Have you ever seen square-shaped waves? Well, many of us probably haven’t even heard that there are square-shaped waves at all! But if ever you see one, get out of the sea as fast as you can because these are more dangerous than rip tides.
According to Life Aspire, the Isle of Rhe in France is visited by tourists for its unique square-shaped waves – and photos of these rare waves have gone viral on social media. After all, these look like waves from an alien planet, right?
But while the photos do look awesome, the waves are actually dangerous.
The waters near the Isle of Rhe are actually in an intersection between two seas. The ‘cross sea’ meant that the wave systems might not be traveling in the same manner so that they could cross and form these strange patterns.
Life Aspire revealed that the waves are so strong that there had been accidents in the area after ships got caught in the cross sea.
Because the waves in the cross sea are strong and come from different directions, a swimmer caught in the cross sea would have a much more difficult time getting out compared with getting caught in a riptide!
Considering how difficult it can be to win against a riptide, swimming in the beautiful square-shaped waves of a cross sea is definitely very dangerous!
Thankfully, the cross sea is not a constant occurrence even at the Isle of Rhe, making its beaches mostly safe for swimming all year round. But if you happen to visit the area, make sure to be on the look-out for these square waves!
Remember, they are lovely to photograph but stay away from the sea as soon as you see them appear.