On June 13th, a rare tsunami hit Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Maine, and possibly most of the rest of the East Coast. Although the tsunami was observed by various beachgoers, as well as being recorded by over 30 tide gages and a DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) buoy, it took the report of a lone fisherman to start an investigation.
Brian Coen was spearfishing off the New Jersey coast when he noticed a sudden outrush of tide so strong it carried divers past a rock breakwater. When the water came back, it swept beachgoers off of rocks 6 feet above sea level; two of them needed medical attention, writes the NPR.org
While the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has said the source of the wave is “complex and under review,” they believe “the slumping at the continental shelf east of New Jersey” and a strong storm were the cause according to a NOAA.gov report. Mike Angove, head of the tsunami project at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), called the 5-minute wave a meteotsunami, putting the weather primarily at fault, CSMonitor.com says.