Tom Shand’s Post

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Coastal enthusiast

As the #olympics get going in earnest this week, not everyone's attention is focused on Paris; surfing heads to French Polynesia. Why? Well apart from the French coast resembling a lake at this time of year, at the end of the road on Tahiti-Iti is a wave unlike any other; Teahupo'o – ‘a place of skulls'. This wave is unique; A trough way below sea level, a massively thick lip plunging forward, with no back to the wave. Why does it do this? It of course comes down to bathymetry. Using new seabed data from SHOM and the Celeris wave model we can look at how the offshore features shape the waves as they approach the break point. Discussed in this article in the conversation and shown in the video. https://lnkd.in/gUyPTHQt Enjoy. Topo-Bathy: Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine Imagery: Airbus Video: Guy Mac, Ashley Gasper, Tim McKenna Surfer: Matahi Drollet Wave model: Celeris Citius (Celeria Labs) #teahupoo #olympics International Surfing Association (ISA) #celeris

Jonathan Stewart

Project Manager | PIANC NZ Deputy Chair | Ports and Marine | Kinematic Consultants Ltd

5mo

Very cool mate. Wouldy you dear to try??

Nicholas Johnson

Physical Scientist at USACE JALBTCX

5mo

Yves Pastol Did you survey this?

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Allen, Theodore

Chief Stokesman at Henet Aerial Buoy, Independent Contractor at The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology

5mo

Would love to help validate the model with our aerial buoy 

Chris Drummond

Promoting best practice coastal management at the NSW Department of Planning and Environment

5mo

Great write up Tom! I recon a tax deductible trip to Tahiti is in order to "ground truth" some model runs from the water 😉

Hamish Wood

Managing Director at BDX Group

5mo

Great write up tom. Has this wave ever been subject of any seismic shift in reef level / elevation in modern era??

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awesome ! Really nice job ! how did you detect the breaking wave, ratio of height to depth ~0.78 ?

Gildas Colleter

Senior Principal Engineer

5mo

Nice one Tom, Celeris picked up “the wall”, the section where the main break merges back with the refracted waves. Nice work from the committee in promoting helmets for the athletes! 🌊⛑️👍

Sebastien Boulay

International Development | Strategic and Technical Advisor to Earth, Ocean and Climate technology companies

5mo
Michael DelCharco

Senior Vice President, Taylor Engineering Inc.

5mo

Darryl Hatheway - have you seen this?

Denis Hains

Hydrospatial Influencer - Pres.&CEO H2i+Co-Chair Hydrospatial Mov.+The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO-SeaBed 2030-SAG + IHR(IHO)-Editorial Board+ UNH Affiliate Research Sc.+ Co-Chair FIG-WG4.4

5mo
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