Can You Really Surf a Tsunami? Ridge Lenny Confronts the Idea (Video)

There’s an innate human yearning for greatness – bigger, better, more, more, more.

And surfers, amongst the rest of the world, are not immune from this craving. Particularly when it comes to big wave surfing, the incessant thirst for “more” is a tough one to quench. In this sense, it can – and is – be likened to an obsession, an addiction.

So, what’s a big wave surfer to do when the world’s established heavy water spots have been tapped? When spots like Jaws, Nazaré, and Maverick’s have been surfed at their presumed max? Below, Ridge Lenny investigates the possibility of surfing tsunamis:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MCriDgizbr4

The thing is, not all tsunamis create actual waves. As Lenny describes from last year’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, and the subsequent tsunami waves that headed for Hawaii:

“The water sucks out, and then it slowly pushes in. It isn’t really a wave. It’s really just a glorified tidal surge. Definitely not surfable.”

But not all tsunamis are created equal. For instance, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami off Japan, which killed nearly 20,000 people. Lenny continues:

“When we’re talking about a big tsunami, it’s a bit of a different story. Let’s look at this clip from 2011 in Japan, an absolutely horrible and devastating tsunami. This thing was massive. It came in, hit the shoal, slowed down enough, and actually formed up into a breaking wave.

“Theoretically, to me, this looks really surfable. The wave is moving really fast, so you would probably need a jet ski assist and some kind of big wave board. The question is, even though you can surf this wave, should you try to surf it?”