Never Underestimate the Raw Power of the Ocean

As many of you may have noticed, I haven’t been around much on the blog this summer.  Work, travel, and PhD applications have gotten in the way of my time and energy to blog.

Last week, I returned home from a week in Maine, where I visited Acadia National Park.  One of the many stops along the beautiful scenic drive that is Park Loop Road is a site called Thunder Hole.

Thunder Hole is one of the more popular destinations in Acadia National Park.  When the waves roll in, the air and water is forced out of the narrow chasm, which creates a big booming sound similar to thunder.  The best time to see Thunder Hole is during the incoming tide, between two hours after low tide and two hours before high tide.

On a normal viewing day, Thunder Hole looks something like this:

Last week, I was there in time to see Hurricane Bill’s effect on the coast of Maine. Already, the National Parks Service had posted a warning sign.

It was clear to see why. Below is video footage I took at around noon on August 22, 2009, when Hurricane Bill was still more than 450 miles away.

If I thought Thunder Hole was bad then, it was nothing compared to the following day, when an estimated 10,000 people stood along the shores of Acadia to watch the storm. The surf report described it in one word: epic. Twenty-four hours after I stood there, a rogue wave knocked several people into the 55 degree weather, resulting in the death of 7 year old Clio Axilrod, from New York City. Many others, who were not swept out to sea, got out on their own, having sustained only broken bones and dislocated shoulders. The story ran in the New York Times and CNN.

I kept searching for video footage, to see how drastically things had changed in 24 hours. I lucked out when I found the following video posted on YouTube:

Never underestimate the raw power of the ocean, or the fury of Mother Nature.