What Is a Uniform Bore?

A "bore" is a large wave or series of waves that advance on a shallow, narrow inlet from a larger body of water. A "uniform bore" is a hypothetical bore created in laboratories to model bore behavior.

  1. Identification

    • In general, extreme low tides moving to higher tides cause bores. They can grow tens of feet high and travel between 10 to 20 miles per hour with immense amounts of force behind them.

    Formation

    • Because bores happen most often during extreme tide differentials, and because tides directly depend on gravitational pull from the moon, the chance for bores form in a five-day window around full or new moons. They occur when water rushes from a large body of water into a quiescent inlet caused by the tides.

    Geography

    • There are about 60 bores scattered throughout the world, as the conditions regarding their formation are a specific. Famous bores exist in Alaska and China.

    Uniform Bore

    • As experiments rely on replicating conditions from one test to the next, a "uniform bore" is the constant when studying the effects of bores. The depth of the wave, as well as the seabed, must be kept the same to glean valuable information on how bores affect the shore, the surf and the ecology of the bay/inlet they bombard.

    Warning

    • While uniform bores exist solely in labs, regular bores in nature attract thrill-seeking surfers who want to conquer the next big wave. However, bores are significantly taller and more destructive than average waves and pose significant, potentially life-threatening risks to adventurous surfers. Experts warn against trying to tame these forces of nature.