{"id":176444,"date":"2025-12-12T04:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T17:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/?p=176444"},"modified":"2025-12-11T10:57:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T23:57:32","slug":"committee-for-lorne-surfing-a-tsunami-wave-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/news\/committee-for-lorne-surfing-a-tsunami-wave-really\/","title":{"rendered":"Committee for Lorne: Surfing a Tsunami wave … really?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Surfing a Tsunami wave … really?<\/strong><\/p>\n

On July 30th<\/sup>, 2025, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck just off the east coast of Kamchatka [Russia]. \u00a0Equivalent in Richter magnitude to the 1906 Ecuador\/Colombia and 2010 Chile quakes, it ranks equal sixth among the most severe since modern seismometers were introduced in the late 1800s.<\/p>\n

As warnings of a catastrophic tsunami sounded around the Pacific rim and more than two million people were evacuated to higher ground, big wave hopefuls waxed their boards and watched from the headlands for the approaching wave[s] …\u00a0 a macabre example of one man\u2019s tragedy being another man\u2019s opportunity!<\/p>\n

However, the waves never came, and within 24 hours, emergency measures were downgraded, people returned home, and the disappointed surfers put their board wax away and went back to the pub. \u00a0Only one indirect fatality and 21 injuries resulted\u2014all related to the evacuations, and all in Japan.<\/p>\n

Given the catastrophic outcome of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake [230,000 deaths] and the 2011 Fukushima disaster [19,300 deaths], one can’t blame the authorities for erring on the side of caution.\u00a0 But a lesser yet interesting side question has been debated: can a surfer ride a tsunami wave, as some have claimed?<\/p>\n

Wave \u2018anatomy\u2019 is straightforward, as all waves\u2014water, sound, electrical energy, or light\u2014use the same terminology and conform to the same general sine wave pattern. \u00a0Basic wave criteria include: wavelength, speed, and height [in surfing, a matter of heated debate], with frequency [the number over a given time], periodicity [the gap between waves], and total energy completing the mix.\u00a0 With ocean waves, there are two main creative forces: surface wind and a disturbance at the ocean floor, where massive volumes of water suddenly upwell after an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.<\/p>\n

While some brave [or foolhardy] surfers enjoy riding massive waves for the adrenaline rush [and kudos] they bring, these are not tsunami waves but wind-blown waves that have been magnified by geological quirks.\u00a0 The most famous example is Praia do Norte [Nazar\u00e9, Portugal], where an undersea canyon funnels, amplifies, then throws seasonal Atlantic swells against a coastline so shaped that it reflects the waves back against each other to form a peak of astonishing size.\u00a0 As luck would have it, the peak offers left and right \u2018escape\u2019 shoulders [off-ramps] to permit safe exit. \u00a0Huge … yes, but a tsunami wave … no.<\/p>\n

As an author-paraphrased New Zealand government website [https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/4cf9cwkd<\/a>] explains: \u201c… for a surfer to ride a wave, the wave must have a \u2018face,\u2019 but tsunami waves, with their long wavelengths, immense energy, astounding speed, and vast volumes of water, are fundamentally different, lack a \u2018face\u2019, and are not surfable.\u00a0 Attempting to do so would be extremely dangerous. \u00a0Tsunami waves travel at incredible speeds in the open ocean [up to 800 km\/h and as fast as a jet plane], and though they slow as they reach shallower coastal waters due to the rubble, mud, and organic ocean detritus they push before them.\u201d<\/p>\n

One surfing blog site [https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/55zuv7pm<\/a>] accords the world record for the fastest speed on a surfboard to Josh Enslin [81 km\/h in 2017], which surpassed the previous record set by Layne Beachley [78.26 km\/h].\u00a0 The fastest wave ever surfed was recorded at 62.3 km\/h [Note: as a surfer traverses the face of an incoming wave, the traversing speed is added to direct forward speed\u2014hence the discrepancy].<\/p>\n

One \u201cI surfed a tsunami\u201d<\/em> story that holds credence is that of big wave rider, Felipe Pomars, a legendary Peruvian who, with a 1965 World Surf Championship podium win and a series of podium finishes in the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational, deserves significant respect for his story.\u00a0 In October 1974, he records that he \u2018rode\u2019 a tsunami wave, though his ride was more a chance battle for survival than one of \u2018whoopee, what fun\u2019<\/em> intent.\u00a0 Felipe\u2019s tale in Wavelength magazine [https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/3tmy2hu2<\/a>] is a heady mix of personal heroism and a whole lot of luck.<\/p>\n

While a handful of surfers have made less certain claims, Felipe\u2019s surf-to-survive experience is the most credible. \u00a0As for the \u201cOh, goodie, here comes a tsunami … let’s paddle out<\/em>\u201d idea, it is not smart thinking.\u00a0 Rather, it should always be: \u201cTsunami Alert? … quit dreaming, head for the hills [literally], and let the board fend for itself!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So … why are wind-generated and tsunami waves so different? \u00a0Comparing the two:<\/p>\n