How fast does a Tsunami move? 1180m/s, right?

---

> How fast does a Tsunami move? 1180m/s, right?
>
In the deep open sea, tsunamis move at speeds approaching a jet aircraft (500 mph or more). As they approach the shore, they slow down. When a tsunami arrives at the shore, it usually does so as a rapidly rising tide moving at about 70 km/hour (45 mph).
http://www.ussartf.org/tsunamis.htm (btw, their background/text combo SUCKS!)

In the open ocean they can travel over 500 miles/hour (water depth > 17000ft). In shallow water, say 60ft, they travel about 30 miles/hour. You cannot see the wave in open ocean where they will likely be less than 3 feet high. You cannot outrun them with a boat. If that ship is near the shore, a large tsunami could destroy the ship or move it inland. This is why ships should to move to deep water. In the deep ocean water a tsunami could pass and a ship may not know it.
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/frequently.htm
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/

I was thinking of the speed of sound in water. D-'oh!

---

American diver underwater during catastrophe
(CNN) -- An American woman who was scuba diving with her husband in Thailand as one of Sunday's tsunamis roared overhead said she was oblivious to the disaster until after they surfaced, her mother told CNN on Tuesday...

I wouldn't have been surprised. If I remember correctly, as soon as a tsunami is detected, all ships are supposed to head out to the deep sea in order to sit in calm waters.

---

Look at monster waves on the internet. They sometimes happen, just like an electron not able to pass a potential wall and in reality doing so, a monster wave can occur under certain conditions, even when the surroundings appear to be calm. National geographics did a documentary on that.
There are really worldwide favourable positions eg near Cape Goede Hoop ( South Africa), Bermuda Triangle ??? etc. It has been proven in a new wave model that the waves can reach enormous heights under certain condition.
One of the Canary Islands (Palma???) lies on a fault (+old volcano...)that will eventually trench this isle in two, they don't know when, but it will happen causing severe waves in whole of the north atlantic...East coast of US, coasts of Europe, etc...

Greetz ;-))

---

I heard similar. Also I've heard (unconfirmed) that the Sumatra tsunami may have been as high as 15 meters!

Absolutely amazing what Nature is capable of...

---