Imagine being one of those boat captains, seeing the size of that thing then realizing the only possible hope of you and your crew surviving is to charge head on into it. Balls of steel man, massive legends

it’s crazy how from far away, the water doesn’t seem to be coming fast but when it comes closer to you you realize how fast the water is rushing in. scary

It’s quite wild that one of the safest place during tsunami is actually to be on a boat that is charging straight towards the wave. Props to those boat drivers. Not only they managed to survive, they also avoid becoming another wreckage that will add to destruction of the wave at the further end.

Whoever was in control of that fishing boat deserves a raise.

Those 2 boat captains were the bravest ever sailed on the raging tsunami!

Bravo to the person recording this. They actually videoed the Tsunami and the ocean. Well done.

It was very touching but heartbreaking hearing the people on shore shouting and cheering for the boat to stand firm as the wave came closer and closer and it was becoming very clear how dire the situation was becoming. You could hear how desperately they were all hoping the crew would make it despite knowing there was nothing they could do to help.

For those wondering, those wave are massive in size and might be travelling close to 200-300kmph. As the video is recorded from a very high point and a far away, it seems the wave might be hardly moving unless it has approached the point close to the people recording. The point at which the wave was at when the video began was probably around 6-10 miles away from the people recording. That wave travelled 6-10 kms in less than 2 mins. Imagine that.

I speak a little Japanese so I can help translate: “Oh shit the entire ocean is coming”

Major props to those boats that made it over the waves, holy hell

久しぶりに東日本大震災関連の動画を見た。 家族で自分だけ生き残ってしまったあの日から、もうすぐ12年が経とうとしている。 愛する家族の仕草や癖、どんどん忘れていくことがたまらなく辛い。 よく今日まで生きてきたなあ自分

The fact the tsunami from far away doesn't seem to travel so fast but then it comes in closer.

Whats really horrible about this is that that the terror we are feeling watching it on a screen is not even half as bad as the last feeling that around 20,000 people ever felt.

1:31 black smoke from that ship . Means the captain said "Full power full speed ahead" ,, wwwoowwww his quick decision saved his boat.

my brother was visiting his son in Japan when the earthquake hit. Like most Americans he didn't speak or understand much Japanese but he knew the word tsunami and hearing it made his blood run cold He followed the people in the streets to a safe place and survived.

The amount of force behind those waves is unimaginable. I spent many years on the ocean and its power is second to none. Most people are unable to even conceive of the power that water holds.

I'm getting a lot of Tsunami videos in my recommended, I hope This is not a weird sign of something to come.

I will never forget watching this live while in college. I skipped my class to keep watching. The footage was unbelievable

Tragic that so many lives were lost on that terrible day. The absolute power of nature can be seen in this 2-5min footage. Love and prayers to the great people of Japan ❤️🙏❤️

Hello from Japan. I was on the small ship in this video with my father i had much fear and origami. We had been fishing and we turn around when we heard of tsunami. As wave approach we say we not going to origami down with the ship. We had a miso soup and we go full throttle up the wall of water. My miso nearly tip over. But we survive much terrifying exprerience.

The scariest thing is realizing that it's not just a "wall" of water coming at you because a wall is generally quite thin. This was more like an army of water marching towards the shore with wave after wave pushing inland. So scary.

Tsunami’s are freaking terrifying, they always seem so calm and peaceful right up until it’s on top of ya..

My God!!... My husband and I were in Japan on that terrible day. We lived in the city of Ina, Nagano state... A day to never forget... The deaths, the panic... The despair was great. God kept us... I'm sorry for everyone who died on that fateful day.

One of those boats got really lucky. Always go straight into the wave. Being even slightly sideways can risk capsizing.

My friend from Sendai actually lost her dad in the Tsunami. He was a fisherman who went out one day and never came back. She was only 23 at the time. Can't imagine the heartbreak. Nature can be merciless.

Watching this 10 years later still breaks my heart, RIP to the people that died in the tsunami and lost their homes and loved ones🙏

I remember being on the 13f in Akasaka, Tokyo. I had been in Japan a long time so knew what an earthquake felt like but this time was different. I thought at first it was a bomb and then I looked out the window and the few pools on top of the buildings across the street were splashing water back and forth. I looked to my right and saw fires starting and was still not sure it was an earthquake. When the second shock hit, I looked up at the ceiling and thought so this is how I die. The building was on rollers and I thought this is the end. There was a moment where it went silent. I ran out to the corridor and saw tiles all over. The elevator was not working so I ran to the stairs and down, the 1F was locked so I kicked it with my foot. I went outside and saw tiles and glass everywhere. I couldn't comprehend that this was an earthquake as they don't feel like this. This was a blast and hard up and down shaking as I've never felt. I'll never forget that Friday afternoon before 3pm. Time did stop.

The wave looks perfect and surfable in the beginning, I wonder how big it actually was when it crested off shore and started to break.

