has anyone been diving during an earthquake?

[NJ Divermaster]

With the earthquake yesterday and my up coming trip to SoCal, I was wondering what it's like to be down during one. Do the sea life show signs of something brewing like wildlife do on land? Is there a list of actions to do if you find yourself in one? Just curious.

 

[mathauck0814]

Technically, yes. We were out on the boat diving yesterday during the earth quake. Folks on shore could feel it, we were oblivious.

 

[drbill]

As long as it isn't followed by a tsunami, I'm fine. Living in SoCal for 43 years I've dived through lots of earthquakes without even noticing them underwater. But then I've yet to dive during "the Big One!"

 

[Mike]

Not in California, but diving in Roatan during the big quake off the coast a few years ago we experienced diving during the after shocks that followed. Sounded like a far off distant rumble underwater if you weren't paying attention you would have missed them.

 

[tracydr]

I've seen some posts written by people who had dived during the big tsunami Indonesia. Apparently, they didn't even know anything had happened until they got near shore.
I can't imagine how. Perhaps they were far enough out? How far offshore did that wave start building? You'd think the boat would have gotten knocked around or something.
Largest earthquake I've ever been in was pretty tiny but it shook the walls of my sturdy log home and made a sound like a sonic boom. Wonder what that would be like underwater?

 

[Tyger]

Remember, waves, including tsunamis, are mostly surface events out in the open ocean, and unlike normal waves, they have a very long period, and before they reach shore, are typically only a foot change in height. Granted by the time it gets to dive depths it is likely starting to rise up towards shore, but it will still be nothing like what strikes land. So I can see how it would be very easy to miss one passing when on a boat, as it is just a gradual rising up to a foot, followed by a gradual sinking.

In fact, when a tsunami is heading towards a harbor, one way boats can avoid being damaged by it hitting land is to just go out to sea a bit, so they only hit smaller swells.

But being in the water during an earthquake, it seems like if there is a loose bottom (sand or silt) that it would stir up the bottom a little bit.

 

[keithbt]

I thought I remember reading about divers in the water when the big tsunami hit indonesia, and they where sucked upward quite a bit.