The cruise company canceled the Viking Polaris’s next scheduled trip, a 13-day cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula.

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said.

Tourism to the Antarctic has steadily increased in the last 30 years, with 74,401 people traveling there in the 2019-20 season, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. Roughly 6,700 people traveled there in the 1992-93 season, according to the association.

In recent years, some observers have warned that the increase in tourism may not be sustainable and that it could threaten visitor safety or disrupt the fragile environment, which is already straining under the effects of climate change.

It is the beginning of the Antarctic tourism season, which coincides with its summer, beginning in late October or early November and usually lasting until March.

The death on the Viking Cruises ship this week comes after the death of two other cruise ship passengers in the Antarctic last month. Two Quark Expeditions cruise ship passengers died after one of the ship’s heavy duty inflatable Zodiac boats overturned near shore, Seatrade Cruise News reported .

Amanda Holpuch is a general assignment reporter. More about Amanda Holpuch

'Rogue wave' kills US passenger on Antarctic cruise ship, injures four others

One person has died and four have been injured after a massive wave smashed into an Antarctic cruise ship during a storm, while sailing off the southernmost tip of South America.

Key points:

• Authorities say a 62-year-old woman from the US was hit by broken glass when a wave broke cabin windows
• Four other tourists sustained "non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard
• The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometres from the capital Buenos Aires

The 62-year-old woman from the US was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said.

The Viking Polaris cruise ship was sailing towards Ushuaia in Argentina -- the main starting point for expeditions to Antarctica -- when there was "a rogue wave incident," a representative of the Viking cruise company said in a statement.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies," the statement said.

Four other tourists "sustained non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard.

The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometres from the capital Buenos Aires, with several windows smashed on the side, AFP journalists reported.

A federal court has opened a case to determine what happened. Viking said it was also "investigating the facts surrounding this incident."

Scientists often refer to rogue waves as extreme storm waves that surge out of nowhere, often in an unpredictable direction, and can look like a steep wall of water, up to twice the size of surrounding waves.

These rare killer waves were once seen as a myth reported by mariners or explorers.

The polar explorer Ernest Shackleton wrote in his book of a "gigantic" freak wave he encountered in Antarctica in 1916.

However, scientists have learned more about them in recent decades, studying how they emerge and how to predict the wall of water that can surge up even in calm seas.

The Viking Polaris was launched in 2022 and is the newest ship in the company's fleet, with a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The incident comes two weeks after two tourists died on another Antarctic cruise.

The two men, aged 76 and 80, had left the World Explorer ship for an excursion on an inflatable zodiac boat that overturned near the shore.

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US Citizen Killed When ‘Rogue' Wave Hit Viking Cruise Ship in Antarctic

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late tuesday during a storm, argentine authorities said, by ap and staff • published december 2, 2022 • updated on december 4, 2022 at 10:34 am.

A U.S. woman was killed and four other passengers injured when a massive wave struck the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it was sailing toward the port of Ushuaia in southern Argentina on an Antarctic cruise, authorities said.

The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

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“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident," Viking said in a statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

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Neither the statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.

Viking called it a “rogue wave incident” and said the four other passengers' injuries were non-life threatening.

A North Carolina couple aboard the ship told NBC affiliate WRAL that they thought "we hit an iceberg" when the wave crashed into the cruise ship.

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"There are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt," Suzie Gooding said.

Gooding told the news station that the impact was "shocking" because it happened so suddenly.

"We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship," she added.

The cruise ship was anchored near Ushuaia, where a federal court has opened a case to determine what happened.

NOAA's National Ocean Service describes these "rogue" waves as "walls of water" that are often steep-sided with unusually deep troughs.

"Rogues, called 'extreme storm waves' by scientists, are those waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves," the agency explains.

The company indicated on its website that to explore remote regions of the world they have “two purpose-built, state-of-the-art small expedition-class ships: Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.”

The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

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Viking Polaris passengers speak out after 'rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship, killing American woman

Ship reportedly was crossing drake passage between south america and antarctica.

Large waves hit glass of Antarctica cruise ship as it navigates the Drake Passage

One American woman was killed and four others injured after a rogue wave hit the cruise ship. (Credit: Ann Clark Mah)

Passengers onboard the Viking Polaris cruise ship that was hit by a "rogue wave" during a voyage to Antartica, killing an American woman, are now speaking out, saying a "wall of seawater" came onto the vessel. 

Sheri Zhu, 62, has been identified by ABC News as the person who died during the incident last Tuesday, citing Secretary of the Ushuaia Federal Court Melina Rodriguez. The ship was traveling to Ushuaia, Argentina, when it was struck and Fox News Digital has reached out to the government there for further comment. 

"If somebody had told me we had hit an iceberg I would have believed them," Tamarah Castaneda, a passenger from San Diego onboard the Polaris, told ABC’s "Good Morning America." 

"The windows came crashing in, there was this wall of seawater that came in," she added. "Beds were being shoved up against the doors so that they were not able to get out of their rooms." 

US WOMAN KILLED WHEN ‘ROGUE WAVE’ STRIKES ANTARCTIC CRUISE SHIP  

Viking Polaris ship of norwegian flag, is seen anchored in waters of the Atlantic Ocean in Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on December 1, 2022. - One person was killed, and four other passengers. (ALEXIS DELELISI/AFP via Getty Images)

Beverly Spiker of California also told ABC News that a "huge smash" against the window of the cabin she and her husband were staying in caused the frame to shatter, adding, "A lot of water came shooting in." 

