Tsunami Warning Sunday 0815

[tigermullet]

Tsunami warning issued in New South Wales. http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDY68028.txt

Cause of the warning was an 8.8 Earthquake off the coast of Chile.

An hour ago Japan was considering whether to issue a Tsunami alert.

No idea how much of a wave it will be given the distance but we might see a larger than usual tide tomorrow morning.

[tunaticer]

Qld also. http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDY68027.txt

Pt Danger to Double Island Point including Moreton Bay.

[tigermullet]

Queensland has now followed up with a warning for tomorrow morning for Point Danger to Double Island Point.

[tigermullet]

Qld also. http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDY68027.txt

Pt Danger to Double Island Point including Moreton Bay.


That was quick, Tunaticer!!

[Mrs Ronnie H]

Hi
It says not to go to seaside and watch it-- bet there will be sightseers everywhere. Might sit in the boat in the back yard just in case tomorrow morning. :)
LOL
Ronnie

[bluefin59]

Im heading down the goldie tomorrow i will take a photo of it for you guys ,better make sure i have my life jacket on...matt

[tigermullet]

I should go down and sit on the boat at the mooring. Tsunami waves slow down approaching the coast but with an ocean traveling speed of approximately 400knots it might be my big chance to get a decent turn of speed out of the old clunker.;D

[strongy]

Warning issued tonight FOR SE QLD ON SUNDAY on bom ,,, check the bulletin

[Far side]

earthquake struck off the coast of Chile where at least six people have been killed.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) issued a tsunami watch at 7:45pm tonight declaring a "potential tsunami threat" to New South Wales, Queensland, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
"Tsunami waves have been observed on the coast of chile that may threaten Australia," the Bureau of Meteorology (http://www.bom.gov.au/)(BoM) said in a statement tonight.
The BoM said tsunami waves could start affecting Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands after 8:30am tomorrow.
NSW could be hit after 8:45am tomorrow while Queensland could be hit after 8:15am.
Duty forecaster Jake Phillips at the BoM says the NSW coast north of Broken Bay and up to Queensland's south coast as far Double Island Pt near Brisbane could experience strong waves.
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"But at this stage we want to stress that there is no concern about land inundation," Mr Phillips told AAP.
"But there is a marine threat and that would include anyone out boating or rock fishermen."
The quake struck off Chile's coast at 3:34am local time (1734 AEDT) on Saturday, shaking buildings in the capital, where some have buildings collapsed.
The epicentre of the tremor was 100 kilometres north northwest of the Chilean town of Chillan and 115 kilometres northeast of Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river.
The US Pacific Tsunami warning centre has also issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru, and a tsunami watch is in place for Ecuador, Colombia, Antarctica, Panama and Costa Rica.
Japan's meteorological agency also warned of a tsunami risk across large areas of the Pacific as US geologists said the risk extended as far as the Antarctic.
"There is a possibility that tsunami will widely occur in the Pacific Ocean," an official for the Japanese agency said.

[Captain Seaweed]

How can these guys be serious????? Its been generated in Chile, cant they put more effort into this and sort out people affected or do they just blanket most of the world?

[tunaticer]

How can these guys be serious????? Its been generated in Chile, cant they put more effort into this and sort out people affected or do they just blanket most of the world?

You might end up being very surprised in the morning, it is entirely possible for the tsunami to travel here from Chile in as little as 18 hours. Where will you be in the morning?

[mylestom]

TSAUNAMI WARNING BUREAU OF MET FOR EAST COAST AUST

http://www.bom.gov.au/tsunami/


Please read and take what action you need.

Trev

[mylestom]

Earthquake Chile 8.8 richter scale and predicted that Tsaunami will hit the east coast of Australia am tomorrow morning.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8540289.stm

http://www.news.com.au/world/massive-earthquake-strikes-chile/story-e6frfl09-1225835091246

Further info on the monitor of Tsaunami


http://www.bom.gov.au/tsunami/about_atws.shtml


Please pass to any friends. Just warning at moment keep an eye on the news and broadcast if near the coast. Not trying to alarm anyone. Its a long way to Australia. But the warning is up and being broadcast.

Trev

[Captain Seaweed]

I agree it is possible but the chances of hitting our coast and be noticable is zilch. i believe its the old better safe than sorry tactic, rather than the I know it will tactic. Thats why I am saying , put some effort in .

I will be in my backyard with my boogie board and a snorkel!!!

[tigermullet]

A big one in 1960 caused problems in Japan. An earthquake measuring 8.8 is huge but was about 38km deep so I was surprised when the tsunami was confirmed by monitoring buoys.

Wear your wellies in the car park at Jacobs Well tomorrow morning.;D

[mylestom]

Sorry didn't see this thread put one up under bilge.

Latest on BOM Site

http://www.bom.gov.au/tsunami/

Further info on monitors here


http://www.bom.gov.au/tsunami/about_atws.shtml

Take care

Trev

[mylestom]

Couple of posts up now.


Here a link to the BOM MAP of areas to be affected???

http://www.bom.gov.au/tsunami/


Trev

[gr hilly]

im sleeping in the boat tonight.

[tigermullet]

I agree it is possible but the chances of hitting our coast and be noticable is zilch. i believe its the old better safe than sorry tactic, rather than the I know it will tactic. Thats why I am saying , put some effort in .

I will be in my backyard with my boogie board and a snorkel!!!

What effort can the BOM put in?? It won't be known for certain until the wave passes the monitoring buoys and I think they are sparse.

Should they ignore the fact of the quake or initial confirmation of a wave?

I agree, the chance of it being noticeable is very small but if it does cause damage can you imagine the screams of outrage from the public?

[rosco1974]

any1 still going out in the bay tommorrow:-/

[Captain Seaweed]

Since it has happened close to the coast to Chile ......have they had a Tsunami????????? What about all the Pacific islands closer to Chile than Australia anything happening there?

Surely there are more ways than just Tsunami Buoys?

[tigermullet]

No there really isn't much and, of course, the tsunami is nowhere near close to Pitcairn, Cook Islands, Samoa etc., at the moment.

[Captain Seaweed]

I am heading to breakfast at Lighthouse restaurant cleveland, so I will know by then.

[tigermullet]

The news of of Chile is also slow - two hours ago there were eight deaths reported but no one knows if they were from wave action or building falling down.

