The roughest seas to which cruise ships venture

With climate scientists predicting more treacherous oceans in the future, we consider whether cruise passengers should feel nervous

Few things are more arresting than watching terrifying film footage of ships determinedly battling against raging winds and ferocious seas.
YouTube is filled with compilations showing ocean-going craft of all sizes ploughing through monster waves, with such scenarios inspiring disaster-at-sea-style television documentaries and a raft of Hollywood catastrophe movies.
Above all else, this illustrates the scary prospect of having to endure such tempests if your ship is unfortunate enough to encounter them, as Saga Cruises passengers discovered when they were caught in the notorious Bay of Biscay.
A recent report into the incident revealed that one passenger died and more than 100 others were injured when the Spirit of Discovery was battered by gale-force winds and 30ft waves as it returned from the Canary Islands to Portsmouth in November last year.
The Telegraph carried an account from a 68-year-old guest just days afterwards who recalled conditions so horrendous, she and many others feared they were going to die.
Yet despite the experience, she was not deterred. This cruising stalwart, who had more than 50 voyages under her belt, was determined to get back onboard and even had two more trips booked.
Such extreme incidents are few and far between, which is partly why they make newspaper headlines in the first place.
It’s a point reiterated by Adam Coulter, the editor of cruise review site Cruise Critic UK, who added: “Every day there are thousands of shipping movements around the world and such incidents are extremely rare.
“Pretty well all the modern ships have the latest stabilisation aides and are built to cope with rough seas.
“The ship captains and crew have years of experience. They are aware of the challenges and prevailing conditions of the waters they sail through.”
However, with climate change leading to more extreme weather events, the world’s oceans are also set to get rougher, say scientists.
A detailed study released in 2019 asserted that the previous three decades had seen increases in average wave height and wind speed recorded in oceans across the globe.
Professor Ian Young from the University of Melbourne, who authored this study and others since, told The Telegraph that satellite observations over the past 35 years showed an approximate 7 per cent increase in wave height in the Southern Ocean, while climate change projections indicated that tropical cyclones would also become more intense.
“This means that waves generated by such systems are likely to increase,” he added.
One crumb of comfort is that according to Professor Young, there is no strong evidence that more intense storms will hit the Bay of Biscay, often crossed by cruise ships.
“Extreme waves are increasing in the Southern Ocean faster than anywhere else. However, the largest extreme waves are still in the Northern Hemisphere and this is not likely to change in the near future,” Prof Young added.
Nevertheless, Dr Simon Boxall, senior lecturer in oceanology at the University of Southampton felt there was an increased likelihood of incidents similar to Spirit of Discovery.
“It is two-fold because we are seeing bigger waves and more storms, and we have also seen a huge boom in the cruise industry, so there are more ships,” he said.
“However, such serious incidents are rare and ships are safe. They ride storms well and while it is uncomfortable, there is nothing to worry about.”
Today’s cruise vessels benefit from having the latest technology and navigation systems, with captains and their bridge teams continually assessing up-to-the-minute weather data to plot the most effective route, taking into account storm reports and the sea state.
Satellite images and computer models issued by the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are other vital weapons in their armoury, and some lines even have their own meteorologist who is in constant dialogue with bridge teams.
Cruise ships will steer clear of tempestuous weather wherever possible, and if this means plotting a different path and missing planned ports of call, so be it.
Changing departure and arrival times is another way of avoiding inclement conditions, though in extreme cases it may mean cruises start or end later than scheduled.
This was the case in September 2022 when a Category 4 hurricane forced the closure of three Florida ports, trapping passengers at sea as their ships stayed safely out of the storm’s path, arriving a day or two later after it had passed.
Outrunning a storm is another option, but if this becomes too difficult, ships may take cover in a protected bay or seek shelter in the lee of an island.
