Trick to Spotting Some Sneaker Waves on Oregon Coast / Washington Coast

Published 9/27/24 at 5:45 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Oregon Coast) – Unruly waves to wild, big 'n scary breakers are often a hefty attraction along the Oregon coast and Washington's coastline. And for good reason. This presents plenty of dangers, however. (Above: Bad sneaker wave juju in Newport. This area had been clear for a good 100 feet of beach until this happened)

Yet it does not take major storm systems to create wanton ocean surges. Something called sneaker waves is an actual thing: it happens a lot out on the coast. These are known for knocking people over and even sweeping them out to sea.

Worse yet, inlanders and certainly out-of-staters often don't believe the threat exists.

So, the constant message from Oregon coast officials is “never turn your back on the ocean.”

Again, for good reason. Yet is it possible to get a little warning?

Sometimes it is, said Tom Horning, a geologist in Seaside.

There's a bit of a surprise here: there are conditions to look out for when a sneaker wave may be coming, but you have to be paying close attention to the tide. If the water suddenly recedes quite a ways, he says, then you may have a problem coming.

This could give you a heads up ahead of time, instead of seeing the monstrous thing come raging your way.

It's not a guarantee – only a helpful guideline. There's really no defense better than keeping an eye on the ocean.
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“The clue that a sneaker wave is coming is a large withdrawal of the ocean after a period of smaller waves,” Horning said. “The withdrawal represents a magnified trough preceding a magnified peak - a big wave - that is following. If the ocean pulls out an abnormal distance, keep an eye on it and plan your escape route - if you are in an area that can be flooded by the coming big surge.”

Horning said it’s best to watch the ocean for 10 to 20 minutes to get an idea of whether or not sneaker waves are likely. But if in doubt, simply stay away from the beach – period. If you see waves reaching up close to cliffs or foredunes, stay off it and watch the beach from above.

“Another trick to estimating if a site is safe is to stay on dry ground, as that site should not get swamped by waves,” Horning said. “But this only works if the weather is dry. If it has been raining, you have to study the site to see if it has foam or bits of debris from waves. You should also keep in mind when the tide will peak. A site can be dry early in the tidal cycle, but can be hit by waves as the tide rises. Caution and a close eye on the ocean is needed.

Near Oceanside: sneaker wave inundates Cape Meares (Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Horning said sneaker waves are a likelihood on low-lying beaches or rocky ledges during much of the winter. So it’s best to stay clear of these kinds of beaches during these conditions – it's that simple.

Luckily for Washington, most of those beaches in the south are wide, flat and have clear access to land.

Beaches with high cliffs behind you and no escape are especially bad: like at Bandon, Gleneden Beach, Lincoln City, Oceanside, and some areas around Gold Beach, Port Orford, Brookings and Yachats.

“Sneaker waves sneak up on you and can carry away the unprepared,” Horning said. “Sneaker waves are formed by at least two wave trains that are moving at slightly different speeds and that are out of phase. As a result, they produce a complex wave train that can double the heights of the waves every few minutes, with smaller waves happening in between.”

Compounding this beach safety issue is the fact most from out of state don't understand the concept of these deadly waves that literally sneak up. Much of that is that most other coastal states (and regions around the world) do not have sneaker waves like the southern Washington coast and Oregon coast. In fact, the phenomenon more or less disappears as you get into Canada. See: Sneaker Waves More Common on Oregon / Washington Coast Than Rest of U.S. Sneaker waves occur more often here than most U.S. places, but there's a twist

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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