The final answer for surfers is simple. Do not try to surf a tsunami wave because it is simply not possible to do so. If you're looking for pure adrenaline, try a tidal bore wave. It's fun, fast, and safe.
On a tsunami, there's no face, so there's nothing for a surfboard to grip. And remember, the water isn't clean, but filled with everything dredged up from the sea floor and the land the wave runs over—garbage, parking meters, pieces of buildings, dead animals. This is not what you want to be caught paddling around in.
Hawaii tow-in surfing team Garrett McNamara and Kealii Mamala have just returned from Alaska where they became the first - and possibly last - surfers to successfully ride glacier-generated tsunami waves of up to 25 feet.
One survival story gaining attention around the world is that of Lisala Folau, a 57-year-old Tongan man who claims he swam for more than 24 hours after he was swept out to sea by the tsunami waves the eruption triggered.
A tsunami usually isn't a breaking wave and doesn't have clear water to surf on. It's also far too fast to surf safely, and it doesn't end at the beach – instead, it travels long distances inland over a long period before receding back to the coast.
If you are in the water, then grab onto something that floats, such as a raft or tree trunk. If you are in a boat, face the direction of the waves and head out to sea. If you are in a harbor, go inland.
If you're too close to powerful tsunami waves, you're at risk of being dragged inshore onto hard land. Just like in drift diving – only much stronger and faster – there is the risk of crashing into underwater structures, being knocked unconscious or sustaining fatal blows.
There are still people missing from the 2004 tsunami in India because the current dragged them back out to sea. It's crucial to hold on to something as the force of the first wave recedes into the ocean. So no, you can't hide in a pool. Waves overpower sea walls during a tsunami event.
Boats are safer from tsunami damage while in the deep ocean ( > 100 m) rather than moored in a harbor. But, do not risk your life and attempt to motor your boat into deep water if it is too close to wave arrival time. Anticipate slowdowns caused by traffic gridlock and hundreds of other boaters heading out to sea. 4.
Some of the most notable are Mark Foo, who died surfing Mavericks on 23 December 1994; Donnie Solomon, who died exactly a year later at Waimea Bay; Todd Chesser, who died at Alligator Rock on the North Shore of Oahu on 14 February 1997; Peter Davi, who died at Ghost Trees on 4 December 2007; Sion Milosky, who died ...
Tsunamis generally reach a maximum vertical height onshore, called a run-up height, of no more than 100 feet above sea level. A notable exception was the 1958 tsunami triggered by a landslide in a narrow bay on Alaska's coast. Its over 1,700-foot wave was the largest ever recorded for a tsunami.
The current world record wave height is 62.3 feet measured by a buoy in the North Atlantic Ocean at 6am UTC on February 4, 2013 at 59 degrees north, 11 degrees west. It was located between Iceland and the United Kingdom. The wave followed the passage of a strong cold front that produced winds of 50 mph in the area.
Number one on our list of marine animals that can pose a danger to surfers is the shark. Although shark attacks on humans are relatively rare, their ambush tactics and ferocity make fearing them easy.
When a tsunami reaches shore, it may appear as a rapidly rising or falling tide, a series of breaking waves, or even a tidal bore. Reefs, bays, entrances to rivers, undersea features and the slope of the beach all help to modify the tsunami as it approaches the shore.
Even if a tsunami wave may have been 1 meter of less in the deep ocean, it may grow into a huge 30-35 meter wave when it sweeps over the shore. Thus, tsunami waves may smash into the shore like a wall of water or move in as a fast moving flood or tide - carrying everything on their path.
Most current submarines can survive at a depth of 400 m, so they might survive long pressure spikes created by the waves above them as high as 200–400 m, but not kilometer size waves. Submarines are also designed to withstand short pressure spikes from close explosions of deep charges and even nuclear explosions.
If you feel more than 20 seconds of very strong ground shaking and are in a tsunami hazard zone, evacuate as soon as it is safe to do so. If you are on the beach or in a harbor and feel an earthquake-no matter howsmall-immediately move inland or to high ground. GO ON FOOT. Roads and bridges may be damaged.
Do not go near the shore to watch a tsunami hit. If you can see it, you are too close to escape. Should a tsunami occur and you cannot get to higher ground, stay inside where you are protected from the water. It's best to be on the landward side of the house, away from windows.
They can rise 35m or higher – that's the same as a 10-floor block of flats! However, the scariest thing about a tsunami is its wavelength, as this determines how far inland it can travel. Whereas a large wave caused by a storm might have a wavelength of up to 150m, a tsunami could reach up to a fearsome 1,000km!
If your community does not have a tsunami evacuation plan, identify a safe place at least 100 feet (30 meters) above sea level or at least 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. Be ready to move quickly to higher ground or inland. Don't wait for an official alert. If you are near the coast, a tsunami could follow an earthquake.
A diver, for instance, will hardly survive a tsunami because he will be caught by violent spinning currents. Let's not forget that a tsunami can travel as far as 10 miles (16 kilometers) inland, and its waves generally measure between 10 and 100 feet (3-30 meters) in height.
Natural tsunami warnings include strong or long earthquakes, a loud roar (like a train or an airplane) from the ocean, and unusual ocean behavior. The ocean could look like a fast-rising flood or a wall of water. Or, it could drain away suddenly, showing the ocean floor, reefs and fish like a very low, low tide.