Monster ocean wave sets southern hemisphere record: scientists

Yahoo – AFP,  May 11, 2018

Graphic on the monster wave recorded in the southern hemisphere. (AFP Photo/Gal ROMA)

Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest wave ever in the southern hemisphere, a 23.8 metre (78 foot) monster the height of an eight-floor building.

A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres (430 miles) south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.

Senior oceanographer Tom Durrant said it wiped out the previous southern-hemisphere record of 22.03 metres recorded in 2012.

"To our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he said, adding that the Southern Ocean was an "engine room" for generating swell waves that move across the planet.

"Indeed, surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week's time," he said.

The largest wave ever in the southern hemisphere has been recorded during a
ferocious storm off the coast of New Zealand (AFP Photo/)

Durrant added that even bigger waves topping 25 metres were probably whipped up by the storm, which tracked east through the area on Tuesday, but the buoy was not in the best place to record them.

He said the buoy, installed in March to measure the extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean, also only recorded for a 20-minute burst every three hours to conserve its batteries.

"It's very probable that larger waves occurred while the buoy was not recording," he said.

The largest wave ever noted was an earthquake-generated tsunami at Alaska's Lituya Bay in 1958 that measured 30.5 metres, according to Smithsonian magazine.

Dutch coast is now ‘super-storm proof’ again

DutchNews, November 7, 2016

A still from EO television series
‘If the dykes break’ 

A massive project to reinforce 10 weak places in the Dutch coastal defences has been completed and the country’s shoreline is super-storm proof again, the AD said on Monday. 

The final stage of the project was officially finished on Monday in the western part of Zeeland where a 10 kilometer stretch of coast line has been reinforced. Zeeland was one of the places that suffered most when the last superstorm hit the Netherlands in 1953.

‘The likelihood of a super-storm is on average once in 100 years,’ said infrastructure minister Melanie Schultz. ‘That might not seem like bad odds, but without good protection, the damage could cost us over €100bn.’ 

In 2003, research by transport authority Rijkswaterstaat found that the power of the waves hitting the coast was greater than had previously been supposed. 

Engineers said that with storms expected to become more frequent and more powerful, some 10 stretches of dune or dyke needed reinforcing. 

The total cost of the project was €606m, €45m below budget according to infrastructure ministry figures.

Related Article:

We need a Dutch-style Delta plan to stem the tide of floods

Dutch create world's largest man-made wave

Yahoo – AFP, Nicolas Delaunay, 6 Oct 2015

An image made available by Deltares on October 5, 2015, shows the world's
biggest man-made wave machine under construction in Delft in 2015 (AFP Photo)

Delft (Netherlands) (AFP) - In a country where most people live below sea level, studying the oceans is a matter of survival. Now Dutch scientists have created the world's biggest man-made wave in a bid to prepare for the worst.

"Here we can test what happens if enormous waves hit our dykes," said Dutch Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen as she inaugurated the giant wave machine Monday in the city of Delft.

Dubbed the "Delta Flume," the machine, which took three years to build at the Deltares institute, can send waves as high as five metres (15 feet) crashing down a 300-metre long channel which is some 9 and a half metres deep.

"At the end of the long channel we have a wave maker, and that's basically a vertical wall that moves back and forth, and it can make very large waves," explained Bas Hofland, an expert in coastal defences working on the project.

Four powerful pistons behind the seven-metre high metal plaque push the water -- some nine million litres or four times the capacity of an Olympic-size swimming pool -- at the speed of 1,000 litres a second down the channel.

The aim of the 26-million euro ($29-million) project is to simulate the power of the oceans, and recreate tsunami conditions to help build better, stronger flood defences.

The Netherlands is a country where half the population lives below sea level on reclaimed land.

"Safety against floods is one of the main issues here in the Netherlands, so we want to test the dykes and the dunes," Hofland told AFP.

"It is not possible to make it at a small scale, so we must have real life-scale dikes and dunes."

Surf's up

After a centuries-long battle with the oceans, the Netherlands has dubbed itself the "safest delta in the world" thanks to a unique network of dykes and dunes stretching over thousands of kilometres, which literally hold back the tides.

One of them, known as the Oosterscheldekering (or Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier), stretches across nine kilometres (five miles) to the south of the country.