[Captain Seaweed]

With Moreton and Straddy off brisbane i hardly see how moreton bay is at risk.

[Captain Seaweed]

tigermullet , thats gold. Probably buildings falling down!!!

[mylestom]

Bit more info here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8540289.stm

Trev

[Captain Seaweed]

oops just read an article, i thought you were taking the piss about buildings falling down.

[Captain Seaweed]

on a serious note found this:

A catastrophic earthquake off Chile in 1960 generated a tsunami in Hilo that killed 61 people. The earthquake, the largest recorded at a magnitude 9.6, sent waves of up to 30 feet to Hilo about 15 hours after the temblor, according to an online account by Pacific Tsunami Warning Center scientist Gerard Fryer.
The tsunami caused about 2,000 deaths in Chile. The waves also flooded the coastline of Japan where 10-foot waves caused 200 deaths. Tsunami damage was also reported in the Marquesas, Samoa, and New Zealand.

[The_Sloth_man]

http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDY68027.txt

IDY68027

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

MEDIA:
No use of the Standard Emergency Warning Signal [SEWS]
TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE AND FREQUENT BROADCAST
************************************************** ******************************
TSUNAMI WARNING NUMBER 2 FOR QUEENSLAND
Issued by the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre [JATWC] at
8:44 PM EST on Saturday 27 February 2010
************************************************** ******************************

TSUNAMI THREAT TO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

************************************************** ******************************
SUMMARY:
Tsunami warning for the marine environment for QUEENSLAND.

Threatened areas extend from Point Danger to Double Island Point, Moreton
Bay.

Possibility of dangerous waves, strong ocean currents and foreshore flooding
for several hours from 08:15 am [EST] Sunday.

Sea level observations HAVE confirmed a tsunami has been generated.

For further details visit the Bureau web site www.bom.gov.au. (http://www.bom.gov.au./)

Next update due by 10:14 PM EST on Saturday 27 February 2010
************************************************** ******************************
DETAILS:
Tsunami waves are more powerful than the same size beach waves, with the first
wave not always the largest. First tsunami effects are expected as follows:

Coolangatta after 08:15 am [EST] Sunday
Maroochydore after 09:00 am [EST] Sunday
Brisbane after 09:15 am [EST] Sunday

Do not go to the coast to watch the tsunami. Check that your neighbours have
received this advice.

Boats in harbours, estuaries or shallow coastal water should return to shore.
Secure your boat and move away from the waterfront. Vessels already at sea
should stay offshore in deep water until further advised.

Do not go to the coast to watch the tsunami, as there is the possibility of
dangerous, localised flooding of the immediate foreshore.

For emergency assistance, call EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT QUEENSLAND on 132 500

Maps showing the affected areas are on the Bureau web site
www.bom.gov.au/tsunami. (http://www.bom.gov.au/tsunami.) For a repeat of this warning call 1300 TSUNAMI [1300
878 6264].
************************************************** ******************************
TSUNAMI SOURCE:
An undersea earthquake of magnitude 8.8 occurred at 4:34 PM EST on Saturday 27
February 2010 near THE COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE [latitude 35.320S longitude
72.930W ]
************************************************** ******************************
The JATWC is operated by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Geoscience
Australia
************************************************** ******************************

Move your boats people....

[tigermullet]

oops just read an article, i thought you were taking the piss about buildings falling down.

That's ok - it was badly put. Too much beer.

If your waiter is wearing wellies tomorrow morning you might want to re-think breakfast.;D

[jtpython]

Run. THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW Is on Tellie how scarey is that

[ashh]

.......surfs up!

[Captain Seaweed]

ha ha ha. I am going to mount the 30hp on the towball of the cruiser. A few nav lights off the mirrors and that should see me home, me thinks. Well hope its just a warning, nothing like a bit of excitement.
Marty

[tigermullet]

The might be a look of surprise on a few rock fishermen's faces if they haven't heard about the warnings.

[ashh]

the organisers of the quiksilver pro allways seem to time it right with big swell

[tigermullet]

And the winner is.... A kiwi on a wardrobe:o

[AnthonyL]

I am rostered on at VMR tomorrow, have my video camera ready.

[wayno60]

TSM,
Just got on here to do the same thing you just did and JT, i had the same thought....ill be heading for burleigh hill in the morning....

[wayno60]

TSUNAMI WARNING NUMBER 3 says the same thing, 10.15pm sat

[boomstix]

Hmm bought a new boat today and was planing on heading down the pin in the morning... What you guys think?

[madmackrel]

:o Was going offshore tomorrow, guess we better call it off:-/

[tigermullet]

Hmm bought a new boat today and was planing on heading down the pin in the morning... What you guys think?

Don't know! Odds are it will be a fizzer but who can say?

I'd leave here now and sit on the boat at the mooring just to see if anything interesting happens but if I miss the family party tomorrow I can forget about fishing for the remainder of the year.;D

[robersl]

saying 8.15 am to 10 am from point danger to double island waves have been created not sure of size but possable coastline flooding

shane

[Aunty Jack]

:'( :P :( :-X :o

[Aunty Jack]

Heads up.
Just herd theres a TUSNAMI WARRNING
To hit the Gold Coast 0815 Sunday.
I confermed it on BOM.com.au

[Dan5]

Heads up.
Just herd theres a TUSNAMI WARRNING
To hit the Gold Coast 0815 Sunday.
I confermed it on BOM.com.au


Yeah mate there's a few other threads on here aswell and has been for an hour or so .

Cheers Dan

[Aunty Jack]

Just did a bit more looking and it looks like a marine warrning more than a land warrning ,

[Pretzil]

:o Was going offshore tomorrow, guess we better call it off:-/

Well, if you are out offshore before it hits you should be fine, will just raise under u and u wont even notice it (as long as enough anchor rope out :P) just dont expect there to be anything there when u get back to shore.

Note: The above is kinda a joke and while based on facts dont blame me if its wrong lol

[TheRealAndy]

I was travelling the north coast of WA in 2004 when that massive tsunami occured in the indian ocean. I was in Kalbarri when it hit, just north of geraldton. In fact, the next day I was sailing in a catamaran in the murchinson river. The effects were very visible. They get tides of around .5m there, hardly noticable. That evening, they got tides 3-4 times that, if not greater. There may be no destructive waves like in indionesia or thailand, but you do get massive tidal surges. I have been fortunate enough to experience it. It is still incredibly powerful.

