Tsunamis have been a nightmare for the inhabitants of the islands for all ages. These multi-meter waves swept away everything in their path with tremendous destructive force, leaving behind only bare earth and debris. The statistics of monstrous waves have been conducted by scientists since the nineteenth century, during this period more than a hundred tsunamis of various power were recorded. Do you know what were the biggest tsunamis in the world?

Tsunami: what is it?

It is not surprising that the term "tsunami" was first introduced by the Japanese. They suffered from giant waves most often, because the Pacific Ocean gives rise to the largest number of destructive waves than all other seas and oceans combined. This is due to the peculiarities of the relief of the ocean floor and the high seismicity of the region. In Japanese, the word "tsunami" consists of two hieroglyphs meaning a bay and a wave. Thus, the very meaning of the phenomenon is revealed - a wave in the bay, sweeping away all life on the coast.

When was the first tsunami recorded?

Of course, tsunamis have always suffered. Ordinary island residents came up with their own names for the killer waves and believed that the gods of the seas punish people by sending destructive waves at them.

For the first time, a tsunami was officially recorded and explained at the end of the sixteenth century. This was done by a monk of the Jesuit church, Jose de Acosta, he was in Peru, when a wave about twenty-five meters high hit the shore. She swept away all the settlements around in a few seconds and advanced ten kilometers deep into the continent.

Tsunami: causes and consequences

Tsunamis are most often caused by earthquakes and underwater volcanic eruptions. The closer the epicenter of the earthquake is to the coast, the stronger the killer wave will be. The largest tsunamis in the world that were recorded by mankind could reach speeds of up to one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour and exceed three hundred meters in height. Such waves do not leave a chance to survive for any of the living beings that are on their way.

If we consider the nature of this phenomenon, then briefly it can be explained as the simultaneous displacement a large number water masses. Eruptions or earthquakes raise the ocean floor sometimes by several meters, which causes water vibrations and forms several waves that diverge from the epicenter in different directions. Initially, they do not represent something terrible and deadly, but as they approach the coast, the speed and height of the wave increases, and it turns into a tsunami.

In some cases, tsunamis are formed as a result of giant landslides. During the twentieth century, about seven percent of all gigantic waves arose for this reason.

The consequences of the devastation left behind by the largest tsunamis in the world are terrible: thousands of human victims and hundreds of kilometers of land filled with debris and mud. In addition, in the disaster area, there is a high probability of the spread of infectious diseases due to the lack of drinking water and rotting of the bodies of the dead, the search for which is not always possible to organize in the shortest possible time.

Tsunami: is it possible to escape?

Unfortunately, world system tsunami warnings are still imperfect. IN best case people learn about the danger a few minutes before the wave hits, so it is necessary to know the signs of impending disaster and the rules for survival during a cataclysm.

If you are on the sea or ocean coast, then carefully follow the reports of earthquakes. A shaking of the earth's crust with a magnitude of about seven on the Richter scale that occurred somewhere nearby could serve as a warning of a possible tsunami strike. The approach of a killer wave gives out a sudden ebb - the ocean floor is quickly exposed for several kilometers. This is a clear sign of a tsunami. Moreover, the further the water goes, the stronger and more destructive the incoming wave will be. Animals often anticipate such natural disasters: a few hours before the cataclysm, they whine, hide, and try to go deep into the island or mainland.

To survive during a tsunami, you need to leave the dangerous area as soon as possible. Do not take a lot of things with you, drinking water, food and documents will be enough. Try to get as far away from the coast as possible or climb to the roof of a multi-storey building. All floors after the ninth are considered safe.

If the wave still overtakes you, then find an object that you can hold on to. According to statistics, most people die when the wave begins to return back to the ocean and takes away all the objects that have come across. Keep in mind that tsunamis almost never end in one wave. Most often, the first will be followed by a series of two or even three new ones.

So, when was the biggest tsunami in the world? And how much destruction did they bring?

This catastrophe does not fit any of the previously described incidents on the sea coast. To date, the Lituya Bay megatsunami has become the most gigantic and destructive in the world. Eminent luminaries in the field of oceanology and seismology are still arguing about the possibility of a repetition of such a nightmare.

Lituya Bay is located in Alaska and extends inland for eleven kilometers, its maximum width does not exceed three kilometers. Two glaciers descend into the bay, which became the unwitting creators of a huge wave. The 1958 tsunami in Alaska was caused by an earthquake on July 9th. The power of the shocks exceeded eight points, which caused a huge landslide to descend into the waters of the bay. Scientists have calculated that in a few seconds thirty million cubic meters ice and stones. Parallel to the landslide, an under-ice lake sank thirty meters, from which the released water masses rushed into the bay.

