Bitches

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Coordinates: 51 ° 51 ′ 51 ″  N , 5 ° 19 ′ 30 ″  W.

Map: United Kingdom
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Bitches
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United Kingdom

The bitches are tidal waves in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park off the coast of Wales . Due to the tide , these waves occur every 12½ hours. They can be surfed on a kayak or surfboard .

location

The waves originate at the north end of the strait between Ramsey Island and the coast of the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire . The strait is a little over two kilometers wide there.

Tidal waves "bitches"
Coast at St. David's with Ramsey Island, the northern limit of St. Brides Bay

The waves

The waves are tidal waves, as they normally arise in estuaries with a clear tidal range . The bitches, however, arise in a strait, i.e. on the open sea. The tidal current is forced through a strait. This increases the flow rate significantly. Eddy water forms on the rocky banks , sometimes over a kilometer long. The waves build up due to the rocks under water and the nature of the ground. They are only stable for a relatively short time before and after floods. The tidal range must be at least six and a half meters for the waves to form, from seven meters the waves are constant. The waves are particularly pronounced at full or new moon .

Sporting importance

The bitches are a point of contact for surfers or kayak drivers . Due to the location of the waves in the open sea and the sometimes unpredictable current courses, the place harbors dangers. It can swirl form and rocks lie just below the water surface. In 1991 the first world championship in canoe rodeo, now known as playboating , took place here. The German Jan Kellner became world champion.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Jens Klatt: Visiting the Bitches. In: KANU-Magazin , No. 6/2008, ISSN  1436-7750 , pp. 28–31.