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

I ditto Mark's comments and appreciate the additional clarification by Dave.
"Boomers" are new to me.  Does anyone know if these occur anywhere on the
East Coast.  Maine seems a likely place, but with all of my paddling up
there, I still have never heard of them.  As Dave mentioned below, should I
ever paddle on the West Coast, you'll find me at the back of the pack.  :-)

Debbie Reeves
Sandy Hook, NJ
> ----------
> From: 	Dave Kruger[SMTP:dkruger_at_pacifier.com]
> 
> > > 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>
> 
> 
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