[wayno60]

and just to top it off high tide is at 7.57am tomorrow.

[marty+jojo]

I just hooked the boat on packed the esky and rods etc in the boat, went and fueled the boat and it started pissing down. I called the mrs and got her to look at the radar, she said there is a small cloud right over Redcliffe, so i thought no worries i'll go home until it passes. Thought i would have a quick look on Ausfish and i found this thread :o :o :o
Will i or won't i go :-/ :-/ :-/ . Rain has gone now;D 8-) :P .
Marty.

[TJ Bear]

Surely if they thought their was any chance of a real wave hitting the east coast and they had that much warning it would be on the radio and TV every ten minutes. At the moment the TV and radio quite about it

[frankgrimes]

I
Will i or won't i go :-/ :-/ :-/ . Rain has gone now;D 8-) :P .
Marty.

They are recommending not too - They are expecting strong/unpredictable tidal conditions. I'd err on the side of caution....more than likely you'd have no probs, but no fish is worth potentially coming unstuck.

fyi - 30meters+ is the supposed "safe" depth during tsunami

Mick

[joe 09]

They are recommending not too - They are expecting strong/unpredictable tidal conditions. I'd err on the side of caution....more than likely you'd have no probs, but no fish is worth potentially coming unstuck.

fyi - 30meters+ is the supposed "safe" depth during tsunami

Mick

And don't forget you would have no insurance with tsunami warning

[NAGG]

Can anyone remember a tsunami having any real effect on Australias east coast ???
I once read that our Continental Shelf & the long gradual taper towards the coast line basically dissipates the energy :-/ ..... will we just see something like a bigger tide.
Lord Howe Island could be interesting ....... deep water & an abrupt rise in land

Chris

[rakinray]

Hey you guys its live on CNN on cable the first of the Hawian Islands is just starting to get the first of the waves right now !

CHEERS RAY.

[frankgrimes]

Can anyone remember a tsunami having any real effect on Australias east coast ???
I once read that our Continental Shelf & the long gradual taper towards the coast line basically dissipates the energy :-/ ..... will we just see something like a bigger tide.
Lord Howe Island could be interesting ....... deep water & an abrupt rise in land

Chris

1960's, Chile earthquake also:

http://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/topics/4537.html

The NSW coast has been affected by over 30 tsunamis over the past 200 years but these are generally too small to be noticed. The largest tsunami to have affected the NSW coast in recent times occurred in May 1960 after a 9.5 magnitude earthquake in Chile resulted in a 1 metre tidal fluctuation at Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour. This caused some damage to boats and coastal infrastructure.
The following quote provides some indication of the damage caused by the 1960 tsunami in Sydney:


“Freak currents tore away moored boats and upset shipping. The huge tide tore from their moorings about 30 launches and small craft and two barges at the spit: swirled the barges in among drifting launches, overturning several of them and damaging others: smashed one of the barges into the spit bridge. Set adrift 800 logs from moorings at Balmain shipping yard, which were then swept down the Parramatta River. Swept away a strip 100 yards by 60 yards from Clontarf Reserve Point Park exposing a high tension submarine cable: in one tense moment a 30ft. fishing trawler sank in Throsby Creek near Newcastle. Eight launches were ripped from their moorings in Throsby Creek and swept half a mile into Newcastle Harbour.” (Brisbane Courier Mail, 25 May 1960)"

[TJ Bear]

How many nm from Australian coast to Lord Howe? If the Tsunami travels at approx 400 knots and they are predicting it to hit east coast at 815 you would think it would have hit lord howe an hour ago and we would be hearing about it by now. Bet we get a 20cm higher tide what a joke!

[Bear001]

are there any qld live webcams to look at?

[Chimo]

Yes Bear but I just got a message, server too busy!

I guess it will be the same when the world ends, al the mobile phone towers will be out too so we will have to say goodbye in person; not so bad, its better in person anyhooo!

Cheers
Chimo

[frankgrimes]

are there any qld live webcams to look at?

http://www.coastwatch.com.au/ but they appear to be struggling atm...guessing theirs one or two people viewing them ;)

[tigermullet]

How many nm from Australian coast to Lord Howe? If the Tsunami travels at approx 400 knots and they are predicting it to hit east coast at 815 you would think it would have hit lord howe an hour ago and we would be hearing about it by now. Bet we get a 20cm higher tide what a joke!


A huge wall of water has hit NZ - a full 20cm (200mm - less than 8 inches).

Wow!;D

[Damned67]

A quick google search of the news shows that NZ saw a 1.5m 'Tsunami wave'. There was also some 'unusual sea activity around the country'. What all this means to Oz and Moreton Bay is anyones guess.

[Heath]

It's not the height you have to worry about. It's the volume & velocity.

[tunaticer]

New Zealand has registered tsunami activity up to 1.5m.

The Chatham Islands was the first place in New Zealand to experience a surge, with a 0.2 metre wave arriving just before 7.35am. Since then it has been measured at one metre with reports of a wave height of 1.5 metres at Pitt Island.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/tsunami-wave-makes-landfall-mainland-3384488

[groverwa]

The cynical might like to have a look at http://www.seismicity.see.uwa.edu.au/welcome/tsunamis_in_wa/asian_tsunami_in_wa
regarding a few reports on the 2004 Indian ocean Tsunami on the WA coast

Mike

[WalrusLike]

There is no pleasing the public. :(

If there is no warning they will get up in arms about the powers-that-be asleep at the wheel. If there is a warning, and not much happens, then the powers-that-be are fear mongering fools. If the warning happens and people are hurt then “there was not enough information available about what to do”.


The fact is that science cant accurately predict the local effects of global phenomena. Its too complex. Maybe later when computers get much faster and ocean floors and currents are mapped much more accurately… (meanwhile many will whinge about the money spent on unproductive research…)

Lets just be sensible and gratefully accept the warnings and sensibly plan around them.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/get-out-of-the-water-australian-tsumani-experts-warn-20100228-pak8.html :

“Mr Hainsworth said the danger could last well into Monday. "This kind of threat can last for a minimum of four hours and we could be looking at an event that could last up to 24 hours with significant changes in water levels," he said.
"As a result we're shifting vast amounts of water which causes these strong currents - it's a pretty dangerous situation."
"It's like shaking a bath of water. Once you've shaken it, it slops around for quite some time and that's exactly what the Pacific (Ocean) will do for quite some time."

