Over the horizon you could see a cargo ship heading out...she's full of cargo that's for sure.
15-20 minutes go by and I hear what I believe is a boat going way to close to me. I somewhat disregard it, but after a bit I look over my shoulder and see the following.
It's a bit unsettling to hear the roar of a wave coming at you but this had happened to me before. All that white on the water is the wave breaking. You certainly don't want to be near that. Whenever I have this happen I recall the XMas tsunami from 2004. Obviously this is no where near that scale nor does it really do any noticeable damage. Yet it reminds one of the scale we really are in the big picture.
I've been out wading when that occurs and you certainly feel the pull of the water going out. That was more unsettling than being in a kayak. There's no where to run.
The wave is not that high, but on a negative tide the water displacement is enough to create a wall of water running the length of the flat. In some cases it can be a mile of more.
I've had this happen to me at Pine Key where yea ol' stinkpot suddenly went high and dry after a cruise ship went by. It's pretty interesting to see the water rush out and then come back in - in some cases it happens twice. The second being a smaller wave after it bounces back and forth from land.
Where I was that day I did not have to worry about being capsized, being swept away, flipping....the water simply pulls the kayak out at an accelerated rate and you just go "with the flow". The first time things are a bit unsettling, but once you realize that all's well it's back to fishing.
Just something to look/listen for the next time you see a full cargo ship go by.
