The largest whirlpools in the world. Galapagos funnel. Dangerous attraction of the archipelago

What picture comes to mind when we hear the word "whirlpool"? Most likely, a huge, rotating mass of water, a water funnel, a sea tornado, dragging careless boats and yachts into its mouth, bringing destruction and death. This view is only supported by fiction: from Homer to Edgar Allan Poe. In fact, the scale and danger of this interesting natural phenomenon is greatly exaggerated.

What is a whirlpool? Probably everyone observed small whirlpools in a stream or on a small river. They usually arise where the shore enters the channel and the stream, colliding with it, returns back against the current. The water begins to spin, and the speed of movement, in fact, depends on the strength and speed of the current. Rotating in a small space, the water tends to the outer edge of the whirlpool, creating a recess in the center.

Large whirlpools appear in much the same way, only usually it is not the current and the coast that collide, but countercurrent currents. Especially often they occur in narrow straits between islands and land areas, fjords due to the action of tidal currents.

Imagine - a narrow and long bay, into which a huge mass of water enters the tide. The peak of the tide passes, the tide begins to ebb, but all the water does not have time to return back, and the ebb current collides with another tidal one. So, for example, one of the most famous whirlpools in the world, the Maelstrom, arises. It is located off the coast of the Lofoten Islands in Norway, in a place where strong tidal currents superimpose on the powerful flow of the Gulf Stream, breaking out from behind the Lofoten Wall.

When the tide begins, water flows rush to the islands, but rocks, including underwater ones, prevent them, then they fall into narrow straits between the islands and into the same narrow and long bays of the islands, the currents become unpredictable, greatly complicating navigation.

And off the coast of the island of Moskenesø, the so-called permanent maelstrom whirlpool arises - the Norwegians, by the way, call it Moskenestr, after the name of the island. The strength of the whirlpool depends on the strength of the current, the peak of the tide, the weather, but it always exists, in contrast to the so-called episodic and seasonal whirlpools, the occurrence of which is due to a combination of circumstances.

At the moment of maximum tide and with a storm wind, the speed of water movement can reach 11 km per hour, therefore, even now, in such weather, captains are not recommended to enter the strait north of Moskenese. Even modern small ships and boats can be turned over and pulled down by a whirlpool of such force.

Maelström first appeared on maps in the 16th century, when the famous Mercator Atlas was published. The story of the whirlpool can also be found in the notes of the English merchant Anthony Jenkinson, who traveled through northern seas to Russia on trade matters, and from other scientists and travelers. All of them talk about ships that the whirlpool turns into chips; plaintively screaming whales caught in the abyss; about the ringing of doorbells ten miles around from the terrible roar of the stream. Edgar Allan Poe devoted one of his works to the whirlpool, which is called “The Overthrow into the Maelstrom”, and which tells about the fate of a person who fell into the Maelstrom, lost his ship and loved ones in it, but miraculously escaped.

Of course, when describing all the horrors of the Maelström whirlpool, famous writers pretty much exaggerated. But still, on small ships with a weak engine that may not be able to cope with the force of the current, you should not approach Moskestremen close to it. However, if you would like to see something like this natural phenomenon close, and at the same time being in complete security, this can be done near the neighboring Lofoten Islands the city of Bodø, through which the path to the archipelago usually lies. There is a whirlpool Saltströmen, even more spectacular and more powerful.

It is formed when a tidal wave breaks into Sherstadfjord. Moreover, the strongest current is observed with a full and, conversely, a young moon.

At this time, in six hours, through a passage only 150 meters wide, 370 million cubic meters burst into the fjord at a speed of 23 knots, or 44 km / h. sea ​​water. At the same time, giant funnels of whirlpools are formed - up to 15 meters in diameter. At low tide, everything is repeated in the opposite direction.

Local newspapers report daily on what time the Saltströmen whirlpool is at its strongest. This allows fishermen and those who are going to sail along the fjord for one reason or another, and tourists to see the rapids in all its might. You can also observe the phenomenon from the bridge, which in 1979 was built over Saltströmen itself.

Another very famous whirlpool is located in the Strait of Messina, rather it is even a system of two permanent whirlpools called " Scylla" And " Charybdis". The reason for the formation of these two whirlpools, known since the time of Homer, lies in the same tidal currents colliding with each other and the shores. Strait of Messina, located between the coast of Sicily and the mainland, is rather narrow, in the northern part its width barely reaches 3.5 km, and the speed of tidal currents reaches 10 km/h.