The incident reportedly happened around 10:40 p.m. local time while the ship was sailing through the Drake Passage – a traverse between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica known for its rough waters. 

Waves are seen crashing alongside the Viking Polaris cruise ship while it recently was sailing in the Drake Passage. (Ann Clark Mah)

Argentine authorities said the woman who died was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day. 

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident," Viking Cruises said in a statement. "We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies." 

The Norwegian-flagged cruise ship Viking Polaris, left, and MV World Explorer ship, chartered by Quark Expeditions, are seen anchored in waters of the Atlantic Ocean in Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on Dec. 1, 2022. (ALEXIS DELELISI/AFP via Getty Images)

Four passengers who were injured were treated onboard the ship by a doctor and medical staff for non-life-threatening injuries, the company said.

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Rogue waves, also known as "extreme storm waves" by scientists, are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Fox News’ Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

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1 dead, 4 injured after 'rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship

The Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the time.

A passenger on an Antarctic cruise died and four others were injured after their Viking ship was struck by a "rogue wave," the cruise line said.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 10:40 p.m. local time while the Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, Viking said.

A guest died following the incident, Viking said, though did not share further details on the cause of death. The victim's family has been notified, the company said. The identity or nationality of the passenger was not released.

Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship's doctor and medical staff, Viking said.

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," Viking said in a statement Thursday. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

The ship sustained "limited damage" from the rogue wave and arrived in Ushuaia on Wednesday "without further incident," Viking said. Images taken of the docked ship showed several damaged windows.

Passengers on board the ship described choppy conditions leading up to the incident.

Californian Beverly Spiker told ABC News that a "huge smash" against the window of her and her husband's cabin caused her window frame to break.

"Clearly something big had happened," she said. "A lot of water came shooting in."

"Luckily, our windows did hold," she added, though said other rooms on their side of the ship were "washed out."

SEE ALSO: Cruise ship passenger who went overboard was 'dead set' on surviving during 20-hour wait for rescue

Spiker's cousin, Suzie Gooding, of North Carolina, told ABC News that at the time, the ship was going through the Drake Passage, "which is well-known for having turbulent seas."

Gooding said despite the conditions outside looking "horrible," the inside was "like a normal cruise ship" leading up to the incident. She said she felt a "sudden shudder" that caused cabinets to open.

"It was just unbelievable," she said. "At the time that it happened, we personally wondered if, you know, we knew that we weren't by any icebergs, but it's like, did we hit an iceberg? It just was so sudden."

Spiker said she and other passengers were "shook up" afterward.

"No matter what side of the boat you're on, it was felt throughout the ship that clearly something bad had happened," she said. "So everybody was pretty shook up."

The ship is docked as passengers await further travel plans from Viking, according to Gooding, who said that two other ships in their bay in Ushuaia were also damaged, possibly by rogue waves.

The Viking Polaris ship's next departure for the Antarctic, scheduled for Dec. 5, has been canceled "after careful consideration," the cruise line said.

Rogue, or extreme storm, waves are "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves" and are "very unpredictable," according to the National Ocean Service .

Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of South America, is a common starting point for cruises to Antarctica.

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Deadly 'rogue wave' smashes into cruise ship near Antarctica — but where did it come from?

A suspected rogue wave recently crashed into a cruise ship near Antarctica killing one and injuring four others. Where did it come from?

A suspected "rogue wave" recently smashed into a cruise ship sailing from Antarctica to Argentina. The freak event killed one person and injured four others. But where do these freakishly tall waves come from? And is climate change expected to make them more common or extreme? 

On the night of Nov. 29, an unusually massive wave hit the cruise ship Viking Polaris as it was sailing through the Drake Passage in Antarctica's Southern Ocean toward Ushuaia, a port in Argentina where many Antarctic cruises start and end, French news agency AFP reported. 

The force of the massive wall of water sent passengers flying and smashed several exterior windows, which flooded some rooms and caused further structural damage inside. A 62-year-old American woman, Sheri Zhu, was killed by injuries sustained from the broken glass and four other people received non-life-threatening injuries, according to Australian news site ABC News . 

"This wave hit and came over and literally broke through windows and just washed into these rooms," Tom Trusdale, a passenger aboard the Viking Polaris when the incident happened, told ABC News. "Not only did it wash into the rooms, but it [also] broke walls down."

Related: What's the tallest wave ever recorded on Earth?

Viking, the travel company that owns the Viking Polaris, announced on Dec. 1 that the tragic event was a suspected "rogue wave incident." Upcoming cruises have been canceled until the ship can be fully repaired and a proper investigation into what happened has been carried out. 

What are rogue waves?

Rogue waves are freak waves that are at least twice as high as the surrounding sea state — the average height of the waves for a given area at a given time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The massive walls of water come from seemingly out of nowhere and without warning.

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The exact mechanisms behind the rogue waves are still unknown, but researchers think the freakish crests are formed when smaller waves merge into larger ones, either due to high surface winds or changes in ocean currents caused by storms, according to NOAA. 

