Incredibly Rare Frozen ‘Slurpee’ Waves Spotted On The Coast Of Nantucket
When the temperature gets below 30°F, the last thing you want to do is go outside. However, some people aren’t bothered by cold at all, so much so they don’t mind taking a dip in a literally freezing ocean. On January 2nd Nick Hayden and Jamie Briard got into their wetsuits and went out surfboarding. Their friend, photographer Jonathan Nimerfroh, joined in with his camera in order to capture the crazy surfers enjoying this rare phenomenon of frozen, Slurpee-like waves.
Although the idea of getting in the water when it’s only 12°F (-11°C) doesn’t sound fun at all, both surfers had a blast. “[They were] hooting and hollering and holding up giant icebergs above their heads in neoprene gloved hands,” described Nimerfroh, who was running up and down the shore the whole time taking pictures. The photographer counts himself as “very lucky” as it is the second time he’s witnessed the Slurpee waves (see our first post about it here).
The ice crystals form in the ocean waves when the temperature gets below 28.4°F (-2°C), which is the freezing point of salt water. Still, the waters are usually too restless for the ice particles to appear, so this occurrence is extremely rare and often short-lived – the photographer told Live Science that the Slurpee-like consistency of the waves lasted only for about 3 hours.
Scroll down to look at the amazing pictures and the daredevils that took the challenge of surfing them.
More info: official page | facebook | instagram | Jamie Briard’s instagram | Nick Hayden instagram (h/t colossal)
These Slurpee-like waves were spotted on January 2nd at Nobadeer Beach in Nantucket
This rare phenomenon happens when ice particles form in cold (below 28.4°F / -2°C) and calm ocean waters
And they’re not just pretty to look at – they are also surfable
Photographer Jonathan Nimerfroh captured his friends enjoying this rare occurrence
The temperature of water that day dropped to biting 12°F (-11°C) but it didn’t stop the surfers
Nick Hayden and Jamie Briard sported fully covering wetsuits to protect themselves from the freezing cold
The first time Nimerfroh captured the waves on camera in 2015 the pictures instantly went viral
“Slurpee waves are the kind of thing you might only be lucky enough to see once, so I count myself as very lucky to have seen them twice,” claimed the photographer
The Slurpee waves, however, don’t stay like that for too long. According to the photographer, after about 3 hours the ocean was back to normal
Check out the video footage of this amazing phenomenon
Got wisdom to pour?
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