It is made up of 64 gates, each about 42 metres wide, which can be closed during stormy weather to hold back rising waters.

"The water and its logistics are those sectors for which the Netherlands is known around the world," Schultz van Haegen said, who saw for herself the full force of the machine when she was drenched by one of the waves.

And it's not just those working in coastal defences who have been drawn to the gigantic project in Delft.

The team at the Deltares institute have also been flooded by requests from surfers, keen to try out the power of the wave.

Green light for world’s largest planned tidal energy project in Scotland

MeyGen project could power nearly 175,000 homes through network of turbines on seabed at Ness of Quoys off Caithness

The Guardian, Press Association, Friday 19 December 2014

The coast of Caithness, Scotland, near where the tidal project will
be based. Photograph: Albaimages/Alamy

Construction of the largest planned tidal energy project in the world is expected to begin off the Scottish coast next month, developers have announced.

Atlantis, majority owner of the MeyGen project, said it had finalised all of the conditions required to initiate its first drawdown from financiers The Crown Estate and Scottish Enterprise.

The project has the potential to power nearly 175,000 homes through a network of 269 turbines on the seabed at Ness of Quoys in Caithness, north-east Scotland.

The company’s share price dipped on Friday but Atlantis said it “knows of no trading or operational reason to warrant this change”, particularly given the good progress it is making on MeyGen.

In an announcement to investors, Atlantis said: “The major construction and supply contractors to this iconic project have commenced design, engineering and procurement works in readiness for commencement of onshore construction at the project site in Caithness in January 2015.

“The equity investments in the project by Scottish Enterprise (through the Renewable Energy Investment Fund) and Atlantis value the MeyGen project on a post-money equity basis at over £70m.

“Onshore construction at the Ness of Quoys project site is expected to commence in January 2015, with ABB due to start construction of the onshore infrastructure for connection to the electricity transmission grid for power export.

“We believe MeyGen is the largest planned tidal energy project in the world with a capacity of almost 400MW.”

The first power to the national grid is expected to be delivered in 2016.

Each of MeyGen's AR1000 turbines stands 22.5m (73ft) tall and
weighs 1,500 tonnes

Related Articles:

Pentland Firth tidal turbine project given consent

Giant tidal turbine 'performing well' in tests off Orkney

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much….”

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“... Japan

Let us talk for a moment about Japan, and then I'll close the day of messages. There are thousands of souls on my side of the veil and they're just fine, more than fine. We have spoken so often of what happens at the Wind of Birth. I told you, before they even came in, they saw the potential. I looked in their eyes. "You may not last long. You know that, don't you? You're coming into this planet and you may not be here very long. And the passing that you will have with your family will not be pleasant, if any ever are. Why would you come in anyway?" I want to tell you what they said. When a soul has the mind of God, it understands fully what generates peace and what generates energy shift. You can clearly see what generates what the planet needs the most when you are about to arrive. So they said, "We're going to be part of one of the biggest compassion events the planet has ever seen." One earthquake, one tsunami. All of those who left that day will change the earth forever. And it already has. It was the same for the last tsunami as well.

Every single one of them on my side of the veil is getting ready to come back. Many old souls were involved, and just for a moment, if they could give you any information, if they could talk to you right now, if they could speak your language and look into your eyes, they would thank you for your compassion for them and those who are left. And they would say, "Be with those family members who are still alive. Enter their hearts every day and give them peace and keep them from crying, because we're OK."

Nuclear Power Revealed

So let me tell you what else they did. They just showed you what's wrong with nuclear power. "Safe to the maximum," they said. "Our devices are strong and cannot fail." But they did. They are no match for Gaia.

It seems that for more than 20 years, every single time we sit in the chair and speak of electric power, we tell you that hundreds of thousands of tons of push/pull energy on a regular schedule is available to you. It is moon-driven, forever. It can make all of the electricity for all of the cities on your planet, no matter how much you use. There's no environmental impact at all. Use the power of the tides, the oceans, the waves in clever ways. Use them in a bigger way than any designer has ever put together yet, to power your cities. The largest cities on your planet are on the coasts, and that's where the power source is. Hydro is the answer. It's not dangerous. You've ignored it because it seems harder to engineer and it's not in a controlled environment. Yet, you've chosen to build one of the most complex and dangerous steam engines on Earth - nuclear power.