[The_Sloth_man]

"Water levels rose by a few centimetres off Tasmania"
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/28/2832258.htm


RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!!

[Leighton]

Was on the Tweed River this morning. SES on the water warning people.
Did not notice anything out of the ordinary

[gr hilly]

lets all hope it pushes a lot more bigger fish closer to our fav fishing spots now wont that be great.

[tigermullet]

The cynical might like to have a look at http://www.seismicity.see.uwa.edu.au/welcome/tsunamis_in_wa/asian_tsunami_in_wa
regarding a few reports on the 2004 Indian ocean Tsunami on the WA coast

Mike


Thanks. Good read. Just goes to show how far the effect can travel.

[nigelr]

Better safe than sorry, eh?
Cheers and well done BOM et al!

[oldboot]

Realy all this is getting a bit silly........they are generating a "boy who cried wolf situation"

Last tsunami warning I was up in Townsville, staying on the Strand, the governemnt issued this hair tsunami warning and told people to stay away from the strand and stuff.

Most people studiously ignored or poked fun at it.

They recorded ( how I don't know) a 20mm ( or such) tsunami wave..... the afternoon chop was 10 times that.

they are taking this "precautionary principle" way too far.

If I applied the same risk assessment principles they seem to be using......I would not get up in the morning....or may be its too dangerous to stay in bed.

simply rediculous

cheers

[Jabba_]

There is no telling what the affect off a tsunami is going to be until it hit... So what if this tsunami did turn out to be a massive tidal surge or a series off tidal waves.. What would you say if no warning was given.. You would Probably slam them for not issuing a warning...

I personally would rather the warning and adjust my day around it, like I did today, I canned going fishing.... Even is it turns out to be a 20mm ripple, the sensible decision it to issue a warning... Predicting what sort off Tsunami is going to hit is impossible, it will most likely be small and have no affect, but there is always a chance that it could be devastating....

[FNQCairns]

last tsunami warning we had, the road up the range was gridlock:) accidents in the street etc...was not long after the Indonesian one so the terror was fresh in many's minds.

This morning my daughter and I went into town to watch the ski boat races and go for a swim all at 2 foot above high tide, I deliberately didn't tell my wife of this new warning to save on pre trip anxiety but I got the phone call an hour later:)

Has it touched our east coast yet?

cheers fnq

[oldboot]

Yes there is a means of telling with in reason what the effects of a tsunami will be on the east coast of Australia.

With the history of past activity,
What has the effect on the Australian east coast been?
With information on current activity compared to past, what is the likely effect.?
What is the consiquence of the likely effect?

We are talking of basic risk assessment principles.

An the answer is basicly, low and diddly squat.

When wave front in NZ is forcast to be 200mm to a meter....and they are considerably more exposed than we are.

On most of the east coat the effects of this "tsunami wave" is likly to be undetectable in normal sea conditions.


If I was doing a formal risk assessment on a days boating, this tsunami warning would rank below slipping on the boat ramp or banging my knee on the tow ball in risks to be mitigated.

It greatly degrades the value of all disaster warnings.

cheers

[NAGG]

Totally agree - much better to have the warnings than none ....... better safe than sorry - hey :)

chris

[FNQCairns]

Yes there is a means of telling with in reason what the effects of a tsunami will be on the east coast of Australia.

With the history of past activity,
What has the effect on the Australian east coast been?
With information on current activity compared to past, what is the likely effect.?
What is the consiquence of the likely effect?

We are talking of basic risk assessment principles.

An the answer is basicly, low and diddly squat.

When wave front in NZ is forcast to be 200mm to a meter....and they are considerably more exposed than we are.

On most of the east coat the effects of this "tsunami wave" is likly to be undetectable in normal sea conditions.


If I was doing a formal risk assessment on a days boating, this tsunami warning would rank below slipping on the boat ramp or banging my knee on the tow ball in risks to be mitigated.

It greatly degrades the value of all disaster warnings.

cheers

Very true with the lack of "grip" society has on even the basics today, one needs a 1 to 20 terror ranking to be part and parcel of any Authoritatively given warning's or advice's.....

And yes it does degrade all and sundry but entirely par for the course these days, the heightening of fear to control is power until it becomes recognised as commonplace.

cheers fnq

[nigelr]

lol so I take it that you old boys will be carrying on as normal, until you are evacuated?:-X ;D

[davez104]

I'm surprised at the attitudes of a lot of the longer term members here. It's already been said that if a warning wasn't given and damage or loss of life ensued, there would be an almighty outcry. I don't know what you expect the authorities to do. I know I would rather the warning, then make my own call on what steps I will take, rather than no warning at all.

A tsunami doesn't have to be high to do a hell of a lot of damage. In fact they rarely are high. They have a huge amount of weight behind them and just keep coming in, like a little wave that just doesn't stop. The effect here will depend on how much the energy dissipates as it travels across the ocean.


Seriously though, if you don't like the warnings, don't listen to them, but quit whinging about them, some of us like to be informed about things that could possibly pose a threat to us.


Dave.

[Ando74]

I'm with Dave.

It was given as a marine warning, no mention of it ever inundating the coastline. Mention was made of possible strong currents, larger than normal waves, higher tides and possible surges. At no stage was there a mention of evacuation anywhere.

But I'm sure the old boy's on here knew all of that with their vast experience of these kind of events.

Do you boy's also whinge and moan when the strong wind warning doesn't come through as predicted?! (Or when it does out of the blue)

[FNQCairns]

Nigelr,

LOL! and even then resist the urge!

cheers fnq

[tigermullet]

I reckon the warning was fair enough. Not everything about generation and behaviour of tsunamis is known.

Have a look at this http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

There has been approximately 80 aftershocks - all were quite large.

[tunaticer]

Hands up all those who will ignore any future tsunami warnings as being a crock of shit??

Would it be you same people with the raised hands that the SES would be rescuing if one did eventuate?

For my part i take every warning seriously.

The tsunami that hit Indonesia two years ago and later the one that flattened parts of Bangladesh, for the locals there it was an ordinary day until about 15 minutes before the impact, some residents noticed the waters receding. Does that sound too far fetched to be true??

Nobody can predict earthquakes or tidal waves with any form of accuracy, why knock the warning service that is there to make everybody alert to a present danger? It could have been inundating for lower areas yes, but turned out to be not.

