Regarding the search, what height of wave brings about whitecaps, foam, and heavy spray? What height of wave then brings about the breakers that one sees in the video that was posted from the Telegraph? Does merely a confused sea cause a lot of foam or does there need to be a good blow over the water as well.
What I am trying to understand is how calm the sea and wind needs to be for even decent SAR spotting? I know they deploy in pretty foul weather, but I can imagine that a lot of white on the water makes the challenge a difficult one at best.