With all the discussion of waterproof cameras I thought somebody might want to see a few photos from one of the cheap, disposable Fuji waterproof models. I took them while on a recent trip near Big Sur, California. I'm sure the quality of these cameras is not going to please a photo buff, but they are a nice way to help me remember a trip. I usually just stuff the camera down the front of my PFD. 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 Frank *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, 22 Sep 1999, Frank Lucian wrote: [snip] > 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 > > Frank 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??!! mark -- #------canoeist[at]netbox[dot]com----http://www.diac.com/~zen/mark ---- # mark zen o, o__ o_/| o_. po box 474 </ [\/ [_| [_\ ft. lupton, co 80621-0474 (`-/-------/----') (`----|-------\-') #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~ http://www.diac.com/~zen/paddler [index to club websites i administer] Rocky Mtn Sea Kayak Club, Colorado River Flows, Poudre Paddlers The Colorado Paddlers' Resource, Rocky Mtn Canoe Club Trip Page -- Fortune: One kind word can warm three winter months. --Japanese Proverb *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi y'all, 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 Trang province, south of Phuket, has an interesting original name "city of waves". There's a large shallow area between the mainland and a large island. When the conditions are just right (or wrong), there are 'surprise' waves everywhere. I was fortunate enough one time to have a wave build up right beside me (and not on me). There was a turtle in the face of the wave! I looked at it... it looked at me... I smiled... it dove... I smiled for a while longer! A short while later, a wave built up beside me and there was a Portuguese Man-o-war in the wave... I didn't smile... I paddled rapidly in the other direction! Cheers, Dave Dave Williams dave_at_paddleasia.com http://paddleasia.com Phuket, Thailand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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> > > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Thu, 23 Sep 1999, Reeves, Debbie (Debbie) wrote: > 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. :-) I don't know about boomers, but, I do know people who have been hit by rogue waves while on the beach. One incident was on Cape Cod the other was at Pemaquid Point in Maine. In the case in Maine my cousin and her husband were walking along the beach and a wave broke over them. He ended up on some rocks, a little offshore, with a broken leg. When the rescue crew came to try and get him off the rocks one "sensitive" rescue team commented to her "I hope we get to him in time, we lost the last guy." In the case on the cape a husband and wife were surf fishing, separately. Each got hit by a rogue wave. Neither told the other they had had a wave come up and break over them. Each was too proud to admit they had been caught by a wave, the story came out when visiting some friends a couple of years later. I just reread Dave Kruger's explanation of Boomers. Sure, they'll happen anywhere there are rocks/ledges/shallows offshore and waves come over them. As he noted, it's the spots that only trigger every 100th wave that will get you... kirk *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> In the case in Maine my cousin and her husband were walking along the > beach and a wave broke over them. He ended up on some rocks, a little > offshore, with a broken leg. When the rescue crew came to try and get him > off the rocks one "sensitive" rescue team commented to her "I hope we get > to him in time, we lost the last guy." > > In the case on the cape a husband and wife were surf fishing, > separately. Each got hit by a rogue wave. Neither told the other they had > had a wave come up and break over them. A few days ago there was an article about a couple being hit by a wave on the coast of Maine and being washed out to sea and drowned. ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Another way to spot boomers is to look for "boils" or foam on the surface of the water. By the way, the 3rd picture down on Frank's web page is known as "the royal flush" because a big depression opens up and then quickly fills, flushing water (and kayaks) out. Its a great place to practice surfing and braces. Last time I was there, I got to practice my rescue skills - got a little too close! My wife nicknamed this spot "the toilet" - she sat on the cliff with binoculars and said "Looks like they're playing in the toilet again." Ted >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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:03 PDT