We also have indicated that all you have to do is dig down deep enough and the planet will give you heat. It's right below the surface, not too far away all the time. You'll have a Gaia steam engine that way, too. There's no danger at all and you don't have to dig that far. All you have to do is heat fluid, and there are some fluids that boil far faster than water. So we say it again and again. Maybe this will show you what's wrong with what you've been doing, and this will turn the attitudes of your science to create something so beautiful and so powerful for your grandchildren. Why do you think you were given the moon? Now you know.

This benevolent Universe gave you an astral body that allows the waters in your ocean to push and pull and push on the most regular schedule of anything you know of. Yet there you sit enjoying just looking at it instead of using it. It could be enormous, free energy forever, ready to be converted when you design the methods of capturing it. It's time.

So in closing, do you understand what you're seeing? You're seeing intelligent design, quantum energy and high consciousness. You are seeing changes in Human nature. You're seeing countries putting things together instead of separating. You are seeing those who don't want war and instead want peace, good schools for their children, safety in their streets and a say in their government. We told you it was going to happen this way. I want my partner to teach these things that I have said in his 3D lectures for awhile. Many won't be able to know these things otherwise.  …”

Preserving Yogyakarta’s Sea Turtle Nest Sites

Aside from beach erosion, poaching and garbage are said to be contributing to dwindling turtle populations

Jakarta Globe, Ari Susanto, Nov 16, 2014

Sea-turtle preservation has led to an ecotourism boom in the Yogyakarta area as
volunteers, keen to prevent extinction, flock to the area. (JG Photo/Ari Susanto)

Yogyakarta. Relentless erosion, tourist’s litter, and poaching continue to reduce the sea turtle population on Yogyakarta’s sandy beaches. Only the Oliver Ridley species still shows up in small numbers to lay eggs, while three others previously found nesting on the coastline — Green turtles, Leatherbacks and Hawksbills — have not appeared there in the past few years.

The Bantul Turtle Conservation Forum (FKPB), a community-based organization founded under supervision of the Natural Resource Conservation Agency to increase turtle populations, has noticed a significant decrease in the number of turtles emerging to lay eggs on Samas beach during nesting season between April and September each year. Wave erosion of beaches is the biggest cause as it limits the turtle’s nesting zones.

“Samas was once a favorite place for the turtles to lay eggs, but continuous waves eroding coastal land is reducing the sandy area every year. It is a serious problem to solve in turtle conservation,” FKPB coordinator Rujito told the Jakarta Globe.

Rampant tides have also ruined turtle conservation sites in Samas that were built to protect hatchlings from poachers and animal predators before they are released into the ocean. The forum has moved the site into a more protected sandy area covered by coastal-oak woodland and built new pools and hatching pots.

In addition to beach erosion, Rujito said poaching and garbage are contributing to dwindling turtle populations.

Some fishermen continue to hunt the turtles illegally and sell them on the black market for their carapaces and organs.

Garbage left by tourists also worsens the coastal environment for the reptiles as many turtles are found dead after swallowing plastic.

In Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta’s district with some of the most attractive beaches, the turtle population has also declined due to increased tourism. Gunungkidul’s Sea and Fishery Office conducts research on each beach with turtle nesting spots so that the government can limit access by large groups of tourists to those areas.

“We’re doing field research at around 35 beaches and also hearing from fishermen and local residents to collect data. Seven of the areas are confirmed as turtle nesting grounds,” the office’s head Agus Priyanto said.

Some beaches, such as Drini beach, are also identified as abandoned nesting spots, because turtles no longer visit due to tourist overcrowding. Agus recommends that the beaches with existing nesting grounds are open only for ecotourism aimed at turtle conservation, and that it should not be open to the general public.

In Bantul area, the Turtle Conservation Volunteers Network promotes ecotourism by asking people to participate in the release of baby turtles on some beaches, usually during July and August.

Through the Save Our Turtles program, the volunteers lead campaigns to attract people to join in protecting turtles from extinction.

“We want to help turtle conservation by preserving the population and also support ecotourism in Bantul,” volunteer coordinator Ferry Munandar said.

Hawaii braces for rare storms

Residents of Hawaii are bracing for a second rare tropical storm after power was knocked out to thousands of homes on Big Island. Hurricanes have hit the US' Pacific island group only three times since 1950.