*A BIG SHOUTOUT* to those guys on the Boat for *FACING AND PASSING* that Tsunami in order to Survive

First I was thinking "hmmm this doesn't even look that bad" But then I realized the scale and was like "holy sh!t, that's a huge wave!"

I'm so sorry for the people on those boats. And obviously for the people that lost there lives and lost family members God bless you all.

Yuzo Kuwata, the captain of a fishing boat that took waves sideways, mentioned in a later interview, "I had no fear and was steering in a state of intense concentration. Since if I succumbed to fear, we would lose, I had to adopt a mindset of 'What is this, bring it on!' When we managed to avoid the waves and reached the open sea, I felt relieved. I thought we had won the battle."

Imagine a girl holding hands with her mother and running away from the tsunami. However, the mother failed to escape and was swept away by the tsunami.And the girl still can't forget the feeling that her mother's hand was moving away. This was just a few minutes. And that girl was me. I wanna say that you should give love to someone who you love, for there is no guarantee that they will be alive tomorrow. どうか天国で安らかに眠っていますように。

I live in Philippines, I was 11 when this happened. I remember every shows On TV got cancelled and it was all news throughout the whole day. I skipped school and saw the whole thing unfold live on screen. I remember seeing a boat with people on it tipped and the people fell off and was drag under the bridge by the waves, a car speeding trying to escape the waves went under in seconds, people climbing trucks etc. It was really terrifying. Then there's this Nuclear Melt Down crisis after the tsunami. I'm not Japanese nor lived in Japan but this is one of the events I won't forget. Rest and Peace to all souls lost in this disaster.

Watching the waves crash into the city is crazy but the look back at the ocean and being able to tell that THERE'S STILL SO MUCH MORE WATER COMING! Now that, that's a whoooole 'nother level.

Damn, that wave looks pretty unimpressive out in the ocean, but the second it collides with anything it shows how much is behind it.

I am Japanese. I'm sorry if this English sentence is strange. When I experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake, I was only 6 years old. I haven't experienced a tsunami, but I have experienced a big earthquake. At that time, when I came back from kindergarten, all the TV channels were reporting on the disaster. The next day and the next day, there were many victims' names at the bottom of the TV screen. When my mother's friend's name appeared on TV, her mother was crying to cling to the TV. Everything was shocking and unforgettable. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the support we received from all over the world during the reconstruction. I'm really thankful to you.

The captain of that smaal fishing boat is a savage!

One of the best clips on KZfaq.

It truly is unfathomable, the amount of energy required to push that much water at that speed from one point in a 360° area and have it travel that much distance.

It's amazing that fear sounds the same, no matter what language is being used.

0:03 watch out! tsunami's coming! 0:27 make the ship vertical towards the tsunamis 0:33 otherwise ship will be swept away 0:58 that's being swept! 1:08 the angle toward the waves is not good 1:22 make it vertical! Make your boat vertical! 1:30 make it vertical! 1:33 (turn) a bit more,, 1:37 tsunami has come 1:57 it's the end, huh? *Notice* The translation might be inaccurate because of strong Tohoku accent: I'm from Kyusyu

I remember watching these tsunamis live. I have nothing but respect for the people of Japan.

This was just the first wave. The really big one came about two minutes after this. There was another video on KZfaq taken from the same rooftop that shows it hitting

For those wondering, the guy talking was cheering on the boats to straighten (towards the waves).

This the tsunami that lead to the death of my japanese stepfather. :( Rest in Peace Papasang Shigeru Ochiai.