It is currently unclear if the wave that hit the Viking Polaris qualifies as an official rogue wave because there is no accurate data on the wave height or the surrounding sea state. A storm was raging when the wave hit, CNN reported, which could have provided the necessary conditions for a rogue wave to form. But the Drake Passage is also a notoriously treacherous part of the Southern Ocean, with deep waters that are fed by the powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which makes it capable of producing very large non-rogue waves as well, according to Britannica . 

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On Dec. 2, a passenger onboard another cruise ship in the Drake Passage shared a video of another massive, but less destructive, wave on Twitter .

The largest rogue wave ever recorded was the Draupner wave, an 84-foot-tall (25.6 meters) wave that was observed near Norway in 1995. However, the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded was the Ucluelet wave, a 58-foot-tall (17.7 m) wave that was detected by an ocean buoy off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia in November 2020. The Ucluelet wave is regarded as the most extreme rogue wave because it was around three times higher than surrounding waves, while the Draupner wave was only around twice as tall compared with the surrounding sea state.

In 2019, a study published in the journal Scientific Reports predicted that rogue waves could become less frequent but more extreme in the future due to the effects of human-caused climate change. 

Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior, evolution and paleontology. His feature on the upcoming solar maximum was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Awards for Excellence in 2023. 

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Us woman killed when ‘rogue wave’ strikes antarctic cruise ship.

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An American woman died and four other passengers were injured when a “rogue wave” hit a Viking  cruise ship  sailing near the southernmost tip of South America on an Antarctic cruise, the company said Thursday. 

The unidentified 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows on the Viking Polaris ship late Tuesday during a storm, Argentine authorities said. The ship suffered limited damage and arrived in Ushuaia, 1,926 miles south of Buenos Aires, the next day.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” Viking said in a statement. “We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies.”

The four passengers injured were treated onboard the ship by a doctor and medical staff for non-life-threatening injuries, the company said. 

The ship itself sustained “limited damage,” Viking said. 

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said. “Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel.”

Rogue waves, also known as “extreme storm waves” by scientists, are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves, according to the  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

Suzie Gooding, who was on the ship when the incident happened, told WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, that it felt like the ship had struck an iceberg.

“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking,” she said. “We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”

Viking said it has canceled the ship’s next scheduled departure, the Antarctic Explorer, slated to sail from Dec. 5-17. The Viking Polaris, a vessel that has luxury facilities and was built in 2022, has a capacity for 378 passengers and 256 crew members.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Rogue Wave Kills Passenger, Injures 4 on Antarctic Cruise Ship: 'We Wondered if We Hit an Iceberg'

Viking Cruises offered its support to the victim's family and canceled an upcoming departure after its ship was damaged by the rare and mysterious phenomenon known as a rogue wave

One person is dead and four others were injured after a rogue wave crashed into a Antarctic cruise ship on Tuesday.

The incident happened on the Viking Polaris as it was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southernmost tip of the continent during a voyage to Antarctica, according to a statement on the company's website .

Four guests were treated for non-life threatening injuries by the ship's medical staff. The cruise ship company did not identify the passenger who died, but said it has notified their family and offered condolences as well as "our full support to the family in the hours and days ahead."

Suzie Gooding, a North Carolina woman who was on the cruise, told local news station WRAL that they felt the impact of the huge wave on the ship.

" We wondered if we hit an iceberg ," she said. "And there are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt."

She said the wave was completely unexpected. "Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking," Gooding said. "We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship."

Viking Cruises said the vessel — which just joined its fleet in September — "sustained limited damage."

Images of the ship appear to show broken windows on its lower level.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a "rogue wave " as a one that is "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves."

The waves, which can look like "walls of water," are "very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves," according to the agency.

NOAA says "exactly how and when rogue waves form is still under investigation," adding that because they are so uncommon and can form unexpectedly and disappear quickly, "measurements and analysis of this phenomenon is extremely rare."

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Viking Cruises said it is investigating the incident and "will offer our support" to authorities.

"We have made the difficult decision to cancel the ship's next scheduled departure," the company said in its statement, adding that "all impacted guests and their travel advisors have been notified directly by Viking Customer Relations."

"Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew," the company said in a statement . "We are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

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Cruise passenger dies in ‘rogue wave incident’ on Antarctica trip

The large wave hit a Viking cruise ship on its way back to southern Argentina

One cruise passenger died and four others were injured during an Antarctica voyage this week when a “rogue wave” slammed into the Viking Polaris, Viking Cruises said. An image of the ship captured by Agence France-Presse shows glass windows had been smashed on several lower-level cabins.

The 378-passenger expedition ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, when the wave struck around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday.

“It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident,” the cruise line said in a statement . Representatives did not say what caused the passenger’s death. Viking said the four other people who were hurt did not suffer life-threatening injuries and were treated onboard.

“We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities,” the company said.

Coast Guard saves overboard cruise passenger in ‘Thanksgiving miracle’

The Argentine Naval Prefecture, the country’s coast guard, could not be reached for comment.

Viking said Polaris, which joined the company’s fleet in late September, “sustained limited damage” and arrived in Ushuaia on Wednesday.

The company canceled the next departure, a 12-night Antarctic itinerary that was scheduled to start Monday.

The National Ocean Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, describes a rogue wave as being more than twice the size of surrounding waves and says they are “very unpredictable.”

“A ‘rogue wave’ is large, unexpected, and dangerous,” the service says.

