The Science of Big Waves

Pre-viewing Questions


1. Where do ocean waves come from? What gets them started?
They come from winds turning the water into ripples and then into small waves and eventually getting bigger. waves come from out in the ocean and they travel a lot to get to the beach

2. What do you think a surfer should know about waves before they try and ride a wave while surfing?
that the waves can get really big and they can travel really fast. they can get as high up to a 4 story building and as fast as 60 km/h


Questions From the Video


1. Observe all the waves that you see and describe how they form and break. Use as many words found in the segment for you descriptions.

2. Describe how waves are formed, how they originate, and how they are measured?
waves are formed by the wind hitting the water making ripples, the starting point of a wave, and then they get bigger and bigger over kilometers of ocean to the beach. people measure the wave height and the wave length.

3. What is a maverick wave and what is special about the way it is formed?
a maverick is a big wave, like a really big wave and has a massive amount of energy in it and gets a lot of height as it hits the coast.

4. How is energy stored and transferred during wave?
the wave stores the energy in the actual wave and it is transferred into the wave height.

5. List any kind of advice given by the surfers about how to survive these “big waves.”
Respect the wave and its power as it is deadly, attempt with extreme caution and get in and get out.