On the occasions when they are faced with rough seas, especially if a sudden squall blows up, it’s a case of powering through and battening down the hatches. This means securing doors and heavy items, closing portholes and shutters and emptying swimming pools and hot tubs.
Depending upon how much the ship is moving, public announcements may tell guests to avoid using the lifts and to hold onto hand rails when moving around the vessel or, in extreme cases, to stay in their cabins.
I remember such instructions as I sailed out of Casablanca’s sheltered harbour last year. The captain warned that the giant waves we could see pummelling the harbour defences would make our entry into open water somewhat rocky and advised us to sit down and hold on.
A few minutes later, with the ship lurching dramatically from side to side, I quickly followed his advice, watching as an avalanche of plates and glasses in the outdoor restaurant smashed dramatically onto the deck. The rough seas quickly passed as we turned and picked up speed, though the mopping up operation took somewhat longer.
Exchanging such tales with other cruise-goers always makes for entertaining dinner conversation.
One gentleman recounted how on a festive season sailing from the UK some years ago, tumultuous seas put such a dampener on Christmas Day celebrations that only he and one other indomitable soul made it to the restaurant for the yuletide lunch.
As the ship was pitching so violently, waiting staff couldn’t risk placing the dishes on the table, but had to hand them directly to the two diners instead.
“The food was nice, but the conversation didn’t really flow,” he recalled with wry amusement. “I am rather deaf and the other chap on the table was recovering from throat cancer, so could only speak in a whisper.”
During the same voyage, his wife’s visit to the beauty salon took a somewhat unexpected turn when, as her hair was being styled, conversation abruptly stalled as the ship rolled violently.
Wondering what had happened, she turned around just in time to see the hairdresser disappearing backwards at speed on her wheeled stool as it lurched across the salon, upending her against the wall.
In maritime circles, there are certain stretches of sea whose mercurial moods have given them formidable reputations.
Aside from the Bay of Biscay, which runs from France’s north-west coast to Spain’s northern shoreline, there’s the Southern Ocean around Antarctica and, in particular, Drake Passage, which extends between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula, plus the waters at the tip of Africa around Cape of Good Hope.
Conversely, the Sargasso Sea, which surrounds Bermuda, the waters around the Azores and the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean are renowned for their relative tranquillity, as are the Doldrums, located directly north and south of the Equator.
Nevertheless, as Dr Boxall pointed out, nowhere is exempt from storms, though he stressed the threat of gigantic rogue waves was much exaggerated.
“You don’t get them on their own and they never come out of nowhere. That is the stuff of Hollywood,” he said.
“You get these freak waves when two or three storms come together. I’ve seen some measured at 30m, which is huge, but they are very rare. Waves in single storms would be no more than 10 or 12m.”
That’s high enough, especially if you are on the receiving end. However, the larger the cruise ship, the more you will feel insulated from the elements. Though this may not stop the dreaded mal de mer which I know from experience can creep up when you least expect it.
The rougher the seas, the more likely you are to fall victim to seasickness, but there are no hard and fast rules as it really depends on each person’s tolerance, the ship they’re sailing on and the swell and direction of the waves.
If a ship is rocking around for any length of time, you’ll notice so-called “motion discomfort bags” strategically placed at specific points around the decks, while bowls of complimentary seasickness pills may discreetly appear at the reception desk.
Having been on around 150 cruises, and sailed through the world’s most notorious waters, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve succumbed to this ghastly curse.
Surprisingly, my worst experience was just off the east coast of Britain as I sailed up the North Sea to Port of Tyne near Newcastle.
There was barely a white-capped wave in sight, but our small expedition ship was relatively flat-bottomed and this, combined with the strong swell, meant it bobbed around like a cork.
Passengers were soon dropping like flies, either huddling miserably on deck and desperately staring at the horizon to try to alleviate their nausea symptoms or hunkering down in their cabins.
I was one of them and it was a day at sea I have no wish to repeat. “Land ahoy” had never been so welcome.

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