A huge wave rushed to the coast and circled the bay several times. The height of the tsunami wave reached five hundred meters, the raging element completely demolished the trees on the rocks along with the ground. At the moment, this wave is the highest in the history of mankind. Surprising fact is that only five people died as a result of a powerful tsunami. The fact is that there are no residential settlements in the bay; at the time the wave arrived in Lituya, there were only three fishing boats. One of them, together with the crew, immediately sank, and the other was raised by a wave to its maximum height and carried out into the ocean.

2004 Indian Ocean avalanche

The tsunami in Thailand in 2004 shocked all people on the planet. As a result of the destructive wave, more than two hundred thousand people died. The cause of the disaster was an earthquake in the Sumatra region on December 26, 2004. The tremors lasted no more than ten minutes and exceeded nine on the Richter scale.

A thirty-meter wave swept at great speed throughout the Indian Ocean and circled it, stopping near Peru. Almost all island states, including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Somalia, suffered from the tsunami.

After killing several hundred thousand people, the 2004 Thailand tsunami left behind destroyed houses, hotels and several thousand local residents who died as a result of infections and poor-quality drinking water. At the moment, this tsunami is considered the largest in the twenty-first century.

Severo-Kurilsk: tsunami in the USSR

The list of "The biggest tsunamis in the world" should include the wave that hit the Kuriles in the middle of the last century. An earthquake in the Pacific Ocean caused a twenty-meter wave. The epicenter of the tremors of magnitude seven was located one hundred and thirty kilometers from the coast.

The first wave arrived in the city about an hour later, but most of the locals were in hiding on the high ground away from the city. No one warned them that a tsunami was a series of waves, so all the townspeople returned to their homes after the first one. A few hours later, the second and third waves hit Severo-Kurilsk. Their height reached eighteen meters, they almost completely destroyed the city. More than 2,000 people died as a result of the cataclysm.

Killer wave in Chile

In the second half of the last century, the inhabitants of Chile faced a terrifying tsunami, which killed more than three thousand people. The cause of the giant waves was the most powerful earthquake in the history of mankind, its magnitude exceeded nine and a half points.

A twenty-five-meter high wave covered Chile fifteen minutes after the first shocks. During the day, she covered several thousand kilometers, destroying the coast of Hawaii and Japan.

Despite the fact that humanity has been "familiar" with the tsunami for quite a long time, this natural phenomenon is still among the little-studied. Scientists have not learned how to predict the appearance of killer waves, therefore, most likely, in the future the list of their victims will be replenished with new deaths.

Giant waves are called "tsunamis". They are of enormous height and width, arising in the ocean under the influence of water (most often due to earthquakes). The word itself comes from the Japanese language, where it consists of two hieroglyphs - “wave” and “bay”. It was Japan and other countries with access to the Pacific Ocean that became victims of killer waves. In the Pacific region, a wave in the world was witnessed, which hit the coast of American Alaska.

Top 1. Tsunami in Lituya Bay, 1958

Lituya Bay is located in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Alaska. The bay is separated from the outlet to the ocean by a strait about 500 meters wide. Lituya Bay is about 11 kilometers long and about 3 kilometers wide. Cenotaph Island is located in the center of the bay.

The catastrophe was provoked by the earthquake that took place on July 9, 1958. It caused a rockfall on the Gilbert Glacier northeast of the bay. About 30 million cubic meters of rock and ice fell into the eastern part of the bay from a height of about 900 meters. The tsunami caused by the rockfall hit both sides of the bay and Cenotaph Island. The La Gaussy spit, located near the epicenter of the wave, was washed away almost completely. The wave height was 524 meters. The tsunami uprooted most of the trees in the passage area.

Five people became victims of a huge wave. Two of them were caught by the tsunami on a fishing boat. The people who went out into the bay on that fateful day on two more ships miraculously survived and were picked up by rescuers.

Top 2. Indian Ocean, 2004

The 2004 tsunami went down in history as the deadliest - more than 230 thousand people became victims of the wrath of nature. The beginning of a giant wave was laid by an underwater earthquake with a magnitude of 9 points. The tsunami waves that hit the land reached a height of thirty meters.

Radar satellites recorded an underwater tsunami, whose height after the earthquake was about 60 centimeters. Unfortunately, these observations could not help prevent a catastrophe, because it took several hours to process the data.

Sea waves reached the coast different countries at different times. The first blow immediately after the earthquake hit the north of the island of Sumatra. The tsunami reached Sri Lanka and India only an hour and a half later. Two hours later, the waves hit the shores of Thailand.

