Giant 62ft wave between UK and Iceland sets record

An enormous 62.3ft wave (19 metres) in the North Atlantic has set a record as the highest ever measured by a buoy.

According to the UN's weather agency, an automated buoy measured the wave at a remote spot between Britain and Iceland on 4 February 2013 at 6am.


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The wave reportedly occurred after a very strong cold front passed through the area.

According to the Guardian, Wenjian Zhang, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) assistant secretary general, said: "This is the first time we have ever measured a wave of 19 meters. It is a remarkable record."

The previous record of 59.96ft (18.275 metres) was measured in December 2007, also in the North Atlantic.

The Telegraph reports that the North Atlantic, from the Grand Banks underwater plateau off Canada to the south of Iceland and the west of Britain, creates more giant waves than anywhere else in the world.

The wave's height is defined as the crest of one wave to the trough of the next.

Automated buoys relay information on swells, sea currents and temperatures for scientists, sailors and climate researchers.

The biggest wave measured by a ship was in the North Atlantic in February 2000 and measured 95.3ft.