Bathymetry of Giant Waves micro-lesson
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This lesson is about the bathymetry of giant waves. Some surf waves can be huge monster waves. The biggest waves recorded have been 100 feet tall like this one being surfed by Justine Dupont. I will take a look at these three famous big wave surf spots: Mavericks in California, Pe’ahi in Hawaii, and Nazare in Portugal. And what about the ocean floor or bathymetry makes these waves so big? All three have a very deep underwater canyon next to the surf spot. Mavericks’ 100 feet deep underwater canyon creates waves that can be up to 20 to 60 feet. The canyon at Pe’ahi also goes from 100 feet deep to 20 feet deep and can also create waves that can be 20 and sometimes 60 feet tall. Next, I'll talk about the big wave at Nazare. Nazare’s canyon is 16,000 feet deep and channels the waves to where the waves break, and this creates a monster 100-foot wave. These are three examples of what it looks like under the ocean of these giant waves.

Answer time
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Here are some example of questions about this video that kids may be asked in the 1Question app to earn screen time.
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Do other giant surf waves in the world have deep underwater canyons?
1) Yes2) No -
How deep is the canyon at Mavericks?
1) 100 feet2) 10 feet3) 1000 feet4) 75 feet -
How deep is the canyon at Pe’ahi?
1) 100 feet2) 10 feet3) 1000 feet4) 75 feet -
How big can the waves get at Nazare?
1) 100 feet2) 10 feet3) 1000 feet4) 75 feet -
How deep is the canyon at Nazare?
1) 16,000 feet2) 15,000 feet3) 17,000 feet4) 1,600 feet -
Deep underwater canyons are one of the reasons we get giant surf waves.
1) Yes2) No

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Meet your educator
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Sarah Sanchez Medrano
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