The mean wave height at the time of this photo was 5-10 meters, when this monster 25 meter wave washed across the bow of a supertanker!!

here's the article

I really like how the scientists predicted that such giant waves would only occur ONCE every 10,000 yrs. But a global survey of the oceans found that during a short survey, there were 10 waves around the world in excess of 25 meters in height.

cool stuff

 

Whoa. I clicked on the link and saw, "ESA" and immediately thought, "Eastern Surfing Association." I thought, wait, is this going to be an article about some crazy bastards trying to surf a 75 foot wave????

Anyway, that's a lot of water moving across the ocean. I used to know the formula for calculating wave height, given windspeed, distance over flat water, and other stuff, but that was back in college. I hate forgetting things.