Tsunami waves led to human casualties in the countries of East Africa: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania. Sixteen hours later, the waves reached the town of Struisbaa on the coast of South Africa. A little later, tidal waves up to a meter high were recorded in the area of ​​the Japanese scientific station in Antarctica.

Part of the tsunami energy escaped into the Pacific Ocean, where tidal waves were recorded on the coast of Canada, British Columbia, and Mexico. In some places, their height reached 2.5 meters, which exceeded the waves recorded off the coast of some countries located closer to the epicenter.

The most affected by the tsunami were:

• Indonesia. Three waves hit the northern part of the island of Sumatra less than half an hour after the earthquake. According to survivors, the waves were taller than houses.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India), where more than 4 thousand people died.
• Sri Lanka. The waves reached a height of 12 meters. The passenger train "Queen of the Sea Coast" became a victim of the tsunami. His death was the largest railway accident recent history and claimed more than 1,700 lives.
• Thailand. Waves second only to those that hit Sumatra destroyed the southwestern coast of the country. There were many tourists from other countries at the scene of the tragedy. More than 3,000 people died and 5,000 more went missing.

Top 3. Japan, 2011

In March 2011, an underwater earthquake hit the ocean east of Honshu. It provoked a tsunami wave that devastated the coast of Honshu and other islands of the archipelago. The waves reached the opposite shore Pacific Ocean. In the coastal regions of South American countries, an evacuation was announced, but the waves did not pose a big threat.

The waves reached the islands of the Kuril chain. Several thousand Russian citizens were evacuated from the coastal areas of the islands by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Waves up to three meters high were recorded near the village of Malokurilskoye.

The first tsunami waves hit the Japanese archipelago within half an hour after completion. The highest height was witnessed near the city of Miyako (northern Honshu) - 40 meters. The coast received the heaviest blows within an hour after the earthquake.

The tsunami caused damage to three Japanese prefectures in Honshu. Also, the cataclysm provoked an accident at a nuclear power plant. The city of Rikuzentakata was actually washed into the ocean - almost all the buildings went under water. The tragedy of 2011 claimed the lives of more than 15 thousand inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago.

Probably the sparseness of the state of Alaska was the reason why the most a big wave in the world did not lead to massive human casualties. Today, the earthquake and tsunami monitoring system has been improved, which makes it possible to reduce the number of victims during disasters. But coastal residents are still at risk due to the unpredictable behavior of the ocean.

When I read about the height of the wave caused by the tsunami in 1958, I could not believe my eyes. Checked once, then twice. Everywhere is the same. No, probably, after all, they made a mistake with a comma, and everyone copies from each other. Maybe in units of measurement?
Well, how else, what do you think, maybe a wave from a tsunami 524 meters high? HALF A KILOMETER!
Now we find out what really happened there ...

Here is what an eyewitness writes:

“After the first push, I fell off the bed and looked towards the beginning of the bay, where the noise was coming from. The mountains trembled terribly, stones and avalanches rushed down. And the glacier in the north was especially striking, it is called the Lituya glacier. Usually, it is not visible from where I was at anchor. People shake their heads when I tell them that I saw him that night. I can't help it if they don't believe me. I know that the glacier is not visible from where I anchored in Anchorage Bay, but I also know that I saw it that night. The glacier rose into the air and moved forward, so that it became visible. He must have climbed several hundred feet. I'm not saying that he just hung in the air. But he was shaking and jumping around like crazy. Large pieces of ice fell from its surface into the water. The glacier was six miles from me, and I saw large pieces that fell off it like a huge dump truck. This went on for some time - it's hard to say how long - and then suddenly the glacier disappeared from view and a large wall of water rose above this place. The wave went in our direction, after which I was too busy to say what else was going on there.

On July 9, 1958, an unusually severe disaster occurred in Lituya Bay in southeast Alaska. In this bay, protruding into the land for more than 11 km, geologist D. Miller discovered a difference in the age of trees on the slope of the hills surrounding the bay. From annual tree rings, he calculated that over the past 100 years, waves with a maximum height of several hundred meters have arisen at least four times in the bay. Miller's conclusions were treated with great distrust. And so, on July 9, 1958, a strong earthquake occurred on the Fairweather fault to the north of the bay, which caused the destruction of buildings, the collapse of the coast, and the formation of numerous cracks. And a huge landslide on the mountainside above the bay caused a wave of record height (524 m), which swept at a speed of 160 km/h through a narrow, fjord-like bay.

