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Everything Science

RavensMania

Staff Member
Administrator
obviously unsanctioned drones flying in restricted places is bad but i imagine when amazon starts properly rolling out drone delivery there will be an organised "air highway" type system so that there is no potential airspace congestion
Air traffic on 495 in the dc area. Omfg, we’ve lost it
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Ever since I swam out of one, I've been interested in rip currents. Some new findings by NZ researchers tell me you definitely need to be a good swimmer and pretty lucky to have a chance

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11975037

yeah i got mad respect for surfers who innately understand how to use rips when i tried surfing myself - it was so difficult just to get out of the surf and then if you were "lucky" enough to get a rip to pull you out you then had to be strong enough to get out of the rip to catch a wave but i didnt until recently know that some rips only exist and some points in the tide

ive always been by the coast a lot so ive always been aware and conscious of them and we have a strong tide so we always knew what we had to do if we got caught in a current or tide

they're scary but i dont think they are actually that dangerous as long as you have awareness - if you float and calm yourself (much like cold shock) you can wait for the rip to ease (which it will past the breaking waves) or bring you back in a circular direction - the advice to swim at a right angle to the flow isnt necessarily defunct either because rips are for the most part pretty narrow
 

allblackraven

Hall of Famer
yeah i got mad respect for surfers who innately understand how to use rips when i tried surfing myself - it was so difficult just to get out of the surf and then if you were "lucky" enough to get a rip to pull you out you then had to be strong enough to get out of the rip to catch a wave but i didnt until recently know that some rips only exist and some points in the tide

ive always been by the coast a lot so ive always been aware and conscious of them and we have a strong tide so we always knew what we had to do if we got caught in a current or tide

they're scary but i dont think they are actually that dangerous as long as you have awareness - if you float and calm yourself (much like cold shock) you can wait for the rip to ease (which it will past the breaking waves) or bring you back in a circular direction - the advice to swim at a right angle to the flow isnt necessarily defunct either because rips are for the most part pretty narrow
Cold and panic is what gets most people.
I was on a bodyboard (no fins) and there was no chance coming back on it, was just sitting in a same spot. Had to drop it and let the current do its thing. Longest half mile in my life but I was OK all along.
Had to buy a new board though.

Here:
lookout-over-piha-beach.jpg
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Cold and panic is what gets most people.
I was on a bodyboard (no fins) and there was no chance coming back on it, was just sitting in a same spot. Had to drop it and let the current do its thing. Longest half mile in my life but I was OK all along.
Had to buy a new board though.

Here:
lookout-over-piha-beach.jpg

yeah its always tough to tell but im guessing the rips are near the headlands
is there a sandbar there on this beach or maybe quite uneven depths or something coz 1/2 a mile is a huge rip

stunning setting for it all to happen though (not that you'll have got to see much of it swimming back)
 

allblackraven

Hall of Famer
yeah its always tough to tell but im guessing the rips are near the headlands
is there a sandbar there on this beach or maybe quite uneven depths or something coz 1/2 a mile is a huge rip

stunning setting for it all to happen though (not that you'll have got to see much of it swimming back)
Yeah, there are kind of permanent rips on both sides of that rock but I wasn't close to it. Was close to the middle of that northern (longer) side. There are bars all over it but they move and it was during some uncommonly big swell.
It was about 15-16 years ago, these days not likely to happen, guards are really strict and chase you out the water if outside the flags. People still get caught and drown, messing around after life savers finish the shift.
Besides, I now mostly sail and swim with my wife and dog on sheltered beaches.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Yeah, there are kind of permanent rips on both sides of that rock but I wasn't close to it. Was close to the middle of that northern (longer) side. There are bars all over it but they move and it was during some uncommonly big swell.
It was about 15-16 years ago, these days not likely to happen, guards are really strict and chase you out the water if outside the flags. People still get caught and drown, messing around after life savers finish the shift.
Besides, I now mostly sail and swim with my wife and dog on sheltered beaches.

ill never get bored of sailing - when you get everything set up perfectly and get the boat planing and you can get the foils/keel/centreboard/daggerboard to make that humming sound it's glorious
 

allblackraven

Hall of Famer
ill never get bored of sailing - when you get everything set up perfectly and get the boat planing and you can get the foils/keel/centreboard/daggerboard to make that humming sound it's glorious
Haha, that's for young people, I'm now only cruising. Just the occasional rum race with other old guys from club. Which incidentally always finishes as a beer race.
 

allblackraven

Hall of Famer
Peachy.
Humidity in Auckland this morning is at 99%. And it looks to get worse soon.
Cyclone Gita (made some mess in Samoa last week) is strengthening (now officially Cat 4) and has turned west. Computer models say it will make another turn to south-west and when it reaches Tasman Sea, will turn east, straight for us at the top of NZ.
FCLHAFDA4BAB3GI2TGKRXMQJYQ.png
 

allblackraven

Hall of Famer
That thing ^^ is about to hit main island of Tonga in about 3 hours, passing roughly 20 miles south, with sustained winds of 200km/h and gusts of 250km/h. It's still intensifying and is expected to become category 5 cyclone.

Hunker down, Tonga. Fingers crossed.
 

RayRayRaven

Veteran
That thing ^^ is about to hit main island of Tonga in about 3 hours, passing roughly 20 miles south, with sustained winds of 200km/h and gusts of 250km/h. It's still intensifying and is expected to become category 5 cyclone.

Hunker down, Tonga. Fingers crossed.

Good Luck Black

Ngata's family obvious from Tonga. God Bless
 

Tank

Hall of Famer
That thing ^^ is about to hit main island of Tonga in about 3 hours, passing roughly 20 miles south, with sustained winds of 200km/h and gusts of 250km/h. It's still intensifying and is expected to become category 5 cyclone.

Hunker down, Tonga. Fingers crossed.
Bummer. Guess I never really thought about it. Storm season is probably exactly opposite as it is here.
 
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