Homer described it a natural phenomenon like two monsters that Odysseus and his team had to face, and described so colorfully that the myth of Scylla and Charybdis still excited sailors for centuries. Moreover, the work of Homer was picked up and continued by later poets and writers. The ancient Roman poet Virgil Maron proved the reality of the existence of monsters: “It is better to spend a few days going around this damned place, so as not to see the terrible Scylla and her black dogs in the gloomy cave, from the howl of which the rocks are crumbling.” However, even in those days there were attempts to realistically explain the difficulties of navigation through the Strait of Messina. Pompilius Mela noted that the Strait of Sicily is very narrow, and a strong current in it is directed in it alternately into the Etruscan (Tyrrhenian) Sea, then into the Ionian, which creates a special danger. And Scylla is a cape named after the nearby village of Scylla.

The latest research shows that the Roman scientist was partly right, and that a local tidal current passes through the Strait of Messina, heading either from the north or from the south. Going from north to south, it meets another local current that runs from the south along the coasts of Sicily and Calabria. As a result, during the full moon in the strait there are from 11 to 14 high tides per day, especially with a southerly wind.

It is true that the Strait of Messina is quite narrow: in the northern part, its width barely reaches 3500 m. It has strong tidal currents, the speed of which reaches 10 km / h. If such a narrow strait is of sufficient depth, when the tide passes through it, we observe the formation of funnels in a rotating mass of water. Two, the most powerful of them, are constantly formed and are called the Scylla and Charybdis whirlpools.

However, the huge, stunning imagination, ocean whirlpools that occur during storms and threaten immediate death even ocean liner, is just a myth. A whirlpool in the ocean is only an extremely slow and smooth turbulent movement of water on a large scale, for example, a jet of a warm current “torn off” when it meets a cold stream.

Whirlpools have always been the source of legends and sailors' fables: fictional sea creatures and even some gods hid here. According to one version, even Atlantis sank to the bottom, covered in a giant funnel. Many writers liked to emphasize the danger of whirlpools: researchers believe that even Homeric Scylla and Charybdis are nothing more than two whirlpools walking side by side. Now, with the development of technology, the sea element is no longer so terrible for ships as before. Nevertheless, there are still several such whirlpools in the world, which even experienced sailors prefer to bypass. See where the largest and most dangerous whirlpools of our planet are located.

Salstraumen

Moskstraumen

Clyde Cruises

Old Sow

naruto

B.C. Living

French Pass

Lake Pener

Niagara Falls

What do we see before our eyes when it comes to whirlpool? Probably, this is a huge spinning mass of water, which has oriented itself in the form of a large funnel, a water tornado, sucking up everything that comes across it on the surface and in the depths. All living things that got there are doomed to death. This description of funnels was born in the interests of fiction: from Homer to Edgar Allan Poe. In reality, the scale and degree of danger of this natural phenomenon can be described very strongly without exaggerating, as writers do. Do you want to know what are the largest whirlpools in the world? Then read on.

What it is? Probably, everyone observed small funnels in the river, stream. Their occurrence is due to the flow of water returning back against the current after a collision with the shore, which protrudes forward into the water, thereby narrowing the riverbed. The water turns, and the speed of its twisting depends on the speed of the river. According to the action of the force of inertia, the rotating water tends from the center of the funnel to the edges.

The emergence of large and giant whirlpools is due to the collision of two currents directed in opposite sides. As a rule, their occurrence occurs in narrow straits between at least two land areas, in fjords due to the movement of tides.
At high tide, a large mass of water flows into a narrow but long bay. The tide follows the tide. But the entire mass of water does not go back into the ocean, and the current of the ebb tide collides with the current of the new tide. According to this principle, the Maelstrom funnel arises. It is located off the Norwegian coast of the Lofoten Islands, in the place where the power of the Gulf Stream, which breaks out from behind the Lofoten Wall, meets with strong tidal currents.

At high tide, water comes to the islands, but surface and underwater rocks prevent it. Then it flows between the islands along narrow straits, further into the bays, currents of different directions appear and there are so many that it is very difficult to predict the outcome of upcoming events, and because of this, the passage of ships is difficult.

