Science of Big Waves

Recommended QUEST Resources

• Science of Big Waves - KQED QUEST Flickr photo set

  See and discuss geotagged photos from our TV story, Science of Big Waves.

• Quest Science Blog - discuss the Science of Big Waves TV story

  Discuss the Science of Big Waves TV story on the KQED QUEST Science Blog.

• Sea 3-D: Charting the Ocean Floor

  Using sound and laser technology, researchers have begun to reveal the secrets of the ocean floor from the Sonoma Coast to Monterey Bay. By creating complex 3-D maps, they're hoping to learn more about waves and achieve ambitious conservation goals.

Additional Links

• NOAA News: New Sonar Data Helps Explain Why 'Mavericks' Waves are Among Nation's Largest

  April 17, 2007: The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program and the California Ocean Protection Council released new data and three-dimensional imagery of the sea floor off California that helps explain why the famed "Mavericks" waves are among the largest in the continental United States.

• Science of Surfing

  There's a great deal of physics behind riding a wave. The Exploratorium takes a look at a few places where physics and surfing meet.

• Grant Washburn

  Maverick's Test Pilot, Filmmaker, Big Wave Documentarian.

• California Ocean Protection Council's Seafloor Mapping Program

  This mapping is part of a larger effort to map near shore waters of California initiated by the California Coast State Waters Mapping Project.