I did notice the high tide peaked about a full hour later than predicted where i was.

[oldboot]

with all due respect that is an ill considered and unreasonabl statement.

Indonesia, bangladesh and the " pacific rim of fire" have a long and regular history of very bad irregular tidal incidents....it is a very active area.

The structure of islands and ocean lay out tend to contain the energy in those areas.

These major asian disasters have been a result of a quake or disturbance several hundred miles away.... in relativly close proximity

The chilli quake is many thousands of miles away.

A properly considered tsunami warning definitely has some meaning.....what happens up there has very little to do with the east coast of australia.

no body is even trying to predict earth quakes in this matter.

they are saying there is an earth quake half way arround the world......they are warning you of a possible disaster where none has occured from similar conditions in the past.

there is no question of the SES having to do a single thing from this ill concieved and unreasonable "warning"

If a Tsunami is going to have disasterous proportions for you.... the best you can hope for is a couple of hours warning.

If I was in darwin or the north, and heard a warning that there was a quake or eruption in the islands too the north.....I would be taking the warning very seriously and be heading for high ground.

but on the east coast... from a smallish quake in chille......come on get real.

If it was a real tidal disaster... like several meters of wave.....I'm not the one who will need helping........the damage will be massive... beyond anything you could think about.

Lets keep warnings for when they are needed or a disaster could reasonably be expected.



cheers

[Jabba_]

I'm with Dave.

It was given as a marine warning, no mention of it ever inundating the coastline. Mention was made of possible strong currents, larger than normal waves, higher tides and possible surges. At no stage was there a mention of evacuation anywhere.

But I'm sure the old boy's on here knew all of that with their vast experience of these kind of events.

Do you boy's also whinge and moan when the strong wind warning doesn't come through as predicted?! (Or when it does out of the blue)

These old boys would be whinging an moaning about getting a root...;D

[Jabba_]

with all due respect that is an ill considered and unreasonabl statement.

Indonesia, bangladesh and the " pacific rim of fire" have a long and regular history of very bad irregular tidal incidents....it is a very active area.

The structure of islands and ocean lay out tend to contain the energy in those areas.

These major asian disasters have been a result of a quake or disturbance several hundred miles away.... in relativly close proximity

The chilli quake is many thousands of miles away.

A properly considered tsunami warning definitely has some meaning.....what happens up there has very little to do with the east coast of australia.

no body is even trying to predict earth quakes in this matter.

they are saying there is an earth quake half way arround the world......they are warning you of a possible disaster where none has occured from similar conditions in the past.

there is no question of the SES having to do a single thing from this ill concieved and unreasonable "warning"

If a Tsunami is going to have disasterous proportions for you.... the best you can hope for is a couple of hours warning.

If I was in darwin or the north, and heard a warning that there was a quake or eruption in the islands too the north.....I would be taking the warning very seriously and be heading for high ground.

but on the east coast... from a smallish quake in chille......come on get real.

If it was a real tidal disaster... like several meters of wave.....I'm not the one who will need helping........the damage will be massive... beyond anything you could think about.

Lets keep warnings for when they are needed or a disaster could reasonably be expected.



cheers
There is nothing wrong with tunaticer comments, in fact I have the same opinion as he....

Would it be correct to say that you know more about earth quakes and tsunamis then a group off seismologist and the BOM???..

[Reel Blue]

I am surprised by how critical many on this site are of the warnings. I never read any mention of a 'disaster warning', only a marine warning. No mention of land inundation or evacuation. I live on Bribie Island which is quite low in elevation and I read nothing that made me think I needed to go anywhere. The earthquake in Chile was actually quite a large one, so I decided not to go boating. I for one am happy for the 'heads up' and would rather err on the side of caution. My thoughts and prayers are with the hundreds of people that have been killed or affected by this earthquake.

[boomstix]

Was down the pin at the time the tsunami was supposed to hit. Was fishing around the tip of crusoe. The tide was running pretty quickly and lots of surge hitting the banks of the island, also pretty big around all the dead trees near swan bay i think it is? Though having never been down here before dont know if its usual to see this kind of tidal activity there or not.

[tigermullet]

I cannot agree with Oldboot. Warnings are issued because of an occurrence or on a prediction of an event such as thunderstorms, severe weather etc.,

It is not the job of BOM to get into risk analysis. That's our job after being informed of the possibility or probability of an event occurring.

Taking into account the size of the earthquake, it's depth and distance from us I put the risk as very low. But it was just an educated guess based on facts as I think I understand them.

I could have been very wrong but, at least, was informed of the size of the earthquake; that a wave had been generated resulting in warnings and, therefore, the risk had to be given serious consideration.

I feel very comfortable with the warnings but would have been upset if news of the tsunami and the possibility of threat was suppressed.

[oldboot]

plain and simple this has been used as an excercise in social manipulation.

They have closed beaches all up and down the coast...........telling people that can not sit or walk on the beach forget swimming

on the basis of something that is forcast between 200mm and meter in New Zeland...... the disipation in the distance between here and there would be considerable.

Even when the reports of the "wave" being more like the 200mm ( up to 1.5 meters in places) in NZ, they continue to maintain closure of beaches and keep them closed more or less all day

I don't need to know a great deal I dont need to be an expert ........to spot something that is simply rediculous and unreasonable.

We hear on the news...the "emergency plan"... being " hailed as a great sucess"

this has nothing to do with forcasts bassed on a reasonable expectation.......expectations that if wrong are corrected several times a day on subsiquent forcasts.

just bassed on the published wave height map.....there could never have been a reasonable expectation of waves that could justify the closure of beaches.... but the beach closures proceed and continue all day.

It is very much the job of the BOM to be involved in risk assessment.....that is a large part of what they do.....bu the day, hour and minute they are required to assess the risks of and the possible effects of bad weather occurances.....ya just have to look at the way forcasts and warnings are worded.

And if it sin't their job... who's is it?

I hear on the news that " the tsunami warning has been cancled" yeh fine..... but if they were interested in keeping the public properly informed...they would have canceled it at 6, 7 or 8AM this morning when they knew full well how the whole thing was panning out... information from NZ would have been available by 7 AM at the latest.