Near the island of Moskenese, the Maelstrom whirlpool constantly forms. The inhabitants of Norway gave him the name Moskenestrom, according to the name of the island. Its speed changes depending on the speed of the current, the peaks of the tide and the ebb, weather changes, but it never disappears, unlike funnels that form periodically, sporadically or seasonally, depending on the occurrence of certain natural circumstances.

During high tide, with strong storm winds, the speed of moving water can reach eleven kilometers per hour - this is weather, in which ship captains are advised not to enter the strait - the northern waters of Moskenesø Island. The whirlpool is able to pull small ships and boats into its funnel.

The giant Maelström was first marked on a sixteenth-century map with the appearance of the famous Markator Atlas. The English merchant Anthony Jenkinson spoke about the funnel in his notes. He traveled to Russia through the northern seas on his trade business. Other travelers and scientists can find descriptions of the Maelström. They all talk about ships in trouble, turning into chips in his “paws”, about whales that fell into a funnel and their plaintive cry, about the terrible roar of a water stream that is heard for ten miles of airspace.

The writer Edgar Allan Poe described the strength, power and roar of the whirlpool in his work “The Overthrow into the Maelstrom”, in which he spoke about one person who got into the Maelstrom with a ship and his loved ones, but was miraculously saved.

The masters of the artistic word, to put it mildly, slightly exaggerate the description of everyone and everything that fell into the "paws" of the whirlpool, but realistically assessing the situation, let's say that small ships and boats with a weak engine that may not be able to cope with the current should not swim close to these monsters. Well, if you want to become a participant in the spectacle of a natural phenomenon from safe place, then this can be done near the city of Bodø, next to the Lofoten Islands, through which the path to the archipelago passes. In that place is the largest whirlpool in the world, even more powerful and larger.

It appears when a tidal wave comes into Sherstadfjord. The maximum force of the movement of water comes with a young and full moon. In six hours, the tide passes through a strait one hundred and fifty meters wide at a speed of twenty-three knots, that is, forty-four kilometers per hour, three hundred and seventy million cubic meters of water. Whirlpools up to fifteen meters in diameter are obtained. At low tide, everything comes back.

The newspapers are constantly reminded of when and at what time the whirlpool has its maximum strength. This makes it possible for those who are going to sail to be alert and take precautions while sailing. These are fishermen, and tourists, and workers navy. In 1979, a bridge was built over the waterfall itself, from which tourists observe the phenomenal picture live.

Another well-known funnel is located in the Strait of Messina, rather, these are two funnels connected in a system. They are called Scylla and Charybdis. They have been known since the time of Homer. They are formed due to the collision of tidal and ebb currents with the coast. The Strait of Messina is very narrow. It is located between the coast of Sicily and the mainland. Northern part the strait is up to three and a half kilometers wide, and the speed of the currents is up to ten kilometers per hour.

Homer described these whirlpools as monsters that Odysseus and his crew stumbled upon and described so effectively that for many centuries sailors were shocked by the myth of Scylla and Charybdis. After Homer, some writers and poets described funnels.
Virgil Maron, poet ancient rome, described evidence of the existence of monsters: It is better to use a few extra days to go around this place cursed by people in order to dark cave not to stumble upon the terrible Scylla and her black dogs, during the howl of which the rocks are destroyed. Even in those distant times, the masters of the artistic word made attempts to explain why it was so difficult to cross the Strait of Messina. Pompilius Mela described the very narrow Strait of Sicily, and the strong movement of water in it goes either to the Ionian, or to the Etruscan (Tyrenean) Sea, which creates danger.

Cape Scylla is located near the village of the same name. Modern research prove the correctness of the Roman scientist that the Strait of Messina is a place through which local tidal currents flow, which have a direction either from the north or from the south. On a full moon, between 11 and 14 high tides visit the channel during the day, especially when the wind is from the south.

If the Strait of Messina is deep enough, when tidal water flows through it, the formation of many funnels in the bubbling mass is observed. Two funnels of great power constantly appear and are called Scylla and Charybdis.

However, powerful ones that arise in the ocean greatly excite the imagination, form during a storm and threaten immediate death even for the ocean. big liner- it is a myth. An oceanic funnel is just a slow spiraling movement of large volume water, such as a broken jet of a warm current by a cold stream.

How is a person's fantasy played out with the phrase "the biggest whirlpool"? Most often, a huge water funnel appears, which is accompanied by a sea tornado.

