Record 7-storey monster wave tears across Southern Ocean

  • 10/05/2018

A giant storm in the Southern Ocean has whipped up massive monster waves - including possibly the largest wave ever measured in the southern hemisphere.

The leviathan was sensed late on Wednesday night by a buoy near the near subantarctic Campbell Island.

The 23.8m-high wave is taller than a seven-storey building - and could be a lethal threat to small vessels caught in its path of devastation.

The buoy is run by ocean experts MetOcean Solutions, and senior oceanographer Dr Tom Durrant says it is a "very exciting event".

"To our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he told WeatherWatch.

"This is a very important storm to capture, and it will add greatly to our understanding of the wave physics under extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean."

And Mr Durrant warns there are even larger waves out there - including giants over 25m.

"The wave forecast for the storm show larger wave conditions just north of the buoy location," he told WeatherWatch.

The Southern Ocean is notorious for its bad weather and giant swells. In 2015, frightening footage was recorded showing a NZ Navy vessel being pounded by 15-metre swells.

HMNZS Otago had been on patrol in the Southern Ocean when strong winds stirred up the massive waves.

Newshub.