A traveler from Durham, N.C., told WRAL News in Raleigh that the impact of the wave was so strong she wondered if the ship had hit an iceberg.

“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden — shocking,” the passenger, Suzie Gooding, told the news station. “We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”

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Passengers on Antarctic cruise ship hit by deadly 'rogue wave' speak out

Tom and Pam Trusdale were enjoying a bucket list trip to Antarctica , until their trip of a lifetime turned into a deadly disaster.

"It was going real smoothly, and we were only anticipating nothing but smooth going forward," Tom Trusdale told ABC News.

The Trusdales were passengers on the Viking Polaris cruise ship sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, when it was hit by a "rogue wave" last week , killing an American passenger, Sheri Zhu, and injuring four others.

"Good Morning America" airs at 7 a.m. ET on ABC.

The Trusdales said the wave wasn't the only disaster. The Trusdales and ABC News later confirmed that a day before the accident, another passenger was seriously injured during a Zodiac boat excursion.

"It was a real loud, it was a boom, and I flew up in the air, and the passenger across from me flew up in the air. She came down and hit hard," Pam Trusdale said.

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Tom Trusdale said he saw two passengers tossed into the air from what seemed to be an apparent explosion.

"I saw the woman go, probably about 3 feet in the air, and then the gentleman straight across from me go up in the air, and then roll over into the sea," Tom Trusdale said. "So I went across and leaned over the pontoon, and I just grabbed on to the life jacket. He was face up, so he was stabilized, and I reassured him that, 'Hey, you're safe.'"

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Tom Trusdale said he and another passenger were able to quickly pull the man back on the boat, but the woman's leg was severely injured.

"She said, 'I hurt my legs. I can't feel my leg,'" Pam Trusdale said. " And then I could hear her kind of straining that, you know, I could tell that she was in a lot of pain."

The passenger's leg required surgery, which led the ship's captain to turn back to Argentina. During the trip back toward Argentina, through a known turbulent stretch of ocean, was when the "rogue wave" crashed into the cruise ship.

"This wave hit it and came over and literally broke through windows and just washed into these rooms, and not only did it wash into the rooms, but it broke walls down, and once some walls went into the next room," Tom Trusdale said.

Viking said in a statement on its website that it's investigating the wave incident and is committed to the safety and security of all guests and crew.

Viking issued a second statement about the Zodiac boat incident, saying: "On November 28, the Viking Polaris deployed a small boat with six guests and one crew member near Damoy Point, Antarctica. On this trip a guest sustained a serious but non-life-threatening leg injury while on board the small boat and was taken to the medical center on the Viking Polaris."

"Following a detailed diagnosis by the ship's medical team, the decision was taken for the ship to immediately sail to Ushuaia so that the guest could receive additional medical care from a shore-based hospital," it continued. "The guest is now recovering shoreside in Ushuaia and will then return home; Viking is continuing to support them during this period. We are committed to the safety and security of all our guests and crew, and we are investigating the cause of the incident."

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American killed after "rogue wave" hits Antarctic cruise ship

A rogue wave caused a cruise ship tragedy. They occur more often than you think.

• The Viking Polaris was hit by a rogue wave in the Drake Passage, treacherous waters between Argentina and Antarctica.
• A rogue wave occurs when it's more than two times higher than waves around it. Hundreds of them have occurred over the years.
• But there's a lot to learn about these waves because they've only been confirmed by instruments within the last 30 years.

A possible rogue wave sent headlines around the world last week after it broke windows on a cruise ship off the coast of Argentina, killing a woman and injuring four others. 

Such freak accidents may seem rare, but hundreds have occurred without warning around the world — on cruise ships, cargo vessels, oil platforms and beaches.

Observers often describe them as a “wall of water,” but the size of that wall is relative depending on whether you’re in a fishing boat or a cargo ship. 

The six deck Viking Polaris was sailing back toward Argentina after a trip to Antarctica on Nov. 29 when a massive freak wave struck the ship. Viking Cruises called it a “rogue wave” but researchers said only further investigation will verify if it truly met the definition — more than twice as high as the average of the highest surrounding waves. 

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Monstrous and deadly waves that arrived without warning have been recounted in fishing and sailing lore for more than a century. More modern records show how often they truly occur: Some 432 similar incidents were documented internationally between 2005 and 2021 in a catalog kept on the Russian Academy of Science’ s Institute of Applied Physics website.

Here's what to know about rogue waves.

What is a rogue wave?

Rogue waves are driven by wind. They form when waves coming from multiple directions meet at one point by chance, said Francesco Fedele, an associate professor at Georgia Tech. “It’s the constructive interference of waves coming from multiple directions. They all pile up and form this extreme event.” 

They sometimes occur when waves move into strong opposing currents, such as in the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and off the coast of South Africa, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. It can be a single wave, or a series of three or four.

It's often impossible to know if monster waves are an actual rogue wave.

A rogue wave is defined as 2.2 times higher than the waves around it, said Johannes Gemmrich, a physical oceanographer at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. The waves are measured relative to "significant wave height," determined by averaging the highest one-third of waves.

If the significant wave height is 6 feet, a rogue wave would have to be 13.2 feet. Some freakishly high waves that cause maritime disasters may be enormous, but may only be 1.9 times as high as the surrounding seas, Gemmrich said. “Unless you have measurements for an individual wave, you can’t tell if it was some rogue wave.”

