Hot stream in the ocean?? ANY IDEA..?

Question

Ok, I went snorkleing this weekend and was out past the beach area way more than a mile. The water was a bit cold but as I was coming back to shore I hit this spot that was so hot. It seemed like a stream of hot water flowing by, probley 4 foot wide. There was also that gross green sea weed on the top of the water. Any ideas on what this Hot stream of water was from??

Answer 1

You crossed a surface current.

The oceans are complex systems, always moving on many different levels.

Near seashores, and a mile is fairly close in, there are currents of warmer surface water, moving through and over colder undercurrents, and some areas are much more likely to have these types of currents.

Ripcurrents and undertows are examples of these "rivers" flowing within the ocean, and are sometimes a static, or stable feature in some areas, sometimes there just for a little while, when conditions are right.

Answer 2

someone couldn't hold it in...lol {not u} {like that other guy said >=(}

Answer 3

probly from the blood of all the babys your SOLDIER! is killing

Answer 4

The hot pocket was probably only warm.  Coming from a cold area it felt hot to you..the algae probably help to trap some of the heat in the water.

Try putting your hand in a bucket of really cold water for a bit then in another that is lukewarm...feels a lot warmer than what you know it to be.

Answer 5

You didn't say where you were snorkeling but it sounds like in the islands?

If so, you probably went across a thermal vent. Islands are volcanic and so are many shorelines on the mainland.

There is a lake I go to all the time that has a thermal vent that's been there for centuries. It's perfectly safe to swim there. It's possible that where you were, the same thing is going on.

It's also likely since the algae was indicative of a different set of conditions in that general area.