Lituya is a fjord located on the Fairweather Fault in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Alaska. It is a T-shaped bay 14 kilometers long and up to three kilometers wide. The maximum depth is 220 m. The narrow entrance to the bay has a depth of only 10 m. Two glaciers descend into Lituya Bay, each of which is about 19 km long and up to 1.6 km wide. Over the century preceding the described events, waves over 50 meters high have already been observed in Lituye several times: in 1854, 1899 and 1936.

The 1958 earthquake caused a subaerial rockfall at the mouth of the Gilbert Glacier in Lituya Bay. As a result of this landslide, more than 30 million cubic meters rocks crashed into the bay and led to the formation of a megatsunami. From this disaster, 5 people died: three on Hantaak Island and two more were washed away by a wave in the bay. In Yakutat, the only constant locality near the epicenter, infrastructure facilities were damaged: bridges, docks and oil pipelines.

After the earthquake, research was carried out on a subglacial lake located to the northwest of the bend of the Lituya glacier at the very beginning of the bay. It turned out that the lake dropped by 30 meters. This fact served as the basis for another hypothesis of the formation of a giant wave with a height of more than 500 meters. Probably, during the glacier retreat, a large volume of water entered the bay through an ice tunnel under the glacier. However, the runoff of water from the lake could not be the main cause of the megatsunami.

A huge mass of ice, stones and earth (about 300 million cubic meters in volume) rushed down from the glacier, exposing the mountain slopes. The earthquake destroyed numerous buildings, cracks formed in the ground, and the coast slipped. The moving mass collapsed on the northern part of the bay, filled it up, and then crawled onto the opposite slope of the mountain, tearing off the forest cover from it to a height of more than three hundred meters. The landslide generated a giant wave that literally carried the Lituya Bay towards the ocean. The wave was so great that it swept over the entire shallow at the mouth of the bay.

The eyewitnesses of the disaster were people on board the ships that anchored in the bay. From a terrible push, they were all thrown out of their beds. Jumping to their feet, they could not believe their eyes: the sea was heaving. “Giant landslides, raising clouds of dust and snow in their path, began to run along the slopes of the mountains. Soon their attention was attracted by an absolutely fantastic sight: the mass of ice of the Lituya glacier, located far to the north and usually hidden from view by a peak that rises at the entrance to the bay, seemed to rise above the mountains and then majestically collapsed into the waters of the inner bay. It all felt like some kind of nightmare. Before the eyes of the shocked people, a huge wave rose up, which swallowed the foot of the northern mountain. After that, she swept across the bay, ripping off trees from the slopes of the mountains; having fallen like a water mountain on the island of Cenotaphia ... rolled over the highest point of the island, which towered 50 m above sea level. All this mass suddenly plunged into the waters of a narrow bay, causing a huge wave, the height of which, obviously, reached 17-35 m. Its energy was so great that the wave rushed furiously across the bay, overflowing the slopes of the mountains. In the inner basin, the impacts of the wave on the shore were probably very strong. The slopes of the northern mountains, facing the bay, were bare: where a dense forest used to grow, there were now bare rocks; such a picture was observed at an altitude of up to 600 meters.

One longboat was raised high, easily carried across the shallows and thrown into the ocean. At that moment, when the longboat was moving across the shallows, the fishermen on it saw standing trees under them. The wave literally threw people across the island into the open sea. During a nightmarish ride on a giant wave, the boat pounded against trees and debris. The longboat sank, but the fishermen miraculously survived and were rescued two hours later. Of the other two launches, one safely withstood the wave, but the other sank, and the people on it went missing.

Miller found that the trees growing on the upper edge of the exposed area, just below 600 m above the bay, were bent and broken, their fallen trunks pointing towards the top of the mountain, but the roots were not uprooted from the soil. Something pushed those trees up. The tremendous force that did this could not have been anything other than the riding of a gigantic wave that swept over the mountain on that July evening in 1958.

Mr. Howard J. Ulrich, on his yacht called the Edri, entered the waters of Lituya Bay at about eight in the evening and anchored in a depth of nine meters in a small bay on the south coast. Howard says that suddenly the yacht began to sway violently. He ran out onto the deck and saw how in the northeastern part of the bay the rocks began to move due to the earthquake and a huge block of rock began to fall into the water. Approximately two and a half minutes after the earthquake, he heard a deafening sound from the destruction of the rock.

“We definitely saw that the wave went from the direction of Gilbert's Bay, just before the earthquake ended. But at first it was not a wave. At first it was more like an explosion, as if the glacier was breaking apart. The wave grew from the surface of the water, at first it was almost invisible, who would have thought that then the water would rise to a height of half a kilometer.