No I recon I know what happened.....the federal government saw an oportunity the flex its muscles and test its emergency plan.....without consulting the public.... and without considering the cost.

think about how much money has been lost by seaside businesses the subject of cancelations or forced closures braught on by this foolishness...I guess the government is happy it was not a bright sunny day on the east coast.....or a great deal more people would be unhappy.

cheers

[Jabba_]

Oldboot, its not just about big tidal waves and surges, it's also about unstable currants and rips that put people in danger... Those conditions can cause otherwise stable sand banks to collapes

It's hard enough for the SLSA to guard our lives on the calmest off days, let along when strange and strong currants sweep hundreds off week swimmers off there feet....

Have you ever seen what happens when a sand bank collapses.. I have.. Very rarely does it happen, I have only seen it once, and somthing like a change off direction off currant or sudden increase off currant can cause it....

What happened when I witnessed that sand bank collapsed.. I was surfing out from it.. A whole lot off japs were swiming and standing on it.. Water was belly high, then they just dropped.. I saw it it all and paddled in to help along with a few other surfers, the SLSA were on to it quickly also.. We surfers turned into life bouy's with japs clinging onto our boards..... No one drowned.. It happend 20 years ago, I was 17 at the time.....

[tigermullet]

Oldboot, its not just about big tidal waves and surges, and also about unstable currants and rips that put people in danger... Those conditions can cause otherwise stable sand banks to collapes

It's hard enough for the SLSA to guard our lives on the calmest off days, let along when strange and strong currants sweep hundreds off week swimmers off there feet....

Have you ever seen what happens when a sand bank collapses.. I have.. Very rarely does it happen, I have only seen it once, and somthing like a change off direction off currant or sudden increase off currant can cause it....

What happened when I witnessed that sand bank collapsed.. I was surfing out from it.. A whole lot off japs were swiming and standing on it.. Water was belly high, then they just dropped.. I saw it it all and paddled in to help along with a few other surfers, the SLSA were on to it quickly also.. We surfers turned into life bouy's with japs clinging onto our boards..... No one drowned.. It happend 20 years ago, I was 17 at the time.....

Same thing (almost) happened to me at 18 years of age at Surfers Paradise but in 1961. Just my luck to stand up on the outer bank as it collapsed. Dozens were caught out. Being young and fit I managed to get myself out but had to crawl onto the shore - no breath left. At one stage I thought I was swimming up to the surface until my head hit the sand. It's not nice to surface just as another wave breaks over your head and you feel like you're in a washing machine.

Never came across a collapsing bank since but it does happen.

There weren't too many foreign tourists around in those days... but now?

It pays to be cautious - some of them are seriously short and could drown in a rain puddle.;D

[WalrusLike]

Ya cant be sure of their effect based on your intuition:

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tsunami/resource/31103.html#10 says:
"Small islands with steep slopes usually experience little runup – wave heights there are only slightly greater than on the open ocean. This is the reason that islands with steep-sided fringing or barrier reefs are only at moderate risk from tsunamis. However, this is not the case for islands such as the Hawaiian or the Marquesas. Both of these island chains do not have extensive barrier reefs and have broad bays exposed to the open ocean. "

Distance may not protect you:

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tsunami/resource/31103.html#7 :

"Tsunami waves in the deep ocean can travel at high speeds for long periods of time for distances of thousands of kilometers and lose very little energy in the process. ...<snip>... In 1960, great tsunami waves generated in Chile reached Japan, more than 16,800 km away in less than 24 hours, killing hundreds of people."

Lets drop this.... sensible folk listen to warnings when given by credible sources, knowing full well that not all warnings will eventuate.

[FNQCairns]

I understand all this is a exotic experience and all but what is the difference between this warning and the near dozens of strong wind warnings we get issued, not gale force just a strong wind warning? sure in both there is latitude for anything to happen to anyone within the multitude of possibility/chaos of every possible persons options to harm themselves near the ocean or in the case of strong winds miles from shore as well.

I agree with oldboot, IMO NZ was the feeler gauge, after then there is no excuse for people to be frightened into leaving their caravan park, nor harassed on local beaches by "authorities" in this instance in the real time that they where....I saw this on the evening news, for what they are often worth.

I suspect also that if the in real time the accounts of the US and international measuring devices also had the scale pegged quite early on.

Hell i had it pegged after just few minutes on the net and that was just for interest all that was left to ascertain at that point was is just any one of the hundred thousand people watching would actually notice it when it did arrive, that was my big curiosity.

IMHO I do think a 1 to 20 terror rating system will work, this one could have been a 2 with the very outside possibility of a 4 at highest for raising the natural terror level of any in the populace who witness/experience this event:)

There is a serious lack of "grip" in society today.

cheers fnq

[oldboot]

regardless the public should have been better informed about the magnitude of the problem and the reasoning behind any " closures"

Video of people being chased off beaches with loud speakers and people saying "i'm getting out of here there is a tsunami comming" are far from helpfull.

If the government would have tried a little harder to inform people and update the situation thu out the day, I would be far less concerned about the beat up

All I have heard in the media has been worst case and sensationalism.......not a measured explanation of the situation as it stands, currently updated.....just like you would find with any other potentilay dangerous event.

information is useless unless it is current and accurate as it can be.

I'll crawl back under my rock now.

cheers

[Damned67]

I certainly felt more informed from this site and the associated links. I did make the choice not to go fishing today. Had I have had a bigger boat, I doubt that it would have stopped me. Fishing in the bay, I was unconcerned about the wave height. Instead, I thought that the supposedly drastic changes in tide/current might put the fish off, and quite simply, decided to sleep in.
I feel the BOM warnings etc were adequate and justified. The media sensationalism on the other hand.....

[tigermullet]

Unfortunately, that's what the media does!

I'll admit to feeling uncomfortable with the closing of beaches by SLSA or the SES - the risk needed to be assessed by each and every person not by a volunteer group putting themselves up as an 'authority' and ordering people about.

Issuing such orders is overstepping the mark. I hope they are not beginning to believe their own PR and pretending to be more than they actually are - a group of volunteers with no more specialist knowledge than the rest of the informed community in an event like this.

Warnings are one thing, acting like little Hitlers is another.

[sleepygreg]

"Issuing such orders is overstepping the mark. I hope they are not beginning to believe their own PR and pretending to be more than they actually are - a group of volunteers with no more specialist knowledge than the rest of the informed community in an event like this."

