Why do tsunamis (20~ft) cause more damage and flooding than the waves that surfers surf (world record 86ft)?
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its not just height. surfing waves tend to be tall, but fairly short in length that crash and dissipate once they hit shallow enough water.
A tsunami wave may not be very tall, but its humongous in length. when it hits the shoreline, it doesn’t stop, its got so much water and energy behind it that it bulldozes through everything in its path.
If you look at some videos of tsunamis, out of context it looks like an entire river decided to change course and plow through a city. you don’t see “waves” because its all one giant wave, its a continuous rushing of water inland for up to an hour before the wave loses enough energy to recede.
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