Ulrich said that he observed the whole process of the development of the wave, which reached their yacht in a very short time - something like two and a half or three minutes since it was first seen. “Since we did not want to lose the anchor, we completely etched the anchor chain (about 72 meters) and started the engine. Halfway between the northeastern edge of Lituya Bay and Cenotaf Island, a thirty-meter-high wall of water could be seen that stretched from one shore to the other. When the wave approached the northern part of the island, it split into two parts, but, having passed the southern part of the island, the wave became one again. It was smooth, only there was a small scallop on top. When this water mountain approached our yacht, its front was quite steep and its height was from 15 to 20 meters. Before the wave came to the place where our yacht was, we did not feel any lowering of the water or other changes, except for a slight vibration that was transmitted through the water from the tectonic processes that began to act during the earthquake. As soon as the wave approached us and began to lift our yacht, the anchor chain crackled violently. The yacht was carried towards the south coast and then, on the return course of the wave, towards the center of the bay. The top of the wave was not very wide, from 7 to 15 meters, and the back front was less steep than the front.

As the giant wave swept past us, the surface of the water returned to its normal level, but we could observe a lot of turbulent eddies around the yacht, as well as chaotic waves of six meters in height, which moved from one side of the bay to the other. These waves did not form any noticeable movement of water from the mouth of the bay to its northeastern part and back.

After 25-30 minutes the surface of the bay calmed down. Near the banks one could see many logs, branches and uprooted trees. All this rubbish slowly drifted towards the center of the Lituya Bay and towards its mouth. In fact, during the entire incident, Ulrich did not lose control of the yacht. When the Edri approached the mouth of the bay at 11 pm, a normal current could be observed there, which is usually caused by the daily low tide of ocean water.

Other eyewitnesses to the disaster, the Swanson couple on a yacht called the Badger, entered Lituya Bay around nine in the evening. First, their ship approached the island of Cenotaf, and then returned to Anchorage Bay on the northern shore of the bay, not far from its mouth (see map). The Swensons anchored at a depth of about seven meters and went to sleep. William Swanson's sleep was interrupted due to the strong vibration of the yacht's hull. He ran to the control room and began to time what was happening. A little over a minute from when William first felt the vibration, and probably just before the end of the quake, he looked towards the northeast part of the bay, which was visible against the backdrop of the island of Cenotaf. The traveler saw something that he first took for the Lituya glacier, which rose into the air and began to move towards the observer. “It seemed that this mass was solid, but it jumped and swayed. In front of this block, large pieces of ice constantly fell into the water. After a short time, “the glacier disappeared from sight, and instead a large wave appeared in that place and went in the direction of the La Gaussy spit, just where our yacht was anchored.” In addition, Swenson drew attention to the fact that the wave flooded the coast at a very noticeable height.

When the wave passed the island of Cenotaf, its height was about 15 meters in the center of the bay and gradually decreased near the coast. She passed the island about two and a half minutes after she could first be seen, and reached the Badger yacht after another eleven and a half minutes (approximately). Before the wave arrived, William, like Howard Ulrich, did not notice any lowering of the water level or any turbulent phenomena.

The Badger, which was still at anchor, was lifted by a wave and carried towards the La Gaussy spit. At the same time, the stern of the yacht was below the crest of the wave, so that the position of the vessel resembled a surfboard. Svenson looked at that moment at the place where the trees growing on the La Gaussy spit should have been visible. At that moment they were hidden by water. William noted that above the tops of the trees there was a layer of water equal to about twice the length of his yacht, about 25 meters. Having passed the La Gaussy spit, the wave very quickly began to decline.

In the place where Swenson's yacht stood, the water level began to drop, and the ship hit the bottom of the bay, remaining afloat close to the shore. 3-4 minutes after the impact, Swenson saw that the water continued to flow over the La Gaussi spit, carrying logs and other debris of forest vegetation. He wasn't sure it wasn't a second wave that could have carried the yacht across the spit into the Gulf of Alaska. So the Swensons left their yacht, moving onto a small boat, from which they were picked up by a fishing boat a couple of hours later.

There was also a third vessel in Lituya Bay at the time of the incident. It was anchored at the entrance to the bay and was sunk by a huge wave. None of the people on board survived, and two are believed to have died.

