" >
Imagine your sink is full of water, then eventually, when you drain it, the water will go down the sink like a tornado in a birds eye view. That is what a whirlpool looks like. It is a swirling body of water produced by the meeting of opposing currents. Usually, it is because of the tides that a whirlpool is created. The majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. However, the more powerful ones are properly termed maelstroms. And the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft is Vortex.
One of the most powerful whirlpools is created in narrow, shallow straits with fast flowing water. If ever you have seen the Niagara Falls, then you can imagine the powerfully strong waterfalls which whirlpools can be quite strong compared to.
There had been several noted whirlpools in the world: the Saltstraumen in Norway, which reaches speeds of 37 km/h (23 mph); the Moskstraumen also in Norway (the original maelstrom), which reaches speeds of 27.8 km/h (17.3 mph); the Old Sow in Canada, which has been measured with a speed of up to 27.6 km/h (17.1 mph); the Naruto whirlpools in Japan, which has a speed of 20 km/h (12 mph); and the Corryvreckan in Scotland, which reaches speeds of 18 km/h (11 mph).
Many seafarers have been killed and boats were destroyed by the powerful whirlpools. However, because of gossip and the exchange of words by mouth, stories have been changed and exaggerations have been passed down. If you have heard the tales like those by Paul the Deacon, Edgar Allan Poe, and Jules Verne, then you should know that those are entirely fictional.