And all this rotating water column draws boats and yachts into itself, brings death and destruction. And such a description only feeds fiction books. However, the scale and danger of this natural phenomenon is clearly exaggerated.

What is a whirlpool?

Large whirlpools appear in much the same way. It is not the current and the shore that collide, but the currents in different directions. This often occurs in narrow straits between islands or land areas after the action of tidal currents.

To visualize this picture more clearly, you need to see a long and narrow bay, into which a mass of water enters at high tide. After the peak of the tide, the tide begins to ebb, but all the water does not have time to return to its place. At the same time, the ebb current collides with another tidal one.

The great whirlpools of Homer's time

The narrow Strait of Messina is located between the coast of Sicily and the mainland. Its width is 3.5 kilometers, the speed is up to 10 kilometers per hour.

Homer described a unique natural phenomenon as two monsters that Odysseus and his team encountered. Moreover, it was described so colorfully that for many centuries sailors were afraid of the myth of Scylla and Charybdis. And the work of Homer was later fueled by writers and poets. Ancient Roman Virgil Maron wrote about the reality of the existence of two monsters. From his words it followed: "It is better to spend days to go around the damned place and not see the formidable Scylla and her dogs in the gloomy cave, from the howling of which the rocks collapse." However, at that time it was still realistic to describe the difficulties of moving along the Messinian irrigation. Pompilius Mela said that the Sicilian Strait is narrow, a strong current in it is directed alternately in different directions, which creates a certain danger.

However, the ocean whirlpools, which stagger the imagination during a storm, do not at all threaten the immediate death of an ocean liner.

The biggest whirlpools in the world

Uzina Skukumchak is located in British Columbia(Canada). Here, in national park where many tourists and local residents, in the narrow Skukumchak Strait, small but high-speed whirlpools can be observed. Just entering the water at high tide is quite dangerous here. After all, water rushes into the strait at a speed of 30 km / h. The rapids, which are formed due to the complex bottom topography and the difference of two meters between the banks, are considered among the most difficult in the world. Tourists can watch the spectacle from viewing platforms.

Old Sow is the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. It is formed in the strait between the islands of Eastport (USA) and Deer Island (Canada). The word "Sow" is an onomatopoeia for draining water. This large whirlpool is formed due to the specific topography of the seabed and regular tides. Whirlwinds are up to 75 meters in diameter, but the water speed is not too high.

The whirlpool poses no danger to ships. But sailboats and boats bypass it. Interestingly, the Old Sow is surrounded by several small sinkholes, which are called "pigs" here.

The Great Vortex is truly a majestic phenomenon. Off the coast of Somalia, an annual swirling current forms a whirlpool so huge that it affects the climate and forms monsoons that bring moisture to the Asian coast. indian ocean. The Great Vortex forms a couple of months before the start summer season, and is preceded by just a slight ripple in the water.

Satellite observations have shown that under the influence of winds on the surface of the ocean, a giant funnel. It is impossible to predict the place of the appearance of the Whirlwind and its movement across the ocean. Huge water masses, swirling, form a series of smaller whirlpools along the perimeter, which set the direction of movement for the largest Whirlwind.

Naruto is not only a young ninja from the famous anime, but also one of the largest whirlpools in the world off the coast of Japan. It can be observed between the islands of Awaji and Shikoku. The nature of this whirlpool is exclusively tidal. In a narrow strait where the current speed can reach 15 meters per second, tidal and ebb waves meet, forming a powerful turbulence. This is the third fastest whirlpool in the world, forming a whirlpool with a diameter of up to 20 meters. It is considered dangerous for navigation. But tourists can admire it from suspension bridge or from glass-bottomed boats that navigate the strait at a safe distance.

Two huge funnels of Guyana and Suriname have recently been discovered off the coast of the Amazon from satellites: a diameter of more than 400 km. Scientists suggest that these two whirlpools, like the Great Vortex, form to some extent local climate. They appear at the point of collision of a cold current from the south, from Brazil, a warm current from the equator and the Amazon delta flowing from its delta. The speed of the water flow is about 1 meter per second. Interestingly, the Suriname whirlpools are observed all year round, unlike other oceanic eddies, which are seasonal. Scientists believe that these whirlpools form some more yet unexplored deep-sea forces.

