Great Whirl

The Great Whirl is an Ocean Gyre in the Indian Ocean which rotates clockwise during the Southwestern Monsoon. It lies off the coast of Somalia, below Socotra.

The Great Whirl covers an area between 250 to 350 miles (400-600 km) in diameter.
The surface current of the Great Whirl can reach 5 mph (7km/h).
It lasts for over 5 months, starting in April, before the onset of the Southwest Monsoon and weakens in September.
It is accompanied by a smaller clockwise rotation known as the Socotra Gyre, which operates to the east of Socotra, about 120 miles (200 km) northeast of the Great Whirl.
The Great Whirl produces two or three mini gyres or vortices on its boundary, that spin in the opposite direction, anti-clockwise.

February to September:
- The Somali Current flows Northeastward in a band 30-60 miles (48-96 km) wide, along the East Coast of Africa.
- During the Southwest Monsoon, which blows at a steady 30mph (48km/h) between May and June, the Current is at its strongest flow.
- Between June and August, this intense Current produces two main Eddies that rotate clockwise, the Great Whirl and a secondary Eddy known as the Socotra Gyre.

December to April:
- During the Northeast Monsoon, the Somali Current reverses to become a Southward Flow, reaching up to Latitude 10 degrees North, which includes most of the Somali Coastline. The Current is at its strongest in January.
- However, the current flows north between Socotra and the Horn of Africa, due to the Great Whirl.