What happened on July 9, 1958? That evening, a huge rock fell into the water from a steep cliff overlooking the northeastern shore of Gilbert's Bay. The collapse area is marked in red on the map. Impact of an incredible mass of stones with a very high altitude caused an unprecedented tsunami that wiped out all life from the face of the earth that was along the entire coast of the Lituya Gulf up to the La Gaussi spit. After the wave passed along both sides of the bay, not only vegetation, but even soil was left; there was bare rock on the surface of the shore. The area of ​​damage is shown on the map in yellow.

The numbers along the coast of the bay indicate the height above sea level of the edge of the damaged land area and approximately correspond to the height of the wave that passed here.

Which amazes with its power, strength and boundless energy. This element attracts the attention of researchers who are trying to understand the very nature of the occurrence of giant waves in order to prevent terrible consequences from the destructive power of water. This review will present a list of the most grandiose tsunamis in their scope that have occurred over the past 60 years.

Destructive wave in Alaska

The largest tsunamis in the world occur under the influence of various factors, but earthquakes are the most common cause of this phenomenon. It was the tremors that became the basis for the formation of a deadly wave back in 1964 in Alaska. Good Friday (March 27) - one of the main Christian holidays - was overshadowed by an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 points. The natural phenomenon had a direct impact on the ocean - there were waves 30 meters long and 8 meters high. The tsunami demolished everything in its path: the West Coast suffered North America as well as Haiti and Japan. On this day, about 120 people died, and the territory of Alaska decreased by 2.4 meters.

Deadly tsunami in Samoa

The photo of the largest wave in the world (tsunami) invariably impresses and evokes the most conflicting feelings - this is both horror from the realization of the scale of the ensuing catastrophe, and a kind of reverence for the forces of nature. In general, similar pictures for last years appeared a lot on the news resources. They depict the terrible consequences of a natural disaster that took place in Samoa. According to reliable data, about 198 local residents died during the disaster, most of them children.

An 8.1 magnitude earthquake caused the most big tsunami in the world. You can see photos of the consequences in the review. The maximum wave height reached 13.7 meters. The water destroyed several villages as it moved 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. Subsequently, after this tragic event, the region began to monitor the situation, which made it possible to evacuate people on time.

Hokkaido Island, Japan

The rating "The biggest tsunami in the world" cannot be imagined without the incident that occurred in Japan in 1993. The root cause of the formation of giant waves is an earthquake, which was localized 129 km from the coast. The authorities announced the evacuation of people, but it was not possible to avoid casualties. The height of the largest tsunami in the world, which occurred in Japan, was 30 meters. Special barriers were not enough to stop the powerful flow, so the small island of Okusuri was completely submerged in water. On this day, about 200 people out of 250 inhabitants who inhabited the city died.

City of Tumaco: the horror of a December morning

1979, December 12 - one of the most tragic days in the life of people living in the Pacific coast. It was on this morning at about 8:00 am that an earthquake occurred, the magnitude of which was 8.9 points. But this was not the most serious shock that awaited people. After that, a whole series of tsunamis hit small villages and cities, which swept away everything in its path. Within a few hours of the disaster, 259 people died, more than 750 were seriously injured, and 95 residents were reported missing. Below, readers are presented with a photo of the largest wave in the world. The tsunami in Tumaco cannot leave anyone indifferent.

Indonesian tsunami

5th place in the list of "The biggest tsunamis in the world" is occupied by a wave 7 meters high, but stretching for 160 km. The resort area of ​​Pangadaryan disappeared from the face of the earth along with the people who inhabited this area. In July 2006, 668 residents died, more than 9,000 turned to medical institutions for help. About 70 people were reported missing.

Papua New Guinea: tsunami for the benefit of humanity

The largest tsunami wave in the world, despite the severity of all the consequences, was an opportunity for scientists to advance in the study of the underlying causes of this natural phenomenon. In particular, the primary role of strong underwater landslides, which contribute to water fluctuations, was determined.

In July 1998, an earthquake occurred, the magnitude of which was 7 points. Despite the seismic activity, scientists were unable to predict the tsunami, which caused numerous casualties. More than 2,000 people died under the pressure of 15- and 10-meter waves, more than 10 thousand people lost their homes and livelihoods, 500 people disappeared.

Philippines: no chance for salvation

If you ask experts what is the largest tsunami in the world, they will unanimously name the wave of 1976. During this period, seismic activity was recorded near the island of Mindanao, in the source, the strength of the tremors reached 7.9 points. Because of the earthquake, a grandiose wave was formed in its scope, which covered 700 km of the coast of the Philippines. The tsunami reached a height of 4.5 m. The inhabitants did not have time to evacuate, which led to numerous casualties. More than 5,000 people were killed, 2,200 people were declared missing, and about 9,500 local residents were injured. A total of 90,000 people were affected by the tsunami and lost their homes.

pacific death

The year 1960 is marked in red in history. This is due to the fact that at the end of May this year, 6,000 people died due to an earthquake of magnitude 9.5. It was the seismic tremors that contributed to the volcanic eruption and the formation of a colossal wave that swept everything in its path. The height of the tsunami reached 25 meters, which in 1960 was a true record.