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What happened on the Viking Polaris? 

The Polaris was in the Drake Passage , treacherous waters known for rough seas and big waves. Called the "Drake Shake" or the "Drake Lake" depending on the height of the seas, it's where the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans come together between the southern tip of Argentina and Antarctica. 

California sailing enthusiast Ken Spencer was a passenger on deck two, an estimated 25 feet above the water line. He told USA TODAY that waves of 20 to 25 feet were consistent in frequency and direction during the day and then turned less so into the evening, coming from mixed directions. 

As he was preparing for bed, Spencer said, "this wave came directly broadside at the port side,” not from an angle like the previous waves.

“The wave had tremendous volume, and it seems to have risen as high at deck four, which is about 45 feet above the waterline," he said. "The thickness of the wave is what was amazing. The water stayed against my window for what seemed like seconds, but was likely around a second."

At the same time, the Polaris was jolted with a very powerful bump, he said.

Photos of the vessel show windows were broken in several staterooms and several rooms were breached by water. His window was intact but a few gallons of water had seeped in around the perimeter, said Spencer, who praised Viking and the vessel's crew.

How often do rogue waves occur? 

Much more often than many realize.

Gemmrich estimates waves up to twice as high as the surrounding wave heights occur about every 3,000 waves and that a rogue wave may occur every 15,000 waves. 

“The higher the relative wave heights increase, the more unreal the rogue waves become," Gemmrich said. “A wave three times higher than the background, that’s extremely rare.”

It’s those monster waves that occur when the background waves are 30 to 40 feet high that concern the shipping industry. 

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What's the difference between a rogue wave and a tsunami? 

• A tsunami is a very long wave of seismic origin, generated by earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. In the open ocean tsunamis have small wave heights, but in shallow water closer to the coast wave height can increase to 30-60 feet. 
• Rogue waves are generated by wind and are shorter waves. Although they often occur in the open ocean, and during stormy conditions, they also occur in coastal waters.
• Meteotsunamis are typically waves smaller than tsunamis caused by air pressure disturbances in fast moving storms. 

Is climate change to blame? 

Some research has suggested warming temperatures are contributing to higher waves and more extreme wave heights in some regions. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded with "high confidence" last year that significant wave heights are projected to increase across the Southern Ocean and tropical eastern Pacific and decrease over much of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.

However, in the North Atlantic, the panel found low confidence in projected changes in extreme wave conditions "due to limited evidence" and medium confidence that wave heights already have increased above 45 degrees latitude. Wave heights are projected to increase in the Arctic Ocean because of a reduction in sea ice. 

Gemmrich said it's more likely that locations could change where rogue waves occur more often, because of shifts in storm tracks. 

A lot is still unknown about rogue waves

There's still a lot to learn about rogue waves, in part because they've only been confirmed by instruments within the last 30 years. The first technical confirmation of a rogue wave took place in 1995 during a New Year’s Day storm.

An extremely large wave hit the Draupner Oil rig platform off Norway in the North Sea. The crew didn’t realize they had been hit by a rogue wave until they discovered scaffolding erected under the deck for repairs had been washed away. A laser sensor recorded the 85-foot wave, about the height of a 10-story building. 

Today, satellites, radars and ocean floor sensors all help collect crucial data, but because the waves are unpredictable they're difficult to study. 

Gemmrich recently concluded that the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded took place off Vancouver Island, British Columbia in November 2020.   Gemmrich and a student at the University of Victoria, Leah Cicon, analyzed buoy data and found   the crest measured 57.7 feet high, compared to the surrounding waves averaging 19.6 feet, nearly three times as high. 

Researchers are particularly interested in solving the mysteries surrounding rogue waves, hoping to be able to provide early warnings so that shipping companies could avoid areas where dangerous conditions increase the risk. 

The European Space Agency concluded in 2004 that rogue waves had sunk more than 200 vessels over the previous 20 years.

Infamous incidents likely caused by freak or rogue waves 

Among the rogue wave stories recounted by mariners are two maritime disasters  memorialized in film and song: 

►The George Clooney thriller, “A Perfect Storm,” was based on the disappearance of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail during a nor'easter that absorbed a hurricane off Nova Scotia in 1991. Six men were lost. Canadian officials reported buoys in the area recorded peak waves in excess of 60 feet.

►The 1975 Gordon Lightfoot ballad “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was written after the freighter sank without a distress signal in Lake Superior during a gale on Nov. 10, 1975, killing 29 crew members. 

►In 1942, the Queen Mary was hit by a 75-foot wall of water as it was taking 15,000 U.S. troops to England during World War II. It was one of at least five similar incidents along the route between 1924 and 1966. 

►In August 1905, 20 of 22 crew members perished when the steamer Peconic went down off the Georgia coast.

►One hundred years later, the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship, with 3,700 passengers and crew, was headed for New York when it was hit by a series of three waves, with at least one estimated at 69 feet, during a storm off the Georgia/South Carolina coast. The force of the water sheared off aluminum rail supports and sent teak balcony railings and water through the windows of two cabins on decks nine and 10. The ship diverted course to South Carolina and the captain told people he’d never seen anything like it. 

