what is a "rouge" wave?

Question

.. i was viewing the "History" channel and they were describing... during a storm...

Answer 1

A rogue wave is a wave that is disproportionately large to other waves in the immediate vicinity.
Apparently, these waves are created through chance as smaller waves combine and build into this larger wave.
When you combine the expanse of the ocean with a non-stop creation of smaller waves you get a situation where something that is statistically improbable eventually will happen.
Rogue waves have been recently found to be much more prevalent than had been formerly believed, and likely are the cause of many disasters at sea.

Answer 2

Rogue waves, also known as freak waves, are relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface waves which can sink even large ships and ocean liners. In oceanography, they are more concisely defined as waves that are more than double the significant wave height (SWH), which is itself defined as the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record.

Answer 3

its an extra large wave that catches you unaware