Tsunami in Tohuku: nuclear disaster

Japan faced it again, but the consequences were even worse than in 1993. A powerful wave, which reached 30 meters, hit Ofunato, a Japanese city. As a result of the disaster, more than 125 thousand buildings were decommissioned, in addition, the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant was seriously damaged. The nuclear disaster has become one of the most serious in recent years in the world. Reliable information about what was the true damage inflicted environment, still no. However, there is an opinion that the radiation spread to 320 km.

Tsunami in India - a threat to all mankind!

The natural disasters listed in the World's Biggest Tsunamis cannot compare to the event that occurred in December 2004. The wave hit several states that have access to the Indian Ocean. This is a real global one that required more than 14 billion dollars to correct the situation. According to the reports that were presented after the tsunami, more than 240 thousand people living in various countries: India, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.

The reason for the formation of a 30-meter wave is an earthquake. His strength was 9.3 points. The water flow reached the coast of some countries 15 minutes after the start of seismic activity, which did not give people a chance to escape from death. Other states fell into the power of the elements after 7 hours, but, despite such a delay, the population was not evacuated due to the lack of a warning system. Some people, oddly enough, were saved by the children who studied the signs of an impending disaster at school.

Tsunami in the fjord-shaped bay of Alaska

In the history of meteorological observations, a tsunami was recorded, the height of which exceeds all conceivable and unthinkable records. In particular, scientists were able to record a wave with a height of 524 meters. A powerful water stream rushed at a speed of 160 km / h. There was not a single living place left on the way: the trees were uprooted, the rocks were covered with cracks and faults. The La Gaussy spit was wiped off the face of the Earth. Fortunately, there were few casualties. Only the death of the crew of one of the launches, which at that moment was in the bay nearby, was recorded.

Ocean, sand, beach, cocktail, sun lounger and waves 30 meters high. Yes, it's all in one place, but, fortunately, at different times. How can this be? We leave for the town of Nazare on the west coast of Portugal. It is here, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, that you can see both a relaxed beach holiday and the biggest waves in the world.

This landmark of Portugal is located between the capital of Lisbon and the city of Porto.

In summer, the small resort town of Nazare, with a population of about 15,000, is a classic tourist attraction in the country. Its long sandy beaches are occupied by tourists from all over the world. They bask in the gentle sun, bathe in the Atlantic Ocean. All in all, a relaxing holiday.

In winter, everything changes dramatically. Beach tourists are replaced by extreme people and lovers of unusual natural phenomena. During this period, you can observe the formation of giant waves that crash on the coast almost at arm's length. This phenomenon, incredible in its power and amazing in its beauty, attracts both travelers and the most desperate surfers.

Who produces the biggest waves on the planet

Once again, we recall that almost everything amazing, beautiful, sometimes frightening, but bewitching on our planet is produced by nature. In this case, the atypical topography of the ocean floor near the city of Nazare, in particular the underwater North Nazare Canyon, became the creator of giant waves. This depression in the bottom surface reaches almost to the very shore, forming a kind of springboard for ocean waves.

It should be noted that Nazare Canyon is recognized as the deepest in Europe and one of the deepest in the world. It is located not parallel to the coast, but perpendicular. Its length is 227 km, and the depth reaches 5 kilometers (this is almost half the depth of the Mariana Trench). As you approach the coast, the depth decreases sharply, creating a barrier to the path of the wave and multiplying its height. There are conditions under which colossal masses of water must jump over this obstacle. Do not forget, all this happens in close proximity to tourists.

In the pictures below you can see the geological reasons for the appearance of huge waves.

But that is not all. The bottom topography alone is not enough to get the highest waves. This requires a combination of many factors.

Hell of a cocktail to get the biggest waves

The presence of the canyon creates special conditions for the creation of large waves. It splits the wave into two parts. One part increases its speed when passing through the canyon, and the second part reunites with the first part at the exit of the canyon into one big wave.

The opposite ocean current coming from the beach can add a few more meters.

For the birth of a giant wave, the wave period is important, which should be about 14 seconds. The wind, oddly enough, should be weak. The direction of the wave is very important, ideally it should come from the west or northwest. As a plus to these factors, storms are added in the northern part of the Atlantic, occurring during the autumn - winter. The combination of these factors can increase several times the usual ocean wave.

