INCREDIBLE: 77 people surfing the same wave

77 people surf the same river wave

Gif from huffpost

Tidal bore wave in France ! Around 77 people surfed the same wave whether they were surfers, kayakers, paddlers, etc. It happened in the south-western part of France, at Dordogne river.

People are waiting for the wave to happen...

Surfing the wave...

What is a tidal bore ?

" Tidal bores are endless waves that occur at the mouth of a river when a full or new moon brings the rising tide in so strongly that it flushes the river with water. This generates waves that travel upstream, temporarily reversing the river's course. "

Tidal bores can be very dangerous. The National Geographic explains:

" A tidal bore can be quite violent. The bore often changes the color of the river from blue or green to brown as it whips up sediment. Tidal bores can tear vegetation like trees from their roots. This makes the recreation sports of river surfing and kayaking very dangerous. Surfers from China to Alaska have been pulled into the river, bay or ocean. Even watching a bore can be dangerous: Tidal waves have been known to sweep over lookout points and drag people to the churning river. "

As an example: the spectacular sight of Qiantang river tide (China) usually comes on the 18th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. Every year this tidal surge creates a huge wave that charges up the Qiantang River with the largest reaching a height of 29.5ft (around 8 meters) according to local media.

This year, it has been affected by the supermoon and the tide came with strong bores. It injured spectators after surging over the bank. People tried to escape the waves, fell on the ground after being hit, etc. Some people even died while watching this impressive phenomenon...

Pictures from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

 Tidal bores create 10-to-13-foot waves and last longer than usual. That is the reason why they attract so many surfers.

The windsurfer Robby Naish rode the Pororoca bore in the Amazon river 1,476 feet from bank to bank, setting the Guinness World Record for the widest ride of a river tidal bore.

Check it here !

If you want to check out other famous bores, have a look at the Alaska's Turnagain Arm.