Friday, July 03, 2009

Found While Looking for Something Else


This is the Corryvrechan Whirpool off the coast of Scotland just north of Jura. A pretty dangerous thing these people did to film it. But a fascinating video resulted nonetheless.


Here's part of what the Bruidhladdich website had to say:
To the North of Jura is found the fearsome Corryvreckan whirlpool. A natural phenomenon which is visible from the shore. An evil place. Twice a day the ocean tidal surge of water is funnelled between the long coast of Kintyre and the equally long Isle of Jura; the bulge of water is squished through a shallow and narrow channel between the North Coast of Jura and the Island of Scarba at 9 knots. With the floor of the channel shallowing from 200 metres to 60 metres and at the same time a rock pinnacle, like a finger, rising up from the sea bed to 29 metres from the surface, there is no surprise that the whirlpool was once described as a 'conflux so dreadful that it spurns all description. At the distance of 12 miles a most dreadful noise, as if all the infernal powers had been let loose, is heard ... and an eddy is formed which would swallow up the largest ship of the line.' It is further amplified when the strong current flowing from the east meets very strong westerly winds.

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