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This was published 8 months ago

Perth mates' video of unique ocean spectacle off Western Australian coast goes viral online

Eleanor Wilson

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A unique ocean phenomenon off the Western Australian coast has gone viral online after a pair of Perth thrillseekers used a drone to capture it on video.

Years ago, producer Chris White discovered the unique wave, in which two separate swells appear to plough into each other and spout several metres into the air, 60 kilometres off the south coast.

"It's been on my mind ever since, wanting to go back," White said.

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Perth mates Chris White and Ben Allen captured the phenomenon on a drone from a jetski.

Perth mates Chris White and Ben Allen captured the phenomenon on a drone from a jetski. Nine

"It's definitely a freak of nature. I've travelled the world looking for waves like that."

After first coming across the wave by accident, he returned to the remote location years later with his friend Ben Allen.

The pair captured the spectacle with a drone from a jet ski in the isolated waters.

"It's insanely scary because you are so far removed from any help," Allen said.

"The video doesn't actually capture how big that wave was," White said.

"To be that close to it. To hear it and to get all the spray over you. The energy coming from that. It's like nothing else."

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The ocean phenomenon depicts two separate swells smash against each other and spout several metres into the air.

The ocean phenomenon depicts two separate swells smash against each other and spout several metres into the air. Nine

The footage was posted to Instagram and viewed more than 7 million times in two days.

"Every time someone talks about it or I see the video, I get goosebumps. It was pretty special when we arrived and saw that spout going," Allen said.

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It's even attracted the attention of experts at the University of Western Australia, who are keen to take a further look.

"It seems to be some sort of combination of the perfect swell conditions and then the reef geometry and the water depth at the site," University of WA Oceans Institute Dr Arnold Van Rooijen said.

Allen and White are planning to return to the site with their surfer mates who hope to become the first people to ride the incredible wave.

But they're keeping the location a secret for now.

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"I couldn't even tell my family or my wife where I was going," Allen joked.

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