[Paddlewise] Tsunamis

 Bob posted (huge snip):
>As paddlers maybe a good discussion about tsunamis might be in order...I 
>doubt that our paddling skill would
hold up long if we got caught but a tsunami but I would hope I would "die 
trying".<

Yea, I heard a news snippet Boxing Day that there was a quake in the Indian 
Ocean and that 9 people died. Fast forward to Monday night; I'd been away 
from TV's and radio for two days, then saw the newspaper headlines - holy 
cow, that was a lot of death and destruction. Man, nature sure can be 
devastating. Guess BC waters are due for another megathrust earthquake some 
day too.

I remember the time I was down in Oregon kayaking. It was my first time down 
there and I was at the beach where the big arch is located north of Cannon 
Beach. Tsunami instruction signs everywhere. I headed out surfing, just as 
the tsunami warning sirens actually went off. It was a prolonged event. All 
the May tourists were standing around, wondering if it was the real thing. 
Turned out later there was some mechanical malfunction or test-gone-wrong 
thing. I certainly didn't know what to do, vacillating as much as an big 
oscillating Alaskan swell. In the end, I distinctly remember purposely 
heading out from the beach, figuring it would be one heck of a ride if it 
was real. Weird how the gonzo-kayaker mentality can grab hold of you at 
times like that. I do feel I failed some kind of commitment-to-family and 
well-being test, though.

>One more thing. In the event of a tsunami all Paddlewise restrictions on 
>prayer and religion are hereby suspended. Sorry could resist a little 
>humour in the midst of such a sober discussion.<

Bad Bob! Well, sober _is_ the operative phrase. The picture in the paper I 
saw looked like one of those massive floods that occurs when a river 
overflows its normal boundaries - little did I realize until I read the 
caption that the water flowing past the second story windows of the 
buildings was the ocean. My heart goes out to those who have lost so much. 
I'm grateful for the early warning system we have here on the west coast - 
past test-failures notwithstanding. Didn't we have a discussion on tsunamis 
recently hear on Paddlewise? Maybe we _shouldn't_talk about them.

Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC
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