Yesterday I was talking to a fellow who was interested in getting into kayaking and one of the questions that he asked about was how well kayaks deal with the sometimes very large waves that ships generate. My answer was that in all my years of paddling I couldn't remember any ship wakes that were breaking waves as long as you were in deep water and that the large swells they sometimes produce are no big deal.

After our little talk, I went ahead and launched at my favorite spot on the Columbia River for a day of paddling. The river was fairly calm with very little boat, or ship traffic until early in the afternoon when ship traffic picked up. As I recall it, there were about three ships that passed by in fairly rapid succession. I tried to surf some of the waves from the first two ships, but they didn't amount to much. The third ship was not as big as the other two, so when I saw it coming, I really didn't give it much thought except that I was in a position by then that would allow me to get a pretty good ride if the waves were right.

I began to paddle toward the ship to get into even deeper water and increase my distance from shore to afford a longer ride if the waves were right. I was somewhat surprised to note that the initial waves from this ship were quite steep and breaking at some distance behind the ship. I started looking further back to see if the breakers settled down, but started to reconsider my plans as I saw new breakers being generated even further behind the ship and by this time they are not that far away.

With the last few seconds that I had left, I started looking for a spot where the waves were a little less daunting, but there just wasn't any opening. And if things weren't already exciting enough the spot that I was committed to, seemed to well up even higher and definitely looked like it was going to collapse right on top of me. It must have been the speed of the wave and what little forward momentum I had that allowed my boat to pierce through the thin, translucent curl without a problem. I think due to loss of buoyancy at the crest of the wave, a little water closed in around the cockpit, but that was only for a split second until the bow plunged into the deep trough behind the wave. At this point I was resigned that I would be toast to the second breaking wave and I was right, but also surprised that it also passed so quickly that all I really got was a big splash and came out the other side just a little wet. The third wave was just a speed bump.

I guess my point here is that the incident was a good reminder that freaky things happen on the water, no matter how much you might think you've seen it all. Needless to say, I didn't turn around and attempt to catch those waves for a joy ride. First I don't think I could have and at that point I was still sorting through what had just happened.

I hope I see that same fellow again real soon, so I can ammend my assurance to him that ship wakes don't break in deep water.

A turning Chinese new style hull generates wake but no sunstantial wake not turning.

I had the same experience on Elliott Bay with a freighter that was in the middle of finishing a turn while accelerating. I was delivering a 44' heavy wooden ketch and looked over my shoulder as the ship went by, just in time to see a very steep breaking wake heading our way. Turning into the wake we plowed through taking water over the entire deck, through any open portlight in the cabin and filling the cockpit with several inches of water. I've had the same boat in gale force winds and never come close to taking water aboard like that.

It just shows we've always got to keep our eyes open and realize it often doesn't take much of a difference in conditions to make a huge difference in the outcome.

I'm guessing it was a combination of current against wake plus the acceleration and turning of the ship all happening at the same time.

In the case I experienced, the tide was slack, there was little to no wind and the ship was not negotiating a turn. I also didn't think the ship was moving particularly fast. I would say that I remember scanning the wake from the stern of the ship to quite a distance behind the ship and the waves seemed to gain energy long after the ship had passed. I remember wondering if this ship might have had a particularly large prop that had imparted some unusual energy into the wake.

You know, I just happened to realize that after the wave incident, I paddled around a bit and then headed for an island that earlier had several fishing boats anchored off. I noticed that all but one boat were gone. I didn't think much about it, but I went to shore to check out some flotsam. I picked up two lifevests and a rubber fender and after a bit of a break, I headed back out in the direction of the one remining boat. The people in the boat were friendly, so we talked for awhile.

One of the reasons I went to the boat was to see if they had experienced the ship wake. They said that they hadn't seen any ships, but they had actually just gotten there a little while before I came along. Now I'm wondering if one of those boats that had been anchored near that island might have had some kind of upset. There have been no reports of a sinking that I know of.

Search Google: SHIPS WAKES TURNING

My Experience is from Haro Strait at and below Lime Kiln. Lime Kiln and Bailers Pt see 'large' swells with only a passing Chinese hull near the border folloWing the ship's turn into Haro from Juan de Fuca. The swells and position of the hull
do not match the usual passing hull/swell timing. Nor the swells heights. At normally low Strait speeds traveling up and down the Strait, new Chinese hulls at the border throw low height wakes at San Juan Island.
A 5-6' series went under me at the cliff eddy in a strong incoming tide as I went back to Smallpox: coasting up down at 6-7 mph along the stonewall.

I was recently surprised by several unusually large, steep, and closely spaced wakes at Haines Point on the Potomac River at Washington, DC. It was after dark and I was sitting still and talking with another paddler about 50ft off the concrete retaining wall. Mr. Better Nightvision saw the waves before I did, sprinted, and met them head on, but I got caught flat footed. Waves reflecting off the smooth, convex wall interacted with the incoming waves and made for the wildest ride I've ever had on that normally staid portion of the Potomac. I was glad we were a group of more experienced paddlers that night, because it would have been capsize city for novices. Stuff that never happened before happens all the time.

for those interested in ship's wakes, this is a useful site. I know of a few locals (seattle) who monitor the site and will race down to the beach to catch a ride as the wake steepens as it enters the shallows. The real cognoscenti can tell you what size wake different ships produce by looking at their data.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/

Interstate drafting ! The turning ship's wake as observed from a distance at Lime Kiln's reef on Haro Strait from Chinese hulls turning in from Juan de Fuca...is obsevable on the Interstate.

Pass a tractor trailer on a curve's outside. Come up behind the trailer close then swing around to the outside passing during the curve.

Compare that draft to a passing move at same speeds, same trailer on a straight.

Just a thought but a succession of traffic could lead to the 3rd boats wake meeting rebounding swell from the first two.'This would/could cause the waves to stand up!
I'm fairly new to sea kayaking but have seen this occur around boat harbours etc when sailing......

My rule of thumb is to at least take a look at each wake and watch for telltales. Very steep curling waves deserve a second look. If for no other reason, they might provide an exciting ride.

There's a river in Idaho producing diagnol sinusoidal standing waves abt 5-8' high, 100+ almost river wide from ridge rock trailing into the water: seen from roadside during runoff. Fearsome, I'd enjoy watching a run at it.

A salmon boat boring up SJI cliffs looking for eddy salmon ran at me, in the course of fishing biz, during 2-3" waves then stopped at my portside allowing me a turn up intoward his stern onto the calm water there. Plan for this if you're directly alongside.

I had a 210' CG Cutter wake pick me up with my kayak and slam me into a rock breakwall. My kayak was crushed in the rocks and I broke 3 ribs on my back. It was a flat calm sunrise in Jan. and I was duckhunting (successfully) when I noticed the cutter bombing my way. I was sitting on the rocks with my kayak in the water when I realized the tide was carrying the wakes faster than normal. Too late. I was attempting to get in and paddle out through them when they hit. I know it wasn't a typical wake/paddler encounter but maybe something to remember...... It ruined my day.

I think your answer is enough to convince your fellow. I am agree with your point of view and your thoughts about ship wakes not break in deep water.

Once got totally blasted on a solo by a breaking ships wave in deep water with a wacky wind and weird current. Had to bail in 2 degree C water. Almost bought it. Was not a nice 20 km paddle home!
Never say never my friends.