►On July 3, 1992, a wave then estimated at a height of 18 feet, struck Daytona Beach around 10:30 p.m., injuring 20 and tossing cars around. One vacationer described it as a "huge wall of white water." 

AZ Animals (US)

Harrowing Footage Shows a Massive Wave Slamming into a Cruise Ship

Posted: June 26, 2024 | Last updated: June 26, 2024

A camera aboard the ship on the bridge often gives incredible views of the vast, endless water. Beautiful sunsets can also be seen in this CCTV footage. On this particular day, raging waters had other plans.

In this series, our team here at A-Z Animals breaks down some of the Internet's most popular nature videos and gives you important educational context around these amazing videos.

Be sure to read until the end to access and watch the amazing video!

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Hold on Tight!

There seems to be an endless amount of choices when it comes to where you could take a holiday. People from all over the world decide to spend their vacations aboard cruise ships. With amenities like built-in pools, casinos, themed parties, and plenty of cocktails, it’s clear why many individuals  opt for a cruise.

If there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that the sea has a mind of its own. Both passengers and crew got a taste of how powerful the  ocean  is during a trip on a ship that is now called the Sea Princess. 

What was called the Adonia, the ship in this video was first launched into the water in September of 2000. It was nearly 600 feet long, weighed over 30,000 tons, and could hold just under 800 souls, including the crew. 

A Terrifying Sight

As you'll see in the footage, one person can be seen looking out of the massive windows on the bridge as waves crash into the ship. They are watching as a storm is taking over and someone can be heard saying, “Here we go,” as the ship dips down. 

A Moment of Fright

Seconds later, the camera shakes as an enormous wave slams into the cruise ship, appearing to make the individual in view topple to the floor before everything goes black. A comment on the footage reads as follows:

“That was a terrifying jumpscare that I didn’t see coming.”

With another person stating why it seemingly came out of nowhere. They say, “ Sometimes you pass over a pretty big wave gracefully. Then you realize that now you’re under a bigger wave.”

The Bigger Wave

While the footage you'll see at the end of this post might make you seasick, it isn’t the largest wave to hit a cruise ship. The cruise ships MS Bremen and MS Caledonian Star, both with Bahamian registrations, were both struck by a rogue wave in the South Atlantic Ocean in 2001.

A rogue wave that was around 100 feet tall struck both ocean liners. The two vessels sustained damage, including broken bridge glass and lost communications and navigational hardware. Rogue waves have probably contributed to the loss of smaller ships over the years, but it can be difficult to determine with certainty in many situations.

It’s probable that some of the reports of ships disappearing in the past without leaving behind evidence were caused by rogue waves. There haven’t been any documented instances of rogue waves sinking a cruise liner, though.

Is It Normal for a Cruise Ship to be Hit by a Massive Wave?

As we discussed earlier, rogue waves (also called monster waves or freak waves), do occur in oceans and can threaten any vessel. However, documented encounters with them are rare. Rogue waves are created when different wave systems converge, resulting in a dramatically high wave. 

Built to Withstand

Ships can receive damage from rogue waves like broken windows, damage to the outer decks, and can cause injuries to crew members or passengers. In worse cases, structural damage or flooding can occur. However, modern ships are designed to deal with these worst-case scenarios, so it’s very uncommon for a ship to be sunk by a rogue wave.

How Large is the Average Cruise Ship?

The average passenger cruise ship ranges in size from about 70,000 to 130,000 gross tons. Carnival’s “Dream-class” ships, such as the Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic, and Carnival Breeze, each average around 130,000 gross tons and are able to carry from 3,600 to 3,700 passengers.

Smaller than Average

The featured ship in the video, the Adonia, was operated by P&O Cruises out of Bermuda. It averaged 600 feet long and weighed over 30,000 tons. Crew and passengers combined, it holds about 800 people. Compared to the size of the average cruise ship, the Adonia was at least half the size.

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Cruise ship disaster erupted after captain took boat on ‘sail by’ that ended up with 33 dead

The costa concordia crash saw thousands evacuated and tragically, 33 people lose their lives.

Tom Earnshaw

It was an unplanned excursion that led to one of the world's most recognisable maritime disasters.

But the crash and sinking of the Costa Concordia seemed unimaginable when the ship was first launched back in 2005.

At 290 metres long, it was the longest cruise ship in Italy at the time and a shining beacon leading the way for the country's cruise line industry .

With room for 3,780 passengers - which for context is more than 2,200 more than the Titanic - and a crew of 1,100, it was a huge vessel that spent its days cruising the Mediterranean .

But seven years later, it was all over after disaster struck. Tragically, 33 people ended up losing their lives as a result.

What happened?

Reportedly home to the largest ever spa that any ship had ever seen, the Costa Concordia was a luxury liner to say the least.

The ship - captained by Francesco Schettino - set sail on 13 January, 2012, having began a seven day cruise from Civitavecchia, near Lazio, on the western Italian coastline.

Hours after departing from port, the ship neared Giglio Island.

The problem with this was that it was a deviation from its course, moving closer to the island in a move described as a 'sail by' for those on board to gaze over the island. At the same time, the ship performed a maritime salute, which is where it sounds its horn to locals.

Disaster strikes

The move to go closer to Giglio was a fatal one. After spotting a rock formation in the ships path, Schettino tried to order to crew for the ship to be moved off its current course.