Deutsche Welle, 9 Aug 2014

The US National Weather Service urged Hawaiian residents to "keep on guard" in case Hurricane Julio changed direction. On Saturday, it was cruising about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) east of the state's biggest island.

Julio was packing winds of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour). Meteorologists said if it stayed on its route unchanged, it would weaken and lie about 300 kilometers north of the island chain on Sunday, local time.

On Friday, tropical storm Iselle - the first to hit the state in 22 years - downed trees, caused flooding and knocked out power to 21,000 homes, mainly on Big Island. Airlines canceled about 50 flights. Stores and schools were closed. No major injuries were reported.

Rain at least

After Iselle swept by, a tropical storm warning was kept in place for the island of Kauai, but canceled for Big Island, Oahu and Maui. Meteologists warned, however, that Julio could still bring a considerable amount of rain.

"Right now our guidance is indicating it's going to go north (of the state), but that can change and folks need to keep on guard," said weather service spokesman Mike Cantin.

Risky surfing

Lifeguards said a few surfers were braving waves at a Honolulu spot nicknamed "Suicides." Lifeguards on Oahu planned to respond only to emergency calls.

Meteorologist Anthony Reynes said waves on Hawaii's north- and east-facing shores could be between 3 and 4 meters (10 and 15 feet) high.

Storm damage prompted electoral officials to postponed voting for about 8,000 voters in Saturday's primary races to choose Democrat congressional and gubernatorial candidates for elections in November. Voting elsewhere in Hawaii would proceed, they said.

Chief election officer Scott Nago said the two precincts affected would vote later.

Japan bracing for typhoon

Southwest Japan was also bracing for a typhoon on Saturday, with more than 100,000 residents being advised to evacuate their homes.

Typhoon Halong has already brought disruption to outer areas, forcing the cancelations of hundreds of flights and stranding many summer vacation passengers.

The typhoon was projected to make landfall on the southwest island of Shikoku late Saturday. It was lashed by downpours last weekend.

Officials have warned that Halong could trigger landslides and flooding.

Ipj/tj (Reuters, AP)

Related Articles:

Extreme weather becoming more common, study says

Japan Issues Highest Alert Over Typhoon Halong

"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa,Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism, Higgs Boson), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

"...The Weather... Again

My partner has been "against the grain" in the past years, giving you what I have channelled about the weather. Is it global warming? No. Is it going to get better? No. This is a two-generation cycle. There will continue to be earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and storms. This is a recalibration of life in the ocean, and humanity must go through this in any way they can. This is a cycle, a known and expected one, but since you haven't gone through it in modern times, it's not well understood yet. ..."

Help sought for mangroves, nature's dams

Deutsche Welle, 26 December 2013

Mangroves provide the tropics with protection from the increasing incidence of storms and flooding caused by taiphoons and tsunamis. But the coastal forests are in decline. Efforts are underway to bring them back.

A green forest, rising out of the ocean, hugging the coastline like a green lifebelt - mangroves live only in tropical areas. They need warm conditions and a mixture of salt and fresh water. Their branches and web of aerial roots are home to numerous bird species. The waters around their base are alive with fish, the sediment crawling with crabs.

But since the 1980s, mangroves have declined by around 35 percent for various reasons. They often have to make way for harbors, airports or housing. Even more of the mangroves have been sacrificed for shrimp ponds that feed international demand for the small crustaceans, Ulrich Saint-Paul of the University of Bremen's Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, told DW.

Mangroves provide rich pickings
for fishermen

By destroying mangroves, tropical countries are paying a high price to consumers in other parts of the world who want cheap shrimp.

"[Mangroves] are not only important breeding areas for crabs and fish. They also protect the coast. They act as barriers against storms. And they play a major role in regulating the world's climate as a CO2 sink," explained Saint-Paul. Long-term objectives such as coastal protection, maintaining ecosystems or protecting the climate are being sacrificed for short-term profits, he added.

Building dams and diverting of rivers also poses a threat to mangroves.

"They need fresh water as well as salty," Rene Capote, who monitored mangroves in his native Cuba while working with the University of Bonn told DW. "Even if you are far inland and you divert or block a freshwater source, the water will stop reaching mangroves and kill them."

