Five years ago I wrote about a cruise liner experiencing a "rogue wave" off the coast of Italy. It happened to the Grand Princess early in the morning of November 22, 2008. We boarded the ship later that day, saw the damage caused, and talked to people who were aboard when it struck.
Today comes an article in Phys.org about research that has found what is perhaps an explanation for the occurrence of such waves, which the article claims are not particularly uncommon.
As both paying passenger and as on-board lecturer, I have done many cruises. I have not encountered a tall rogue wave personally, although I came close once as noted above. This suggests the article may exaggerate the frequency of the truly tall waves, those going 20 meters or more.
