Whirlpools
Where they occur: Off the coast of Japan, Norway, the USA and Scotland
Max size: 75m (250ft) in diameter – Old Sow, USA
Max speed: 27.8kmph (17.3mph) - Moskstraumen off the coast of Norway
Casualties: Tidal whirlpools do not have enough power to capsize boats, although the vortex could easily drown a swimmer or diver
As ocean tides rise and fall, they sometimes produce rotating currents known as whirlpools. Some whirlpools have a downward pull, known as a vortex.
Japan’s Naruto whirlpool is one of the world’s most famous examples. Found in the strait which connects the Seto Inland Sea to the Pacific Ocean, the Naruto whirlpool has the third fastest current in the world, at 20kmph (12.4mph), and a vortex of up to 20m (65ft) in diameter. Water rushes through the strait four times a day, creating a huge swirling whirlpool that attracts many tourists and observers.
The whirlpool with the world’s fastest current is the Moskstraumen, off the coast of Norway - its speed is almost matched by the wonderfully named Old Sow, which is between New Brunswick and Maine in the USA.
http://www.yourdiscovery.com/earth/water/whirlpools/index.shtml
They don’t fool me. That giant sucking sound isn’t a whirlpool. It’s Obama’s Budget Plan.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/bulletins-1981-02-eng.htm
The second link notes the whirlpools abundant in these straits.
I had the dubious pleasure of manning the helm on the USCG Sedge (buoy tender) as a seaman in the early 70’s.
The big brass helm wheel was spinning rather violently, by me, just in order to keep the compass heading.
Between the currents and the whirlpools, quite a ride.