Unfortunately, due to reported language barrier issues with Indonesian helmsman, the ship was steered in the opposite direction.

Taking 13 seconds to correct the manoeuvre, the boat's bow swung clear but the stern caught the reef at 9.45pm. A huge 53 metre tear was then left in the left side of the vessel.

Flooding immediately took over the Costa Concordia, with the engine room engulfed and power lost.

No engine meant no steering. Due to the rudder position and the wind, the ship was slowly directed towards the island's shores.

Captain's message

Schettino told the Italian coastguard that the issue wasn't as serious as it in fact was.

At 10.14pm, he told them that the ship only had a blackout but 10 minutes later, he admitted that the ship was taking on seawater.

At 10.39pm, the first rescue vessel arrived, and just 15 minutes later, the captain ordered the ship be abandoned - even though reports say that lifeboats had been launched. At 11.20pm, Schettino left the bridge and abandoned ship, later claiming that he fell off the ship and landed in a lifeboat.

Crew abandon ship while passengers remain

Approaching 11.35pm, the final members of the ship's crew left the bridge of the ship. This was despite 300 passengers still remaining on board while it was sinking.

At 12:40 am, a coast guard called Schettino, who was in a lifeboat with other officers. When ordered to return and oversee the evacuation, he refused.

Luckily for passengers, rescue operations had arrived at the scene of the sinking ship. This included 25 patrol boats, 14 merchant vessels and several helicopters.

By morning, 4,194 people had been evacuated to Giglio, with divers saving three more from inside the ship the following day.

Deaths and prosecution

The crash was a huge tragedy, with 32 people dying in the disaster. One member of the rescue team also passed away.

It wasn't until November 2014 that the last body of a passenger was recovered.

Schettino and members of his team were charged with multiple offences, including manslaughter.

In 2016, the captain was eventually convicted on all charges and sentenced to more than 16 years in prison . He appealed twice, losing on both occasions.

Totals costs relating to the sinking of the Costa Concordia are estimated at $2 billion (£1.56 billion). One third of passengers took up Costa Cruises' compensation offer of up to $11,000 (£8,500) per person.

Topics:  Cruise Ship , Travel , World News , Crime , Holiday

Tom joined LADbible in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

@ TREarnshaw

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Are the Great Lakes the next great cruising destination?

Viking Cruises gave its polar expedition ships a summer job - plying the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world. But why? Catherine Dawson March steps on board to find out

While docked at the Port of Toronto, guests on board Viking Octantis get a grand view of the city skyline. Catherine Dawson March/The Globe and Mail

The sleek white cruise ship stood out in Toronto’s nascent cruise ship dock. Amongst the dump trucks, diggers and enormous mounds of cement chunks on shore, amongst the ferries, tugboats and lake freighters that dock, the 665-foot-long Viking Octantis gleamed like a beacon. The Octantis is an expedition ship that normally sails in Antarctica and the Arctic. What was it doing in Toronto?

I looked into it. Starting in 2022, Viking Cruises gave its two expedition ships, Octantis and sister ship Polaris, a summer job: plying the Great Lakes from April through September.

“We made the strategic decision to come because it’s an undercruised, undervisited area,” Damon Stanwell-Smith, Viking’s head of science and sustainability, told me later. “There was a tangible sense that our guest demographic would be interested in the expeditionary approach to understanding it.”

But who would pay $8,495 (the starting rate for Viking’s eight-day sailings) to tour the Rust Belt and beyond? It seemed incredulous – I had a lot to learn about the preconceptions of exploring my own backyard.

Viking is not the only cruise line to take passengers around the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world where forest and Canadian shield views share scenic billing with canals, shipping lanes and industrial waterways. But Viking’s two ships ply these waters more frequently, about 30 times a season, and carry scientists that study the lakes.

Certainly, the Viking ships offer one of the more discerning on-board experiences on the Great Lakes. For starters, no one under 18 is allowed. There are no casinos or discos. Staterooms are roomy and as sleek as a boutique hotel – marble bathroom, fine bedding, 55-inch flat-screen TV, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine and free WiFi. The on-board restaurants are all fine dining – even the buffet skews high-end. The on-board Nordic spa is extensive and chic. None of these cost extra.

Eric Laignel/Supplied

The Nordic junior suite (top) and spa facilities onboard Viking Octantis. Supplied

All the luxury surprised me when I noticed the, well, not-so-glamorous ports, including stops at Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and Duluth, Mich., in Lake Superior; in Lake Michigan ports of call include Milwaukee, Wis., Chicago and Algoma, Mich.; in Lake Erie, passengers see Cleveland, Ohio, and Port Colborne, Ont. (or take buses to Niagara Falls); gliding along the Detroit River brings passengers to Detroit, before moving into Lake Huron where the small communities of Alpena and Mackinac Island, Mich., (with its 18 fudge shops) await. On longer itineraries, Viking ships sail into Georgian Bay and Ontario cottage country stopping at Killarney before navigating the North Channel right next door. Toronto is the only port in Lake Ontario.

I enjoyed my laid-back departure day. No rush to the airport or long security lines – Toronto’s port is about a 20-minute drive from my home. Once on board and unpacked, I wandered upstairs for lunch and the lifeboat drills – welcome Champagne cocktail already in hand.