How often do big waves appear

Looking at the photos on the Internet, as well as on our website, you might think that giant waves in Nazar are formed almost every minute. But it's not. A little higher, you learned how many phenomena are required to come together to get a huge wave. It doesn't happen that often.

The Big Waves season in Nazaré falls between October and February. During these months, there are usually 1 to 6 giant waves and tens and hundreds of much smaller waves. If you want to see a truly huge wave, then plan to spend at least 2 weeks here, or follow the forecasts on surfer sites. For a large wave, the forecast should indicate a wave size of more than 3 meters, a wave period of more than 13 seconds, and a slight northerly wind.

If you are already there, then check the state of the sea in real time through the online forecast and webcams. But, even if all forecasts point to ideal conditions for the occurrence of large waves, then everything can change in just an hour and ruin a day with a favorable forecast.

But in Peru you can see the longest sea waves in the world. They are much safer than the waves in Nazar, and you can ride them for up to several minutes in a row, passing more than one hundred meters on the crest of one wave.

The story of conquering the giant waves of Nazaré

There are people in the world who "don't feed honey", just let them conquer the biggest waves. They are usually called surfers. They, probably, with the advent of boards, began to collect the best places for their hobby around the planet. They did not bypass the waves near the city of Nazare. For the first time, surfers were noticed here back in the 60s of the last century. Since then they have been frequent guests here. But there is no data on the conquest of huge waves. It was only in November 2011 that the world learned about the taking of the biggest wave. Then Gareth McNamara, a surfer from the Hawaiian Islands, conquered a wave 24 meters high. The brave comrade did not calm down and in January 2013 he broke his own record by taking a 30-meter wave.

Gareth was the first to describe the sensations of such adventures. This proved to be incredibly difficult due to the unpredictability of wave behavior.

In this event, McNamara involved three assistants and one wife (his own). At the moment of wave formation, the first assistant on the jet ski tries to drag the surfer as high as possible on the crest, and keeps close to him for safety net. Look at the photo of these waves, and you will understand that it is unrealistic to swim to them on your own.

A little further away, the second assistant runs and insures both. The third one watches over all the others. And from the shore, a gray-haired wife watches everything and gives instructions to her husband on how best to catch the wave.

The first time everything went well and no help was needed, but the second time he proved the effectiveness of triple insurance. Then the first assistant was washed away by a wave from the jet ski, and the second assistant pulled out the surfer, and the third one pulled out the first one.

The danger of such adventures is extremely high, so surfers try not to climb waves 30 meters high without much need. They only do it for the records.

In October 2013, Brazilian surfer Carlos Berl rode a wave that turned out to be even bigger. But there is no absolutely accurate data on the height of subdued waves, since it is rather problematic to make measurements.

Annual meeting of surfers in Nazar

Despite the danger of such big waves, since 2016 Nazare has hosted a meeting or competition of surfers Nazare Challenge - WSL Big Wave Tour under the control of the World Surf League. This competition brings together the best surfers from all over the world and lasts only one day. In addition, it does not have a fixed date. It all depends on the forecasts of the state of the sea. The period of holding or better to say waiting is from October 15 to February 28. The day of the competition is approved 3 days before its holding. This is the best that can be achieved with modern technology sea ​​conditions and wind forecasting.

For surfers, this is a milestone event. Here is how one of the participants describes it -
"What followed after the starting signal was a dizzying, wild and unprecedented display of courage, stupidity and skill"

Where is the best place to watch the biggest waves

The best way to watch a giant wave is to stand on its crest on a surfboard. Any surfer will say that. Well, for ordinary tourists it is best to do this from Cape Nazare, on which the lighthouse is located. Since the place is very interesting, you are unlikely to get lost. Fort San Miguel Arcanjo is also located here. You can also go down to the sand on the beach via a dirt road, but be very careful. In the Big Wave season it is very dangerous.

Now, in addition to big waves, the attraction of Nazare are surfers who “ride” them. This, incidentally, gives a good idea of ​​the size of the waves. When you see a little man running away from a huge multi-ton wave, you can imagine how great and powerful not only the Russian language is, but also the Atlantic Ocean.

1. As a rule, many famous surf spots have a bottom topography similar to that near Nazare, but on a smaller scale. The most famous are Teahupoo in Tahiti, Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii and Maverick's Beach off the coast of California.
2. Local fishermen have long been afraid of this place. There have been several shipwrecks here. At the bottom of the canyon is a sunken German submarine from World War II.