What Is a Maelstrom, and How Can It Affect Your Cruise Vacation?
Cruise ship passengers can encounter many dangerous situations as they travel, from civil unrest to rough seas. These risks can mean abduction, injury, or even death during cruises or port calls.
The term “maelstrom” might conjure images of storms or massive waves. However, this term refers to a specific sea condition that is almost always predictable. This means that cruise lines can usually plan their navigational routes to avoid these hazards. When a cruise ship is caught in a maelstrom, the cruise line may be responsible for any passenger injuries.
Take a closer look at exactly what a maelstrom is and how it can impact your Galveston cruise vacation.
Understanding Tides and Maelstroms
A maelstrom is not caused by weather. Instead, it is a tidal phenomenon that occurs in specific locations. Tides are the slow shifts in ocean surface elevation caused by the moon’s gravitational pull.
Since the tides depend on the location of the moon, they are tied to the moon’s rotational period of 24 hours and 50 minutes. During this period, an area will experience two high tides and two low tides. Thus, the tidal shift between high and low tides takes about six hours and 12.5 minutes.
This is where the concept of a maelstrom comes in. A maelstrom is a whirlpool that can happen in narrow passages or channels during the tidal shift. As the tide rises or falls, the water flowing through these passages must shift directions.
This sudden but powerful reversal causes opposing currents. The water traveling out of the channel then meets the water traveling into it, creating a whirlpool.
How a Maelstrom May Affect a Cruise Ship
A maelstrom isn’t as unpredictable as weather phenomena like hurricanes or geological phenomena like tsunamis. Cruise ship operators know where and when a maelstrom will form based on navigational charts and tidal schedules.
Moreover, a maelstrom is relatively weak. It cannot overcome a small boat, although the turbulence may be strong enough to cause it to swamp or even capsize. It might cause a cruise ship to rock, or it may be so weak that the ship’s size and stabilizing systems make the maelstrom’s effects unnoticeable to passengers.
As a result, a maelstrom will likely have little effect on a cruise vacation, whether it departs from Galveston or elsewhere. The ship’s crew can avoid areas known for forming maelstroms, and even if they pass through an area during the tidal shift, the whirlpool should not have the power to sink the ship.
Liability for Injuries Caused by a Maelstrom
Because maelstroms are so predictable, a boat crew might be liable for personal injuries caused by them. Specifically, excursion operators use small boats to transport tourists near maelstroms to see their unusual formation. If a boat captain gets unreasonably close to a maelstrom, that could be considered negligence, and their employer may be liable for any resulting injuries.
Similarly, a cruise ship crew might be negligent if it navigates the ship through an area during the formation of a maelstrom without checking the tidal tables or navigational charts. Although these whirlpools are usually not strong enough to damage a ship, they may rock it sufficiently to cause passengers to fall. The cruise operator might be at fault for these cruise injuries.
Contact Our Galveston Personal Injury Attorneys at The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
The risks to a cruise vacation posed by maelstroms in the ocean are relatively low in Galveston. These pockets of tidal turbulence are predictable and relatively weak compared to storms or other disturbances.
However, they may cause injuries if ship or boat crews negligently navigate near them. When that’s the case, a Galveston personal injury attorney may be able to help those injured recover compensation. Call The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.
The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers – Galveston Office
2101 Mechanic St. Suite 253
Galveston, TX 77550
(409) 207-9299
The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers – Friendswood Office
312 S. Friendswood Dr.
Friendswood, TX 77546
281-992-8633
