Another Missive from ‘Horatio’
Thanks ‘Horatio’ for another very interesting email: Tristan, I was telling somebody the other day about a sight I experienced on the North Carolina Coast,…
Tag: waves
Sensing Land at Sea
I’m just back from a short trip to Ontario, Canada, where I spotted this nice example of reflected waves creating a subtle new pattern. As…
A Letter and Puzzle from Horatio
I recently received the following intriguing letter, via my publisher. It contains a small weather mystery in the final paragraphs. Please do get in touch…
Reading Water
A video excerpt from some recent TV work. You might also enjoy: David Hockney Reads About Reading Water Water Reading – An Animation How to…
Surface Patterns Reveal Water Depth
Whenever waves meet shallow water, the patterns change. We can use these new patterns as clues to the depth of water. It doesn’t matter the…
What is Clapotis?
When waves reflect back off a sea wall, they meet more incoming waves and this can set up a totally new wave pattern called ‘clapotis’…
What are Lens Clouds? (Altocumulus lenticularis)
Lens clouds are saucer, lens or lentil-shaped clouds that form when wind blows moist air over mountains. Their formal name is Altocumulus lenticularis (lenticula means…
Fish Frenzy at Water Surface – Predator Sign
Early this morning I saw an interesting sign in the water, a clue that fish were trying to defy a predator. At about 6am, I…
Why do waves bend towards the shore?
When waves meet shallow water they slow down. When one side of a wave slows down, the wave bends towards that side. It is a…
5 Sea Colours That Are Easy to See
Every time we look out at the sea there are lots of colours. Our brain tends to mash them all up because it is busy…
Cross Hatch Wave Pattern
This is a video for readers of the book How to Read Water. Notice how a cross-hatch pattern forms where the waves meet on this…
The Glitter Path
A ‘glitter path’ is light reflected off water from a low sun, moon or other bright object. Glitter paths help us to read water because…
How to Read Water
Clues & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea A New York Times Bestseller. A Sunday Times “Must Read” book. A must-have book for walkers, sailors,…
Pacific Island Navigation
There was a near perfect ripple map on a very windy West Wittering beach yesterday. The different wave patterns on each side of an island…
Reflections and Ripples
We see the most detail in relatively calm water when we look at the places where light and dark reflections meet. Look at the line…
The Effect of Wind on Breaking Waves
The way waves behave is a big subject. But here we’ll look at just one simple aspect, the way the wind shapes breaking waves at…
How to Read Wave Patterns at the Coast
I took this photo from the South West Coast Path in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, a few days ago. In it we can see…
What is a Slick Line?
Slick lines form on water when a very thin layer of oil spreads out across the water. The oil dampens ripples creating calmer patches. Over…
Sounds during a temperature inversion
Normally, air gets cooler with altitude and this is what we expect to experience. We see snow at the tops of mountains, but none in…
What is swash?
Swash is the name given to the waves that rush up the beach after a wave has broken. They are intriguing little waves that inhabit…
A Brief Guide to Overfalls
Whenever the tide turns, water heads from one area to another. This sets up a flow known as tidal currents. Tidal currents moving over a…