On behalf of the many volounteer organisations I find that statement extremely offensive. They may not have the specialist knowledge of the science relating to the event, the same as they arent weather forecasters, or stormchasers. They are, however, chartered to save our sorry arses/property when the manure does hit the turbines. I for one, dont blame them one bit for trying to minimize the potential for injury/death/property damage. As for the theory of it being just the governments way of testing the warning system....well....I dont have a problem with that either.....imagine how much life would NOT have been lost if we had a similar warning system in place for the black saturday fires.....I know its not the same scenario.....or is it??

Greg

[Mike Delisser]

plain and simple this has been used as an excercise in social manipulation.


By the governments and leaders of 53 Pacific nations including USA, Japan, China & Russia?????

[oldboot]

My opinions posted have absulutely nothing to do with how this situation has been handled anywhere else but here.

Hawai.. was forcast and recieved dangerous wave action, an emergency situation existed there... but not here.

cheers

[Jabba_]

My opinions posted have absulutely nothing to do with how this situation has been handled anywhere else but here.

Hawai.. was forcast and recieved dangerous wave action, an emergency situation existed there... but not here.

cheers
But sweet FA happened in Hawai also (A bit off tidal surge), and they evacuated the coastal impact zones..... So I guess they don't know what there doing either...

Just a big con job ay...

[Bill_Corten]

Had a great day doing coastal bar crossing tuition on South Passage Bar on Sunday. Sheer volume of water rushing over the bar on the big tide was pretty impressive and swell had quite a bit of juice. Couldn't see any noticeable difference in terms of changed water depth on the day bacause of the tide size anyway.
Crew and self were keen to go and remained vigilant. Kept Raby Bsy VMR informed of conditions on the outside which they appreciated.
Big non event as expected, consistent with low change of sea height predicted by weather experts as per front page of Sunday Mail, read before heading to boat ramp.

Cheers
Bill

[BLOOEY]

I was totally unaware of this until i finished fishing the surf yesterday arvo and overheard people talking about it. Thought it was a bit bizarre to be the only one on the beach! Diddn't notice anything apart from a big tide and some hungry big dart that ate my slugs. Ben

[TimiBoy]

I took the warning relatively seriously. I didn't go on the water. I did some work instead, and while my wife cooked dinner I drank a bottle of good red wine.

Never once did I give thought to social experiments or beach nazis overstepping the mark.

I knew full well that folk would still get on and in the water, and hoped their decision would be right. It was. LOL, I knew Bill would be out there, he'd see a decent tsunami as a challenge!;D;D;D I can just hear the instructions on how to ride up the front, what angle to crest it with, when to cut the engine...

The warnings we received were accurate, based on the information at hand. When new information was available, we were updated. Constantly. The web, including BOM, did a fine job.

Cheers,

Tim

[tigermullet]

"Issuing such orders is overstepping the mark. I hope they are not beginning to believe their own PR and pretending to be more than they actually are - a group of volunteers with no more specialist knowledge than the rest of the informed community in an event like this."

On behalf of the many volounteer organisations I find that statement extremely offensive. They may not have the specialist knowledge of the science relating to the event, the same as they arent weather forecasters, or stormchasers. They are, however, chartered to save our sorry arses/property when the manure does hit the turbines. I for one, dont blame them one bit for trying to minimize the potential for injury/death/property damage. As for the theory of it being just the governments way of testing the warning system....well....I dont have a problem with that either.....imagine how much life would NOT have been lost if we had a similar warning system in place for the black saturday fires.....I know its not the same scenario.....or is it??

Greg


And I find it offensive when they step outside their 'charter' of saving and begin ordering people about. Who put them in charge of deciding to limit freedom of choice and action?

If not stamped out, will the VMR/AVCG also decide to stop people launching their boats if the wind speed or conditions do not meet with their assessment of acceptable risk?

[Heath]

LOL
Limiting of freedom of choice and action......

I believe the volunteer organisations should have the same freedom of choice and action when some fool ignores the warnings & then expects the VMR / SES / Lifesavers etc to come and save their sorry ass when things go pear shaped after ignoring a warning.

[Lucky_Phill]

Did anyone get a result ? Wave rider buoy height ?

any news on this ?



LP.
.
.
.
.

[FNQCairns]

Hence again why are in dire need of a competent federal human rights act/bill, will create a universal framework that government agencies/departments can instead of being lost in the schizophrenic power of it will be forced all work within individually enforceable guidelines to respect the basic rights and freedoms first and last.

It's on it's way just more important things like the ets and broadband and green zones....keep getting in the sovereigns way.

cheers fnq

[tigermullet]

LOL
Limiting of freedom of choice and action......

I believe the volunteer organisations should have the same freedom of choice and action when some fool ignores the warnings & then expects the VMR / SES / Lifesavers etc to come and save their sorry ass when things go pear shaped after ignoring a warning.

Are you saying that you would be happy for a recently qualified member of any volunteer organisation to take away your freedom of choice - taking away your rights and, ultimately, your very freedom?

Do you really want to get approval from a host of volunteer organisations before you do anything?

Why take their risk assessment instead of depending upon your own?

If your views were widely accepted we would slip into a totalitarian state.

I'm about to leave for ten days on the boat and the forecast is for wet and windy conditions during the next couple of days. I do not expect a uniformed volunteer in the car park to deny me the right to launch my dinghy.

Keep on thinking that volunteer groups should have that right and pretty soon we might have seek approval to do anything.

[Marlin_Mike]

Persoanlly i think they did the right thing releasing the warning. Closing the ebaches may have bheen over kill?

If they dont release the warning and it happens, who then is barking for thier heads???????????????????? Damned if the do and damned if they dont with some people.

VMR/AVCG never had and never will have policing rights to deny you from launching in any weather. They may advise you but ultimately its your decision wether to launch or not.

Interestingly, you go to sea on a wether warning or tsunami warning - see how quick your insurance company supports you if soemthing happens during a warning and you put to sea.


Mike

[Sandman]

I can not believe this discussion even needs to take place, i am totally in line with Tim and Mike. Imagine this thread if something happened and nothing was said!!! Marine conditions can vary for many reasons quiet simply we are aware of the effects of any earthquake and 8.8 is no small quake and yep the effects could be felt as far as Aus. There are quakes each day and not far off our shoreline, we could have thees shutting down the beaches each time they occur but we dont, think yourselves lucky that we have abit of advanced warning compared to some other nations.I have family very close to highly active volcanoes and Tsunamies are a real concern.