Mangroves also filter much of the sediment coming from the land side, keeping the sea water clean in many areas. "That is very important for tourism in beach areas, and for the health of related ecosystems like coral reefs," both important economic factors, said Capote.

Natural wave-breakers

In the case of extreme weather events, mangroves act as protective barriers in several different ways: by absorbing large amounts of water, reducing flooding after heavy rain and by breaking the power of wind and waves.

Mangrove roots absorb water
and filter sediment

The aerial roots and numerous branches of the mangroves obstruct the flow of the water, explained Femke Tonneijck, a manager at Mangrove Capital, a partnership between Wetlands International, the Nature Conservancy and several other organizations in Indonesia.

During Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in November, mangroves could have reduced the impact of the storm surge.

A study by Wetlands International shows that every kilometer of mangroves can reduce the height of the water by up to half a meter. Even the smallest abatement can save lives. Tonneijck stressed that the trees also provide firewood and building material in the aftermath of an extreme weather event.

"But to really reduce a whole storm surge, you would need very wide greenbelts," she cautioned. For that reason, she advocates a combination of natural and man-made measures in threatened tropical areas where the mangroves have disappeared. "For example you could have a dike with a mangrove belt in front of it to protect the dike."

"Building with nature" in Indonesia

Traditional measures

Replanting the tidal forests can also help reclaim land that has eroded away. Tonneijck's group is working in an area of central Java where mangroves were replaced by aquaculture ponds for shrimp and fish, contributing to the erosion of hundreds of meters of coastline.

Restoration often fails in areas that suffer from erosion because the sediment balance is disturbed. Sediment can be trapped through "building with nature," using engineering techniques in combination with natural processes, says Tonneijck.

The project in Indonesia uses permeable dams made of local materials like bamboo and brushwood in front of the coastline. These structures mimic the function of mangrove roots and branches, as they dissipate waves and trap sediment. Once the sediment is stable, mangroves will naturally recolonize and form a new protective barrier. This method has been applied with salt marshes along the coasts of the Netherlands and Germany for centuries.

Bremen's Ulrich Saint-Paul says organizations like the World Bank are investing considerable amounts of money in projects to restore mangroves. "But in my view they always make one mistake: They plant the mangroves in monocultures, just like pine or fir plantations in Europe. This fails to take account of natural biodiversity, which lends a forest a far higher degree of ecological stability." 

Replanting mangroves helps if
conditions are right

Capote stressed the need for careful long-term planning and continual monitoring. "More frequently than not, after a few years all the planting effort has been lost, because the survival rate of the mangroves is low due to a lack of proper initial assessment and follow-up," he added.

Sustainable shrimp culture

Capote argues for a sustainable approach to existing mangroves as well as restoration projects. "You can have sustainable aquaculture in the sense that only a portion of the mangrove area is used and restored afterward, on a rotational basis."

Reducing pollution from shrimp feed is another important factor. "There is a limit to how many shrimps can be nursed in a mangrove area," Capote said. "You can either have very high short-term profits that end when all the mangrove area has been killed. Or you can have a longer-term approach, with lower profits, when mangroves are given time to recover naturally."

Awareness of the value of mangroves rises after every catastrophic extreme weather event in tropical areas. But it doesn't last long, says Ulrich Saint-Paul.

"We need a long-term education program, especially in schools and adult education, to make it clear to people in mangrove regions how important the forests are and why we need to protect them."

Aussie sailor tells of monster wave that rolled yacht

Jakarta Globe, October 18, 2012

A yacht carrying Australian yachtsman Glenn Ey drifting in a remote
area of the ocean off Australia's eastern coast

An Australian yachtsman was reunited with his family Thursday following a dramatic rescue after a massive wave picked up his boat and rolled it over, hundreds of kilometres off the coast.

Glenn Ey, 44, spent days adrift before being spotted by an Air Canada passenger plane, which swooped down low to search for him after being diverted by Australian authorities en route to Sydney from Vancouver.

"A monstrous wave just came up... rolled the boat over (and) I went smashing into the roof," Ey, who was sailing solo from Sydney to New Zealand, told the Seven Network of last Friday's incident.

"It's extraordinary. The noise is like an explosion.

"You are upside down, smashing around inside the boat, it is filling up with water. I don't think there is anyone who wouldn't be concerned.

