Riding the big wave - Tsunami
29 September 2009 | Vava'u
Dietmar Petutschnig
Many of you have heard that there was a big quake centered in the Pacific Ocean in the vicinity of American and Western Samoa where we just left.
The quake was reported as 7.9 on the Richter scale.
I received email from several of our friends, family and several cruisers in Tonga and beyond today, and also got some first hand information off the the local Marine amateur radio.
It was bad - at least one cruiser died crushed between 2 hulls in Pago Pago. One of the worst harbors with a terrible reputation in American Samoa.
We did however make it through fine - I was up walking Vienna when the quake hit - but witnessed no mayor damage - just a big scare here for all
of us in Tonga and - maybe a subsequent 5 foot surge - which for us in a deep harbor was no big deal.
The reality is that at 220 nm miles from the epicenter of the quake we had a 15 minute Tsunami alert security warning - via VHF radio - and at the time in the best possible spot for this type of a Tsunami to hit -
as the anchorage is over 100 feet deep and tucked away in a snaking archipelago.
A fellow cruiser [Hipnautical] was right out on the ocean as the tsunami went under him at a propagation speed of about 600 nm x hour and just like a cork - he felt nothing !
So it's best to float in deep water [ 100 feet plus ]
and not near a gentle sloping beach, should a Tsunami ocurr.
Several cruisers who had ventured out to lovely anchorages near us - in shallower water - did not do so well - some had to cut their anchor rode and head for deep water in a hurry - especially those anchored in less then 30 feet - a 5 feet surge [ this happens as the tsunami hits - reveals several coral heads under the hull so one is best to go for deep water ]
This surge runs for sometime several hours - for us here it was maybe 20 minutes of helter skelter.
Local schools were evacutated long after the Tsunami had passed us - and of course the banks closed thier doors too ;-)
The brazilian vessel Saravah has a revealing video of the outer shallower anchorages which I'll post eventually.
For more info about Tsunamis go to
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/ptwc/
Just remember, if you're on a beach and all of a
sudden a "tide" goes way out, and revelas a lot of beach suddenly - it's time to head for high ground. RUN !
Our thoughts are at the presnet with those who did not make it.