Re: [Paddlewise] Big Sur photos (and boomers)

From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 08:50:24 -0700
Mark Zen wrote:

> On Wed, 22 Sep 1999, Frank Lucian wrote:

> > Also, anyone who was wondering about "boomers" a while back can have a
> > look at one.  The photos are at http://home.earthlink.net/~murpho

> holy sheep dip batman!!! i've read with real interest about boomers, but
> this is the first photo i have seen... and these can occur a mile out??!!

Yup.  Wherever there is a rock or reef near enough to the surface.  Ones which
go off every swell are no problem -- you can see those easily and avoid them. 
It's the ones that release only when a really *big* swell comes through that
are the killers.  Naturally, the "boom" is bigger for those.

Those pictures did not show it, but another aspect of boomers is that often
when the swell breaks, the trough preceding the crest will uncover the rock
*completely.*  If you are so unlucky as to be in exactly the right (wrong,
actually) spot, not only do you get dumped on, but the dumping crushes you
against the rock!

Most are charted, though it is usually very difficult to tell from the chart
which one you might be over.  Generally, you can steer clear of areas infested
with lots of these ... unless you *like* that sort of thing ... and some do.

Wanna-be-a-boomer rocks will cause swell to peak up over them, so a sharp
lookout will often spot these before they are hit by a swell big enough to
break.  The other approach is to go last and hope the others will find the
boomers. <G>

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Received on Thu Sep 23 1999 - 08:48:13 PDT

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