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Old 11-03-2011, 21:27   #1
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Head for Deep Water ?

Did you or anyone you know leave harbor and head for deep water before the tsunami on the U.S. west coast or Hawaii?

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Old 11-03-2011, 23:56   #2
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Re: Head for deep water?

Yes, quite a few left from here on Oahu. I had my engine apart for cleaning and painting so did not go but got lucky with only minor damage. Of course, those that went out were fine, but had nothing to come back to in Keehi Lagoon as all three marinas there are destroyed. Looks like Ala Wai did not get hit as bad.
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Old 12-03-2011, 00:03   #3
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Re: Head for deep water?

Astrid has emailed me to say shes left Queen Charlotte City and headed off shore.
All is well and shes heading back home later today.
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Old 12-03-2011, 00:42   #4
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Re: Head for deep water?

Was preparing to head to the boat (Ala Wai), then the sirens went off and everybody was evacuated from the marina, I'm guessing most were in the middle of making a decision of go/no go when that happened. Even though the tsunami itself dissipated, damage to the marinas would have been caused by the extreme tidal flows that persisted today. My boat was going up and down almost two feet every few minutes, and that's eight hours after the main waves arrived. Saw quite a bit of damage to boats moored on fixed piers, they kept getting caught underneath.

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Old 12-03-2011, 01:11   #5
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Re: Head for deep water?

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Originally Posted by anjou View Post
Astrid has emailed me to say shes left Queen Charlotte City and headed off shore.
All is well and shes heading back home later today.
Thanks for letting us know, Anjou
Give her our best when you next reply to her.
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Old 12-03-2011, 01:29   #6
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Re: Head for deep water?

I found it amazing that here in the Philippines; the Coast Guard forbade any vessels from leaving port. Their ignorance about the dangers from a Tsunami is quite astounding.

We did not feel even a ripple in Subic Bay which I felt quite confident about otherwise I would have left anyway.

What I do need to understand better is why some areas on the US West Coast had such massive surges and others not?

What were the conditions necessary to make it an event?

Is the main thrust from a tsunami more directional than omni directional?
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Old 12-03-2011, 01:51   #7
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Re: Head for deep water?

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What were the conditions necessary to make it an event? Is the main thrust from a tsunami more directional than omni directional?
As I understand it, tsunami waves develp more power coming ashore on a gradually sloping sea floor. Hawaii's profile is very steep, so the waves don't have as much of a chance to develop before coming ashore. The net effect of a tsunami is directional as far as a major landmass is concerned, and omnidirectional for islands, which cause the wave to wrap around them.

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Old 12-03-2011, 01:55   #8
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Re: Head for deep water?

Most of the boats in Honokohau Harbor, along with me, went to sea. Harbor has 'issues' with strong surge normally associated with big wave conditions in the winter. Two boats sunk that stayed in the harbor. Strong surge conditions prevailed 18 hours after the Tsunami wave first hit and harbor closed till things had settled down. Long wait at sea for conditions to ameliorate in the harbor.
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Old 12-03-2011, 04:26   #9
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Re: Head for deep water?

From the area where the tsunami originates, (omnidirectional) waves travel outward in all directions. Once the wave approaches the shore, it builds in height. The topography of the coastline and the ocean floor will influence the size of the wave. There may be more than one wave and the succeeding one may be larger than the one before. That is why a small tsunami at one beach can be a giant wave a few miles away.

Life of a Tsunami ➥ Tsunamis and Earthquakes -Basics - USGS WCMG

More Tsunami Links ➥
Tsunamis and Earthquakes Links - USGS PCMSC
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Old 12-03-2011, 04:43   #10
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Re: Head for deep water?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pelagic View Post
I found it amazing that here in the Philippines; the Coast Guard forbade any vessels from leaving port. Their ignorance about the dangers from a Tsunami is quite astounding.

We did not feel even a ripple in Subic Bay which I felt quite confident about otherwise I would have left anyway.

What I do need to understand better is why some areas on the US West Coast had such massive surges and others not?

What were the conditions necessary to make it an event?

Is the main thrust from a tsunami more directional than omni directional?
I had heard when I was in Alaska , about the 64 quake, that tsunami waves built water in a long, narrow bay there to the point where the water reached the top near the end ...around 100 feet!
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Old 12-03-2011, 04:57   #11
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Re: Head for deep water?

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I had heard when I was in Alaska , about the 64 quake, that tsunami waves built water in a long, narrow bay there to the point where the water reached the top near the end ...around 100 feet!
Didn't that one take out a light house too, seem to remember reading about it.

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Old 12-03-2011, 05:04   #12
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Re: Head for deep water?

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Didn't that one take out a light house too, seem to remember reading about it.

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there were probably many bays affected...don't remember if the bay I was at was the same as the lighthouse one.
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Old 12-03-2011, 05:47   #13
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Re: Head for deep water?

I think that the largest tsunami wave height for the ‘64 Alaskan ‘quake was reported at Shoup Bay, Valdez Inlet at ± 220 feet (67 meters).
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Old 12-03-2011, 11:09   #14
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Re: Head for Deep Water ?

Tsunamis come in a series of waves often building in size. Believe the 1960 Tsunami in Hilo had a high death toll because the third wave was the largest. Hilo Bay drained successively before each wave and people went fishing. Third wave caught a bunch of people.

Biggest problem with suviving being caught in a Tsunami Wave is not swimming but being crushed by all the debris tha's in the water. If you look at the pictures of the Japanese quake, you don't see water, just all the stuff floating in the water covering the entire wave.

Tsunamis in confined bays have had tremendous wave heights. Believe there is evidence of waves in some areas reaching a 1,000' or more. There was a tsunami in Alaska caused by a glacier calving that set a boat way inland at about 200' elevation IIRC. Fortunately that was a very localized occurence in a remote area. The science of forecasting Tsunami wave action is in it's infancy. With all the large quakes recently, the scientists are learning fast, however.
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Old 12-03-2011, 11:58   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pelagic
I found it amazing that here in the Philippines; the Coast Guard forbade any vessels from leaving port. Their ignorance about the dangers from a Tsunami is quite astounding.
I've been astounded by my own ignorance about tsunami dynamics.

We're still getting surges here in Sausalito, more than 24 hours after the original event. This morning I went out for a paddle on my sea kayak. As per my usual practice, I decided to head against the tide for the first leg so that I could ride the tide home once I'm less fresh. We had an ebb this morning, so I headed up Richardson Bay against the ebb. Maybe ten minutes into the padding, however, a new surge came through, and I was suddenly going with a current of at least three knots. I rode that for maybe half an hour until the current reversed itself, flowing down the bay at that point more strongly than the original ebb. So I turned my yak around and rode the ebb/surge back to my marina.

Covered about six nautical miles, and was only out for an hour. Feeling like superman, I was.
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