Why the rough seas?

I know I said I wasn't going to update again until Hawaii, but I thought there was a need to explain why we are experiencing such bad weather. Here is an excerpt from the Dean's memo that we get everyday:

Weather Update: Why is it so Rough?
The MV Explorer has diverted from its planned route to Hawaii to avoid a massive storm that is still pummeling the West Coast of the United States. The storm slammed the West Coast yesterday with hurricane-force wind gusts, large hail, and torrential rains. Although we have avoided the worst of the storm, we continue to experience rough seas generated by one of the most powerful low pressure systems since record keeping began in the 1800s. The Captain is using the stabilizers to reduce the effects of the seas, and is maintaining moderate speed since we are on track for our arrival in Hilo. At present, Hawaii is experiencing good weather.

In short, it is getting impossible to do anything! So what do we college students do? We turn a negative till a positive of course! Tonight was probably my funnest night so far on the boat. A bunch of my friends and I hung out on the deck hanging out and playing games. Whenever a big wave would hit, we would have sliding races to see who can get to the other side of the boat the fastest. My friend also took a video of all of us college students rolling across the deck because of the big waves. I can't wait to show you guys how intense this rocking has gotten.