[nigelr]

Personally I'd much prefer to forego my freedom of choice in the circumstance whereby another person may be obligated to put their life at risk because of my chosen actions.....
Much easier for my conscience to deal with should things go wrong.....
Cheers!

[oldboot]

Back to the point...I do not believe that any of us would complain about a warning IF it was accurate, bassed on current information and all those reporting and acting upon the warning did so in due measure to the likely consequences.


What is realy realy offencive is footage of a uniformed life saver standing over an on innocent person ( probaly an asian tourist) ........sitting way up the beach ( probaly above high water) and badgering him till he left the beach....... as if he was some sort of night club bouncer

OR likewise

footage of a sign written surf life saving vehicle using loud speakers to order people off what in essence is a perfectly safe beach......not swimmers.......walkers, runners & sitters.

All this in the light of a forecast from modeling that had been proven to be close to accurate in several countries several hours earlier.
A forecast from the get go described no land bassed consequences of a possible maximum 200mm rise in sea level on our shores.

sorry I'm beating this again.... but the whole issue sits there with its @#$% sticking out saying hit me.

AND someone has the hide to go out a critisise surfers and boaties for going out in such "potentially dangerous situations".

cheers

[oldboot]

silly sillier sillest

Is my hearing crook or is some one saying we need a Tsunami warning siren system for the gold coast beaches.

cheers

[Marlin_Mike]

you heard right oldboot..........what a crock of shyte........sirens?????????????

[banksmister]

These old boys would be whinging an moaning about getting a root...;D

Can someone organise one ffs
And while there waiting have a listen to a song by
WEDDINGS PARTIES ANYTHING [MONDAYS EXPERT]
I was at sth straddie on Saturday night 2 kids and the better half
After listening to the radio on the boat all night [no sleep]
Wasn’t a real hard choice stay and be a hero or look after the people I love
Left at 430 am
If this is the worst thing that happens to me this year I will have a good year

[Jabba_]

you heard right oldboot..........what a crock of shyte........sirens?????????????
It wont happen..

Ron and his cronies will be turfed out at our next council election....

[Mike Delisser]

Every Patrolled beach already has sirens (shark), Kings at Caloundra has had one you can hear well over 2km away for 20+ years.

[NAGG]

This thread has more volume than the Tsunami ;D - sorry

Chris

PS ..... Glad we had the warning

[ozscott]

I love living 1500 feet above sea level...

CHEERS

[oldboot]

Yep yep yep...If a tsunami / storm surge comes anywhere near my place the rest of you blokes are in a whole lot of trouble.

If it gets that high..most of SE QLD will get top dressed with Stradbroke and Moreton Islands.

cheers

[black runner]

It is very difficult to predict the nature of a tsunami simply by the magnitude of an under sea quake. It is what happens to the ocean floor - ie a fracture and degree of subsidance or lift in the crust that displaces the water and creates the wave. The effect of the Sumatran quake on tsunami generation wasn't fully understood until the sea floor was surveyed and seizmic data collated after the fact. This event was huge with a rupture in the sea floor of over 1000kms long.

Here is an animation (from the US geological survey) of the tsunami generation as the ocean floor "unzipped" at over 2km/second. Its a 9mb download so may take a little while.

http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/sumatraEQ/images/sum2TNWb.mov

Cheers

[Jarrah Jack]

Have just been bush for a week with no mobile coverage. Last sunday, on the day of the warning, we were game fishing off the rocks in southern NSW and had no idea of the warning.

We always keep a look out for a bigger swell and I remember telling my mate to keep a watchout..Just thinking what could've happened if it did hit............

[Saltboy]

I read this post with intrigue. I am also loathe to get on my high-horse and preach, however some threads here bring a thousand questions to mine. Firstly, I am a current surf lifesaving club president, with over 30 years active service. Included in those years is many hours in various rescue water craft. As well, I have performed many, many beach patrol rescues and have had to cope with 9 fatalities over those years. All of those will go with me to my grave. I would like to set the scene from my point of view.
Saturday night at approximately 9:00pm I receive 3 phone calls, 2 texts and an email from various local rescue authorities and surf lifesaving with regards to the Tsunami the following morning. They all basically relate to what procedures should happen in the morning. They all make perfectly good sense to me. The following morning I join our beach patrol to ensure we are all following correct procedure, part of which is the closure of the beach. It amazed me to find people completely ignore us and going for a swim. Even people with young children on boogie boards. Tsunami aside, conditions were just plain dangerous due to extreme high tide, large swell and irregular rips and currents. We were not Nazi's or overbearing, yet people still treated us with contempt. Freedom of choice does not come into it. If you walk on a job site that is a hard hat area, you put on a hat hard. Simple as that. People have to realise the beach is the lifesavers job site. We are not there to intimidate or treat people with contempt. People need to realise a million preventative actions is better then 1 rescue. It's as simple as that.
3 weeks earlier I performed a rescue on an overturned boat on one of our local bars. The swell was large, tide was low and pressure waves were everywhere. People were advised not to cross bars. The outcome was a rescue of 3 people, a severely damged 70K boat with only 30 hours on it and one very rueful skipper. I have one question here, WHY???? Freedom of choice you say. Warnings and preventative actions are put in place for our safety, like a hard hat. You may not need them, and at times they may seem overkill. However one day they might just save your life.

[Horse]

I got up at 2.30am on Sunday and saw the alert. I thought that the smart thing to do would be to give the trip a miss. I was more concerned about the car left at the ramp on a king tide high than about surviving a tidal surge in the Bay though.
I fully support the decision of BOM to provide the warning. It was my choice to be cautious and I would probably do the same thing if it happens again.
As for the Lifesavers closing the beaches I have a pretty low opinion of the guys knocking them. They put in a lot of hours to try and protect fools against themselves. Most rescues are of people who did not understand the potential danger in what they were doing and thought they new better. If they are given a warning whether it be shark or tsunami they would be negligent to ignore it.
The effects of tsunami on coastlines are just beginning to be understood and a few hundred kms can make all the differance so Hawai missing out does not mean we are in the clear

[Snapper88]

cannot believe all the people on the gold coast who took a blanket down and literally sat on the beach to get a good view of the tsunami

[Jabba_]

Yep, A grade f#%k wits the lot off them...