What is the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded?

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1. 1

   Generation mechanism and prediction of an observed extreme rogue wave

   Scientific Reports (Gemmrich & Cicon)Published Feb 2, 2022Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “The physics of rogue wave generation and the potential of predicting the rogue wave risk are open questions. Only a few rogue waves in high sea states have been observed directly, but they can pose a danger to marine operations, onshore and offshore structures, and beachgoers. Here we report on a 17.6m high rogue wave in coastal waters with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] which are likely the largest normalized heights ever recorded. Simulations of random superposition of Stokes waves in intermediate water depth show good agreement with the observation. Non-linear wave modulational instability, a well known cause for rogue waves in laboratory settings, did not contribute significantly to the rogue wave generation. A parameter obtained from a routine spectral wave forecast provides a practical risk prediction for rogue waves. These results confirm that probabilistic prediction of oceanic rogue waves based on random superposition of steep waves are possible and should replace predictions based on modulational instability.”

2. 2

   Laboratory recreation of the Draupner wave and the role of breaking in crossing seas

   Journal of Fluid Mechanics (McAllister et al.)Published Dec 11, 2018Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “The 25.6 m high Draupner wave, observed in a sea state with a significant wave height of 12 m, was one of the first confirmed field measurements of a freak wave. The physical mechanisms that give rise to freak waves such as the Draupner wave are still contentious. Through physical experiments carried out in a circular wave tank, we attempt to recreate the freak wave measured at the Draupner platform and gain an understanding of the directional conditions capable of supporting such a large and steep wave. Herein, we recreate the full scaled crest amplitude and profile of the Draupner wave, including bound set-up. We find that the onset and type of wave breaking play a significant role and differ significantly for crossing and non-crossing waves. Crucially, breaking becomes less crest-amplitude limiting for sufficiently large crossing angles and involves the formation of near-vertical jets. In our experiments, we were only able to reproduce the scaled crest and total wave height of the wave measured at the Draupner platform for conditions where two wave systems cross at a large angle.”

3. 3

   Rogue wave (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 12, 2026Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “Rogue waves (also known as freak waves, monster waves, or killer waves) are large and unpredictable surface waves that can be extremely dangerous to ships and isolated structures such as lighthouses. They are distinct from tsunamis, which are long-wavelength waves, often almost unnoticeable in deep waters and caused by the displacement of water due to other phenomena (such as earthquakes). A rogue wave at the shore is sometimes called a sneaker wave. In oceanography, rogue waves are more precisely defined as waves whose heights are more than twice the significant wave height (Hs or SWH), which is itself defined as the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record. Rogue waves do not appear to have a single distinct cause but occur where physical factors such as high winds and strong currents cause waves to merge to create a single large wave. Research published in 2023 suggests sea state crest-trough correlation leading to linear superposition may be a dominant factor in predicting the frequency of rogue waves.”

4. 4

   Observations of the shape and group dynamics of rogue waves

   Geophysical Research Letters (Gemmrich & Thomson)Published Jan 31, 2017Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “Surface elevation records from two locations in the northeast Pacific are used to examine rogue waves and the relationship to wave groups. Three hundred individual rogue waves with heights greater than 2.2 times the significant wave height are found in analyzing >2 × 10 6 wave groups. In contrast to recent nonlinear modeling results, we do not find that rogue waves occur at the front of wave groups. There is a tendency for steep waves to occur at the front of a group, but these are not the largest waves of the group and do not meet the rogue wave criterion. Rogue waves are most commonly located in the center of the group, but their height ratio to the neighboring crest is greater than in the average wave group. Assessing group dynamics in terms of spectral width suggests that random superposition of nonlinear waves is sufficient to explain the observations of individual rogue waves.”

5. 5

   Freak wave events in 2005–2021: statistics and analysis of favourable wave and wind conditions

   Natural hazards and earth system sciences (Диденкулова et al.)Published May 2, 2023Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “Abstract. Freak or rogue waves are unexpectedly large waves in seas and oceans, which occur without specific reasons, and cause human loss, damage of ships, oil platforms, and coastal structures. Evidences of such waves are widely spread around the globe. The present paper is devoted to analysis of the unified collection of freak wave events from different chronicles and catalogues from 2005 to 2021. The considered rogue waves are not measured in situ data, but their descriptions, which have been found in the mass media sources and scientific articles. All of them resulted in ship or coastal/offshore structure damage and/or human losses. The collection accounts for 429 events. First, the analysis based on their characteristics taken from the descriptions of the events (including locations, water depth, damages) is carried out. Second, the analysis of wave parameters taken from the climate reanalysis ERA5 is performed. Thus, the most probable background wave parameters in time of freak event (including wind speed, gusts, significant wave height, maximum wave height, peak wave period, skewness, and kurtosis) for each freak wave event are determined.”

6. 6

   List of rogue waves incidents (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 10, 2026Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “This list of rogue waves compiles incidents of known and likely rogue waves – also known as freak waves, monster waves, killer waves, and extreme waves. These are dangerous and rare ocean surface waves that unexpectedly reach at least twice the height of the tallest waves around them, and are often described by witnesses as "walls of water". They occur in deep water, usually far out at sea, and are a threat even to capital ships, ocean liners and land structures such as lighthouses.”