A former U.S. Navy officer demonstrated how to wear the life jacket, which looked extremely large and included a neoprene hoodie for warmth. It was then that I began to realize that Viking Octantis was still in “expedition” mode on the Great Lakes, too.

On our eight-day cruise, one “expedition day” was planned at the birders’ paradise of Point Pelee National Park . The ship would bob offshore in Lake Erie and passengers could head in on rubber Zodiaks and sea kayaks or explore the shoreline in a military-grade special operations boat. Longer Viking Great Lakes cruises offer more of these adventurous days in Canadian waters – sometimes launching a six-seat minisubmarine.

It's a tight fit for Viking Octantis as it makes its way through the eight locks of the Welland Canal between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Supplied

I’d been to Point Pelee before, but not like this. Arriving via the water and not the highway would give me a whole new perspective.

Alas, our Pelee day was cancelled owing to wind and high waves. Our one expedition day lost! I picked up the strong binoculars provided in each stateroom, lowered the picture window to enjoy the stiff breeze and scanned the shoreline for a look at least. I also wondered why the crew didn’t ferry passengers to the public dock at Leamington, Ont. – less than a 10-minute drive from Pelee’s front gates. But as one of the only Ontarians on board, I doubt anyone else knew it was doable.

We’d arrived that morning after an overnight run through the eight locks of the Welland Canal that connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. With only a foot of space on each side, the night was full of jolts and jiggles when the ship bumped the walls.

It was fascinating to experience the water locks and watch the long laker ships glide by. This was also when the “industrial chic” views began: Old, atmospheric flour mills, working factories and, in some ports, apartment-building-size mounds of sand and road salt amongst the forested and rocky shores.

Point Pelee National Park on Lake Erie in Southern Ontario.

Great Lakes cruise views often include 'industrial chic' views of working and empty factories, such as this former mill near Port Colborne, Ont. Catherine Dawson March/The Globe and Mail

It was so unlike the exotic scenes many people expect during a cruise that I started asking passengers – almost all the 378 on board are American – why they’d booked passage in the Great Lakes. Many talked about how they didn’t want to take a long-haul flight for a holiday. But seeing Niagara Falls was often the main reason (and an included excursion for passengers).

“Niagara Falls was a bucket list for me,” Gloria Zakaras of Omaha, Neb., explained. “I was inundated by buckets of water! But all right, that’s part of it,” she laughed.

I joined the tour to the bottom of the Falls and got just as wet. Surprisingly, I was just as giddy though I’d done it before. Maybe it was time to re-examine my jaded view of this wonder of the world so close to home.

Halfway through the trip, I met Linda Uvehara, who calls Honolulu home.

“You already live in paradise,” I asked, “why are you in the Great Lakes?”

She smiled patiently (maybe I wasn’t the first person to ask her this) and listed all the new things she was seeing – the Lake Huron lighthouses, the history-making artifacts inside the Henry Ford Museum near Detroit, the 19th-century finery of the Grand Hotel on car-free Mackinac Island in Lake Michigan. Not to mention the island’s many candy shops: “Did you know there is more than one way to make fudge?” She was incredulous.

“As I get older, I just want to see more of this country and so the Great Lakes is part of that,” Uvehara said.

In addition to all the bucket-list ticking, Champagne drinking and fine dining – below decks, the ship’s resident scientists are doing some serious research in its dedicated lab. Sometimes guests can sign up as volunteers.

Visiting scientists join sailings as part of Viking’s Genomics at Sea Program – the permanent PCR-equipped lab allows for environmental genetic sequencing (eDNA) – where researchers monitor the environmental impact of phytoplankton and can share results in real-time. Resident scientists work with two U.S.-based Great Lakes research groups, and the U.S. National Weather Service has Polaris and Octantis launch weather balloons regularly.

Stanwell-Smith is hoping for more Canadian-based research projects. In May, during a port stop in Detroit, Stanwell-Smith gave some scientists who attended the International Association of Great Lakes Research conference in next door Windsor, Ont., a tour of the ship’s lab. Talks are continuing, Viking reports.

Milwaukee was my last stop, and the ship docked for two nights in a busy working port with room for 16 cargo ships. A shuttle bus took passengers through the heavy cranes, rail lines and piles of aggregate to a lively local market. When I set out to wander the downtown core – I was gobsmacked by the well-kept art deco, Renaissance and Romanesque revival buildings.

The Bronze Fonz waits for visitors along the RiverWalk in Milwaukee. Catherine Dawson March/The Globe and Mail

I found the Bronze Fonz , a thumbs-up, life-size statue of Henry Winkler’s Happy Days character, and took a selfie. Milwaukee enchanted me, it was the sleeper hit of the cruise.

When we left the ship early the next morning, the sun rose prettily over the salt pile and I admired an ethereal pink and purple glow on the peeling paint of nearby derricks.

It was a reminder that cruises through the natural beauty of the Great Lakes will always be packaged with the economic boom and bust of industry. And that’s not something you can find just anywhere.

Viking’s Great Lakes cruises run between eight to 17 days and start at $8,495 a person, double occupancy. Travellers who want to try out the expedition equipment should book itineraries that spend more time in Canadian waters. An old U.S. marine law means Viking’s expedition boats cannot be launched with passengers in American waters. vikingcruisescanada.com/expeditions

The writer travelled as a guest of Viking. It did not review or approve the article before publication.

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