I’ve always thought this as a kid and I’ve been told it doesn’t work that way but never got an actual explanation
In: Physics
A tsunami isn’t a really tall wave that comes crashing down, like in the cartoons. It’s more like a long, deep surge of water that seems to never stop coming into shore.
You’re on the beach and you notice that the water is receding unusually far out, a lot faster than it would if it were the tide changing. Maybe the surface of the water is roiling and foamy. Then it changes and the water starts coming back into shore. Not much faster than a normal wave might come in, but the wave doesn’t stop and roll back again. It just keeps coming in, and coming in, and the sea level is rising behind it.
There is a mass of tons and tons of water that is going to push onto land and start flowing into buildings and down streets. It will pick up cars, break up houses, maybe uproot trees, and float them along and crash them into other things. You REALLY do not want to be swimming in that.
If you’re out at sea, though, a tsunami can pass by without you even noticing. It can feel like a slightly higher and wider wave than usual. You can swim in that no problem, though since you’re well away from shore you might as well stay in the boat.
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