Freak waves damage two waterpolo pitches

Freak waves hit parts of the northeastern coast of Malta on Sunday, dragging sunbathers into the water and damaging a newly assembled waterpolo pitch in Sliema costing some €50,000.

The waves started at about 2 p.m., initially growing moderately but followed by two to three very large waves a minute later. The powerful surge dragged some 10 sunbeds at Sliema pitch, with the people on top of them, into the pool. Their belongings, including mobile phones and laptops, were also carried into the water by the wave.

The pontoon, a canopy and railings were damaged by the waves and swimmers and members helped to carry the club’s equipment to a higher level at the pitch.

“It was only the swell as the sea further out was not rough,” Sliema Aquatic Sports Club president Michael Gatt said.

The waves not only hit the Sliema pitch. Spinola Bay in St Julians was also struck, as were Mellieħa and parts of Buġibba.

In Spinola, swimmers had to be evacuated. There, too, there was some damage to the ropes marking the waterpolo pitch, club vice-president Brian Schembri said.

Witnesses said the swell carried on for several hours, until approximately 1 a.m.

The phenomenon was unusual for this time of year, both club officials agreed, and was usually associated with strong winds, which were not present on Sunday.

Very close to the incident, at Portomaso, the Physical Oceanography Unit has equipment to monitor sea level variations.

This, however, only measures long-period waves which are “totally different” to the waves which occurred on Sunday, Aldo Drago from the unit said.

“It is a pity because a wave buoy which could have measured these waves was placed in the sea some two weeks ago but this was vandalised,” he pointed out.

A swell is a type of wave which comes from far away due to a storm somewhere else. However, on checking the weather report in the Mediterranean yesterday, there did not seem to be any particular storm, he said.

“So I have no idea where this swell came from.”

It was unlikely that the waves were caused by a tremor because those would have been picked up by the monitoring system at Portomaso, he continued.

Mr Drago highlighted the need for a proper observing system to be able to interpret such phenomena.

A trail of white foam could be seen along the Sliema coastline in the afternoon yesterday, similar to a white sludge close to Delimara. In the south of the island, sources attributed it to some fish farms. It had a bad odour and bathers had to give up swimming because of the sludge. It is not known, however, if it is connected to the freak swell.