Jasper Techel

The mystery of the monster waves

The oceans harbor destructive forces. The most dangerous are towering rogue waves. Numerous shipping disasters are attributed to them. How do they arise? And where do they occur most frequently? In recent years, marine researchers have tried to better understand this phenomenon. Christmas, 2023: The power goes out on the cruise ship MS Maud. A huge wave in the North Sea has shattered the bridge windows, and water is pouring in. The ship is no longer navigable. Only by luck does a major catastrophe avoid it. Until the mid-1990s, it was unknown whether such high and destructive waves even existed. That is until a huge, almost 30-meter-high wave was recorded unequivocally on an oil rig for the first time. Today, researchers estimate that a rogue wave can reach up to 35 meters high. The danger: Rogue waves appear seemingly out of nowhere, always occur suddenly, and even the most modern ship designs cannot withstand the extreme forces of rogue waves. Many in the shipping industry are therefore alarmed. Marine researchers have been trying to better understand this phenomenon in recent years. Their latest findings offer the chance to unravel the dangerous forces of the oceans. 

PROD YEAR | 2024 

​LENGTH | 52' (GER)​

DIRECTOR | Fabian Korbinian Wolf

PRODUCTION | Autentic Studios

CO PRODUCER | arte

CINEMATOGRAPHY | Jasper Techel | Rasmus Sievers | Felix Besser

​​