When Mother Nature wants to remind you how powerful she is, you’ll definitely notice. Nowhere is this more true than on the high seas. Mind-bogglingly large amounts of water are sloshing around and when the weather whips things up, it can get scary, even for seasoned sailors. Perhaps the most terrifying thing out on the ocean is a rogue wave: they come out of nowhere, are massively larger than normal waves, and to the unease of the world’s seafarers, turn out to be a lot more common than previously supposed.
There’s a beach in Puerto Rico that frequently sees some huge waves, although they aren’t actual rogues. Even when the weather is perfect, these waves come crashing in. The Playa Puerto Nuevo in Vega Baja, west of San Juan, looks much like the Caribbean beach you might imagine. There’s nice sand, blue water, and people enjoying the idyllic setting. There is one unusual thing, though: a giant rocky reef a short distance offshore. It’s about as tall as a two or three story building and serves as a natural barrier, protecting the beach from the fury of the open ocean.
As you’ll see in the video posted below, when waves collide with the reef, the effect is dramatic, to put it mildly. When you see the first couple of waves roll in, you might think, meh, it’s not that big a deal. But just wait for the third wave. It’s a monster. The next one is almost as large. Now you’ll understand why this video has nearly 19 million views! Locals are of course completely unruffled when waves like these crash into the rocks, but first-time visitors to the beach nearly faint.
What did you think of this wonder of nature? Something you’d like to see in person or fuel for nightmares? Let us know in the comments at Facebook and don’t forget to like and share!