"You do think your number is up -- there's no question about that."

With a snapped mast and no fuel, Ey began drifting in a remote area of the ocean, prompting him to activate his emergency beacon.

"My first priority was to sort out the mast, because in rough seas the mast can puncture the boat very easily. It will just spear the boat and you're going to go down so quick it's not funny," he told ABC television.

"I got rid of the mast and all the rigging, that took about 36 hours, then I spent a day bailing the boat out."

The pilot of the Air Canada Boeing 777, Captain Andrew Robertson, said he descended as low as 1,524 metres (5,000 feet) so the crew could scour the ocean with binoculars.

"I had already made a PA announcement telling passengers what we were doing," he told reporters.

"And as we got into the area, I said 'We're coming into the search area, please everybody look out of the window and if you see anything, let us know.'"

As the plane banked right, the first officer spotted the yacht some 270 nautical miles off the Sydney coast and alerted authorities.

It took the rescue boat 43 hours to make the return trip to Sydney, battling five metre waves and high winds to reach Ey and get him back to shore, where he was met by his tearful mother.

Ey's yacht is still drifting at sea and he said he was in no hurry to get back on the ocean.

"I would be quite happy to sit under a tree for a while," he said.

AFP

Giant tidal turbine 'performing well' in tests off Orkney

BBC News, 17 May 2012

The BBC's David Shukman says installing the giant turbine beneath the
stromy waters was an "extraordinary" operation

Related Stories 

• Giant tidal device set for tests

A subsea turbine which uses tidal power to generate electricity has successfully completed initial tests off Orkney.

The turbine was lowered into position during winter storms and Scottish Power Renewables said it was performing well.

The 100ft-high 1MW (megawatt) Hammerfest Strom HS1000 device is already powering homes and businesses on the island of Eday.

There are plans to create a 10MW tidal power array in the Sound of Islay.

Testing began in December and has been designed to finalise the timetable for the Islay project, with machines being installed "as early as feasible" between 2013 and 2015.

Keith Anderson, SPR chief executive, said: "The performance of the first HS1000 device has given us great confidence so far. Engineers were able install the device during atrocious weather conditions, and it has been operating to a very high standard ever since.

"We have already greatly developed our understanding of tidal power generation, and this gives us confidence ahead of implementing larger scale projects in Islay and the Pentland Firth.

"Scotland has the best tidal power resources in Europe, and that's why we are seeing world leading technologies tested here."

The turbine can be monitored from the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) base in Eday, but engineers can also operate and inspect the device from Glasgow using mobile connections and an on-board camera.

The turbines are placed on the seabed

Related Articles:

Tidal power gets a stormy birth off coast of Scotland

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much.

Water

We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next gold, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet.

There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "on the shelf." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. That was number four. ….”

Hawaiian surfer breaks wave-riding record

BBC News, 11 May 2012

A 44-year-old Hawaiian surfer has entered the Guinness Book of Records for riding the biggest wave ever thought to have been ridden.

Last November Garrett McNamara caught a 78ft wave off the coast of Portugal, beating the previous 2008 record by more than a foot.

McNamara began surfing at age 11 and became professional six years later.

He has described his achievement as a stroke of luck and has used his feat to urge people to follow their passions.

The giant wave was located above an underwater canyon famous for being the world's biggest wave generator.

McNamara has said that on the day he broke the record, he at first had not wanted to take a ride but his friends urged him to catch a few waves.

"Everything came together. Everything felt right", he said.

Close scrutiny

Hundreds of thousands have viewed the video and photographs of McNamara's ride. They show his figure dwarfed by a giant wall of water.

"I knew it was big, but I didn't know how big," he said.

He later sent the footage and pictures to surfing expert Sean Collins, who guessed the wave was 85-90ft tall. Collins died in December.

Last week, McNamara was awarded $15,000 (11,600 euros) for the ride at the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards in California.

Judges for the awards examined the footage and pictures from different angles.

They also compared McNamara's height in a crouch and the length of his shin bone with the wave's top and bottom before reaching a verdict, event director Bill Sharp told the Associated Press.

Commenting on the record, McNamara said: "The world would be a much better place if everyone was doing what they wanted to do".

However, the UK Guardian newspaper quoted him as saying: "I'm not sure I want to ride that peak again".

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