The Seven Ghosts, also known as Bono, is one of those magical places. They're relatively rare and only really shine to life in a handful of locations worldwide. More than that, however, it’s draws surfers in because it’s fun.Tidal bores are mind-blowing natural events. It’s rare, terrifying, dangerous, and beautiful. The allure of a novelty wave on such a scale will always beckon surfers like the call of a Siren. What would compel someone to take on something like the Bono? Here’s where we can really start to get philosophical, but the answer is simple. Big crocs with sharp teeth and bad attitudes, I’m sure. The remoteness of the journey make injury and illness both more likely and doubly perilous. Logistics, alone, comprise a long list of deterrents – namely, time and money. Then, there’s the perils that come with being deep in the jungle. It’s illegal to surf because of this very fact. Remember back to the Silver Dragon in China. Simpler even, you’re surfing a TIDAL WAVE.Įach year, though I can’t find an exact figure, the Bono, and tidal bores in general, claim the lives of many. And not just for a moment or even a single day, but six consecutive days most often. In the wrong spot, you’re getting sucked down into a whirling pit of brackish water like Wesley and Princess Buttercup into that quicksand hellhole depicted in The Princess Bride.Ĭonsider that it’s literally changing the directional current of an entire river. Summoned by the power of the moon, the opposing currents of a tidal bore, and its resulting many breaking waves, creates a mean, gurgly undertow that can trap a surfer in a washing machine purgatory often filled with sharp debris. If you fall (or when you fall), there’s so much powerful, turbulent water moving that you can very easily and quickly be swept into a dangerous situation if there’s no support to bring you in safely.Įven rivers not overcome by this tidal phenomenon are speckled with with dangerous undertows. To catch the wave alone, you need a Jet-ski at the very least. ![]() One man was almost decapitated by the propeller of a boat!įor one, the water is moving so fast. Even with a detailed scheme, state-of-the-art equipment, and experienced crew, the Bono was still flipping boats, eating Jet-skis, and wreaking general havoc on them. ![]() You can see how seriously the Rip Curl team took the planning of the excursion. It’s the many elements that go into making the enterprise come to fruition in a successful way. It’s not so much the actual surfing that you’re doing on the wave that’s difficult – though it’s not easy. Surfing this bore is illegal and requires special permission from the Chinese government.Īs you can gather from the video above, the Bono is a chaos machine. Here’s a video of Jamie O’Brien and crew surfing a Red Bull contest at the Silver Dragon in 2014. This particular bore is known as The Silver Dragon. The largest tidal bore, measured by the sheer volume of water, happens on the Qiantang River in China, where the wave can reach nearly 30 feet in height, span 3 miles wide, and travel at speeds upwards of 20 MPH. Usually, they’re found in rivers, but have also been recorded in narrower lakes and bays. ![]() The 7 Ghosts that Graves is surfing has a singular wavefront and is most commonly accompanied by six other whelps (though there have been up to 20 accompanying whelps on occasions) for a total of seven waves, hence the name: 7 Ghosts. Sometimes, it only forms a single wave, but in others, it’s accompanied by secondary waves called whelps.įrequently, the waves that a tidal bore squeals into existence are a sloppy mess. As the opposing currents meet they form a wave. It’s a phenomenon known as a “tidal bore” that occurs during extreme undular tidal shifts where a fast-moving surge of water travels up-river against the natural current.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |