Whirlpools are caused where ocean currents, tidal flows, winds and irregularities in the coastline and ocean floor combine to form a swirling mass of water. Whirlpools powerful enough to produce a twisting vortex capable of sucking boats down beneath the surface are rare and only found near coasts, not in open seas. The Charybdis whirlpool, which is found between Sicily and mainland Italy, is a well-known example.
A whirlpool is a body of swirling water formed when two opposing currents meet. Whirlpools may form wherever water is flowing, from creeks and streams to rivers and seas. Any whirlpool that contains a downdraft – one capable of sucking objects beneath the water’s surface – is called a vortex. Whirlpools also form at the base of waterfalls and man-made structures such as dams.
Most of these phenomena are not very powerful. Even the swirling water formed when the stopper is removed from a sink or bath could properly be called a whirlpool. There are, however, some very powerful and dangerous whirlpools. A maelstrom is defined as a particularly “large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.” Maelstroms typically form in the ocean near narrow straights as a result of the tides.
Whirlpools are not, in fact, bottomless pits. Experiments have shown that whirlpools often pull objects to the bottom of the sea bed. They may then be moved along the sea floor by ocean currents. If the object can float, it may come back to the surface a long way from where the whirlpool is located.
Large ships are generally in no danger from whirlpools, although some reports from ancient history say otherwise. It is thought that the mythical Charybdis of the Greeks may have been a whirlpool off the coast of Sicily, capable of swallowing small ships. Small boats and swimmers must use caution around whirlpools. As with any other current, the moving water can overpower a swimmer and pull him beneath the water, causing drowning.
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