I know this isn’t exactly surf related, but I wonder if any Ozzies out there could look at their plugholes.
In which direction does the the water go down - clockwise/aticlockwise?
Supposedly this should be different in the Southern/Northen hemispheres…but is this bollocks?
watch the simpsons mate. didnt you see the show they had on there about this very question. its all true. come down and see for yourself and we will organise for the prime minister to come out and kick you in the butt with a giant boot.
Unless of course you’re the president of the US, in which case the PM will lick your butt. - If you don’t trust the Simpsons check the satelite animation here:
http://www.quiksilverpro.com/?pageID=1916
notice somthing different about that low?
yer, its caused by the carolis force (not sure about the spelling there), its basically the centrafugal force of the earth spinning,
kinda makes me feal dizzy just thinking about it though.
The Coriolis effect is important to weather & ocean currents (& thus surfing), but not toilets, see “bad meteorology” at:
Hey mick… Your intellect is startling… very impressed by the quality of your thought processes - a real ambassador for your country too!
By the way mick - I didn’t ask anything about Australian arseholes… you must be one of the few… most I’ve met are great human beings…
Glad to see my A-level in Geography wan’t wasted then, if I ever have a school reunion my teachers getting a bitch slapped, I’ve believed that for years, now every time I go for a … i’ll have to check which way the water drains.
Hey mick… Your intellect is startling… very impressed by the quality of your thought processes - a real ambassador for your country too!
By the way mick - I didn’t ask anything about Australian arseholes… you must be one of the few… most I’ve met are great human beings…
Hi there Silverback,
I don’t think Mick meant any harm when you posted his message… he was just parodying an episode of The Simpsons where Bart rings up some kid in Australia reverse charges (I think it’s called a “collect call” in the US) asking for the toilet flush direction. Bart then holds on the phone for a few days brininging up a massive phone bill. To cut to the chase, Bart and family went to Australia to explain and the sentence for the offence was a kick in the butt with a giant boot by the Prime Minister of Aust… pretty stupid really, but that’s what Mick was getting at when he said he’d organise a kick in the butt by the PM with a giant boot.
I don’t think there was any hate intended 
Chill, and I’ll leave the next wave to you.
-Cam
Good mythbuster article. Thanks. I work in a school system. It’ll be fun to ask the science teachers their opinions.
-Cam
Southern hemi cyclone
Southern hemi … [but] Southern Ocean mega-low [oxymoron ?]
“shippy’s” , coupla weeks ago …
a low pressure system bought this up from the south pole [or thereabouts ?]
[… It made the 6 o’clock news , this footage.]
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…the report went on to say the guys involved in this tow-in session were then tracking to New Zealand [east of Tasmania , for the geographically challenged !] , where they hoped to ride " 7 metre waves " [that’s about 24 ’ faces. ]
It didn’t say who the surfers involved were , on the report I saw …but I’d be guessing Ross Clarke Jones and Tony Ray were among them .
…Cheyne …were YOU there, by any chance ??
…HOW’S the ankle ? …has it healed properly now ?
ben
this has got me thinking,
I know that lower scale weather usually stays with in defined atmospheric cells, but if it were possible for an anti-cyclone to move from one hemisphere to the other, would the direction it spins change, and how would this affect the system, would it stall or disapate.
Hmmm — must have been the one I missed - thanks for the education
sorry - .mick
Chip =- amazing photographs
woody - excellent question - never actually seen a weather pattern cross the equator in the way you’re suggesting, maybe the coriolis force makes them fizzle out?
Just a (sick) thought -------
what happens if you live on the Equator - how does the dunny flush there?
Chip =- amazing photographs
woody - excellent question - never actually seen a weather pattern cross the equator in the way you’re suggesting, maybe the coriolis force makes them fizzle out?
that wave was UNBELIEVABLE , Silverback …the guy survived two sections that the bottom dropped out of …freefell into the next section ! And, made the wave , SOMEHOW !! [Doubtless , it will appear in magazines world-wide, eventually]
On the wind thing , OUR weather patterns [winds / fronts] die out going across Australia [a few thousand miles ] …so , I’m guessing …I’m certainly not a meteorologist , but …maybe the same deal north , even over water ? [Isn’t the equator the area where the ‘doldrums’ are encountered ??]
ben
Straight up? Sorry, couldn’t resist.
My meager knowledge has me remembering that all winds on the planet have their birth at the equator. And, if memory further serves me well, the term doldrums has also been used to define a belt of calms and light winds between the northern and southern trade winds of the Atlantic and Pacific. And I had to look this next bit up and edit my post because my college geography is many years buried in my sclerotic brain. Between about 30° to 35° north and 30° to 35° south of the equator lies the region known as the horse latitudes or the subtropical high. Tradition states that sailors gave the region of the subtropical high the name “horse latitudes” because ships relying on wind power were becalmed. Fearful of running out of food and water, sailors threw their horses and cattle, and maybe annoying shipmates, overboard to save on provisions. Why didn’t they eat the horses and cattle? Any way, if they had had facilities, I doubt they would have worried much about which way the water swirled.
Another more rigid reference: doldrums are between 5 degrees north and 5 degrees south latitudes. Or at work on any given day when the surf is good.
Ain’t trivia fun? Too much time on my hands today.
apology accepted silverback. its called sarcasm/taking the piss, something which the writers of the simpsons do exceptionally well. that episode was taking the piss out of the general perception that the usa has of australia.im actually not an asshole, im very widely travelled. have been on the road with americans many times. but you guys do tend to take offence very easily. which i suppose is the main difference between the two cultures. if you do come down here on your travels remember not to take anything too seriously and you will have a lot of fun. oh and you will be happy to know that i didnt end up going offroad up the beach in my 4wd cause the wind went northeast and the swell dropped off so the points i was going to surf went onshore. the ghost crabs and shallow water wading birds are safe from my murderous vehicle for another week or so. haha (only joking mate)
happy surfing…