The most famous whirlpool in the world

When the tide begins, the water column rushes to the islands, but rocks appear on the way, in particular, underwater ones. After that, the water enters the narrow straits between the islands and into the narrow and long bays of the islands. Then the currents begin to behave unpredictably, which greatly complicates the path for ships.

The most powerful whirlpool in the world

Off the coast of Moskenese, a permanent whirlpool Maelstrom appears. By the way, the Norwegians also call it by the name of the island Moskenestrom. And his strength of the whirlpool directly depends on the strength of the current, the weather, the peak of the tide. However, it always exists, and this distinguishes it from the seasonal and episodic whirlpools that appear from time to time, due to a combination of circumstances.

During high tide, with a storm wind, water can move at a speed of 11 kilometers per hour. Therefore, in bad weather captains are not advised to appear in the strait north of Mosvenesø Island. And even modern small boats and ships can be capsized and pulled into a whirlpool of such force.

Maelström first appeared on geographical maps in the 16th century. It was then that the famous Mercator Atlas was published. However, notes about the whirlpool can also be found in the records of an English merchant named Anthony Jackson. He traveled to Russia on trade business through the northern seas. Notes were found from other travelers and scientists. And they all talk about ships that the largest whirlpool in the world turned into chips. And the tragedy was accompanied by the plaintive cries of whales that fell into the abyss, as well as the ringing of door bells that made sounds from houses for tens of miles around the terrible roar of water.

By the way, Edgar Poe devoted a whole work to this whirlpool in the world. It is called "Descent into the Maelstrom". It is about the fate of a man who fell into a whirlpool, lost his ship, loved ones in it, but miraculously survived.

However, during the description of all the horrors of the Maelström whirlpool, the writer clearly exaggerated. But still, on small ships equipped with weak engines (which are not able to cope with a strong current), it is not necessary to come close to Moskestremen.

The largest whirlpool in the world

Local newspapers publish data on the power of Saltstraumen every day so that fishermen and simple tourists were on the alert. By the way, you can see the largest whirlpool in the world from the bridge over Saltstraumen, which was built in 1979.
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The Galapagos whirlpools, described in the famous film, made even more famous the islands of the same name, located in pacific ocean. They got their name from the name of the species sea ​​turtle. By the way, the islands are famous for their huge variety of flora and fauna.

That is, it is worth coming here, not only to look at the sensational Galapagos whirlpools. There are a lot of interesting things here.

The name "Galapagos Islands" combines nineteen large and small pieces of land in the Pacific Ocean. The entire territory belongs to Ecuador and is declared a national park. Here is located a large number of long extinct, periodically active and dormant volcanoes. A large number of animals are under protection (including elephant and lions, more than fifteen species of birds). Some representatives of the fauna live only here.

A feature of the location of the islands is the presence here of five different currents - warm and cold. Mixing them and leads to the fact that the Galapagos whirlpools appear. For reference, it should be noted that the collision of even two currents with different temperatures leads to the formation of water funnels. And if there are five of them, then one can only guess about the power of such whirlpools. However, it should be said that in the world there are also large water funnels in size and strength (such as those located near Japan or Norway).

Such whirlpools are truly dangerous not only for but also for ships, including large ones.

The presence of cool currents in the Galapagos also determines the local climate. Average annual temperature on the islands a little lower than that typical for these latitudes. It is approximately twenty-four degrees.

Galapagos Islands, their animals and vegetable world have been studied for a long time. IN different time Charles Darwin conducted his research here and Agree that when planning a vacation on Galapagos Islands, you will certainly want to take a walk in those places where such famous people walked and thought over the texts of their scientific works.

Galapagos whirlpools, local nature, a variety of fish and birds, sea lions and seals, turtles and iguanas attract tourists from all over the world every year. Most of them come here to dive.

Diving in the Galapagos is an unforgettable pleasure, brings a huge amount of positive emotions and impressions. Beginners and experts dive here all year round. It is better to take the appropriate equipment with you from the continent, since it is almost impossible to find it on the islands. Instructors are happy to tell novice divers about all the nuances of the local marine fauna and terrain. So, in some places you should also be wary of predators - several species of poisonous sharks, rays and "biting" eels swim here. Otherwise, a holiday in the Galapagos Islands is simply wonderful and can be the best excuse for you to escape from the work routine and city dust, as well as a wonderful opportunity to watch and swim in the Pacific Ocean. Welcome.