Advertisement

'The Water Never Comes Up This High': Sailor Captures Tonga Volcano Tsunami Surge in Southern California

A sailor in Southern California captured water washing in and out of Alamitos Bay on January 15, as a tsunami advisory was issued for the Los Angeles coastal area following the eruption of an underground volcano near Tonga.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Saturday, triggering tsunami alerts for several Pacific nations, Australia, New Zealand and areas on the Pacific coastlines of Japan and the United States.

“A tsunami capable of producing strong currents hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures is expected,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said in a Twitter post.

These videos taken by Holly Scott show the water rising and receding in Alamitos Bay. “The water never comes up this high,” Scott says in one of the videos. Credit: Holly Scott of Mahalo Sailing via Storyful