One of the most incredible videos I’ve seen

it’s absolutely terrifying how quickly it happens

Here's a rough translation of the video. Since most of them have strong TOHOKU accent/dialect and due to the sound quality, I couldn't fully understand what they were talking about. (Their pronunciations are really different from standard Japanese in many parts.) I put the * mark for the parts where I couldn't understand or determine what they meant. 0:00 Hey, what's that? Oi, are, nanne? おい、あれ、何ね? 0:02 It's DANGEROUS!!! (He's yelling at the ships near the shore) Abunee zo! あぶねえぞー！ 0:04 Tsunami's coming!! Tsunami Kiteruzo! 津波来てるぞー！ 0:17 Whoa... Waa... わぁ… 0:18 All they can do is to head for the sea(or the wave) now. Umi(or Nami) sa heeru shika neewa, ado 海(波)さ入るしかねぇわ、あど。 0:19 All you can do is to head for the wave and keep your(ships') head stand! Nami sa hette adama taderu shika needo! 波さ入って頭立でるしかねぇど！ 0:23 No No No .... (Oh my, Oh my, Oh my...) Iya Iya Iya ... いやいやいや... 0:24 The direction, the direction! Muki, muki! 向き、向き！ 0:26 Keep standing the head(=the ship's tip)! THE HEAD!! Adama tadedoge adama!! 頭立でどげ頭ー！ 0:33 * gonna be taken away * !! * * mottegaretzo!! 持ってがれっつぉ！！ 0:38 Crossing (the wave) is the only way! Tsukkitteku shika neezo! 突っ切ってくしかねえぞ！ 0:40 Oh oh oh oh oh Uwawawawawa うわわわわわわわ 0:43 (The wave will be)High, don't get beaten! Takeezo, magennayo! 高ぇぞ、負げんなよ! 0:56 *, it's alright. *, daijobuda. *、大丈夫だ。 0:58 Oh, it's carried away! Oo, nagasareta! おぉー、流された！ 1:05 - 1:09 * 1:10 The direction is bad, the direction is bad! Muki wari, muki wari! 向き悪り、向き悪り！ 1:14 The wave is * so much from such a place, Look! Nami hottadokkara ippee * Are! 波ほったどっからいっぺぇ* あれ！ 1:17 * 1:19 Ahhhhhhh... aaaaaa... あー.... 1:22 The direction is bad. Muki wari. 向き悪りい。/ Ah, Stand (the tip) up!! Aa! Tadero! あー！立でろ！ 1:26 Stand, Ship! Stand! Tadero, fune, tadero! 立でろ、船！立でろ！ 1:33 Oh oh oh oh, if you don't go offshore a bit more, you'll be taken away! Arerere, mosukosu oki sa iganeba mottegarenga! あれれれ、もう少す沖さ行がねば持ってがれんが! 1:36 Rev(up the engine), rev! Fukase, fukase! ふかせ、ふかせ！ 1:37 It comes, it comes, it comes, it comes! Kitayo, kitayo, kitayo, kitayo! 来たよ、来たよ、来たよ、来たよ！ 1:41 Oh oh oh oh oh Uwawawawawa うわわわわわわわ 1:56 Now it's over around here. Kono hen wa owarissuneh. この辺は終わりっすねぇ。 1:59 *, here comes another shot! *, mou ippatsu kuruzo! *もう一発来るぞ！ 2:26 The people who were under there, *. Shita ni ita kotoka *. 下に居た子とか、*。

Real life tsunamis scare me more than movie ones because they look so innocuous.

Ive seen footage at the time from a boat a bit farther from shore. They just went up and down the wave as it came and were completely unharmed, and that was scary already

You don’t realize how big those waves are until you see the ships going threw them?!!😮

After 10 years, I'm still in shock when I see these videos. At the time, I'd never seen something so unbelievable on video before, and I still haven't since. It looks like something out of a movie. Still gives me chills to this day.

A tsunami looks more like a swell than a big tall giant wave as I always imagined it.

This is the best version I have seen of this video thanks.

I was 7 and had my exam on that after giving my exam i came home when i saw my father watching news of tsunami on television my father unfolded whole story back then and i am very sympathized for all japanese people for what they edure...in 1945 and then 2011

Holy crap. That boat driver needs a medal he hit it at the perfect angle so he didn’t capsize. That would be a terrifying situation. Edit: they both did well, the larger one survived because it was larger, and because of that it’s ok to hit it straight on.

I remember watching this unfold live on the news. I was 13 and couldn’t have been any less bothered because I didn’t really have a concept of how fragile life really was at the time. Re watching these videos years later bring a constant chill to my body knowing how many people lost their lives in those moments.

How bight was that barrel like 25-30 foot? Wonder if anyone was surfing that day?

There was an emergency alert system being implemented in the coast of California during that day

The guys in the fishing boat are the Japanese version of Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan, the only boat to survive the tsunami

It’s strange I always imagined that tsunamis would be fast and menacing. Buts it’s almost like this slow escalation, where unless you’re experienced don’t seem that dangerous in the beginning.

Does anyone know for sure whether those two boats made it? If so there must be interviews out there with the crew. I’d appreciate any links.

Why there's boat near the shore sailing toward outside ? (If they have warning broadcast)

There are two ways to survive the tsunami. One is to escape to a high ground. The other thing is to get on the boat of a good captain's ship.

Holy fuck, I’d never seen footage of this till now... Tsunamis are the most terrifying thing in this world, Rest In Peace to all the people who lost their lives

Congratulations to the ship's captains who knew how to behave in that situation

The sheer weight of all that water…. takes tremendous power to generate that force.

10yrs on and still one of the most eeri videos ever.

Guys in the boats. Perfect seamanship 101. Looks crazy, but 100% by the book. Legends.

People are saying those two boat captains are savage etc.. the fact is, they had no other option. it was either power through the wave by meeting it head on or be capsized.

it really is something to watch it slowly build up. first the area the waves crash into get bigger and bigger.. then the waves themselves come closer and closer!

The captain of that little boat is a legend.

Every time I see these videos my heart aches for the victims. The loss of entire communities and life saddens me to no end.

those r some gnarly waves tho that'd be a pretty awesome surf

Did the ship's crew survive?

bruh whoever sailed that one boat casually still sailing around, hats off

It's not until the boats disappear between the swells for a second that you realize just how big those waves really are. Jesus.

Did the ships make to open seas?

Did the smaller boat survive? I really hope so...

I was ten and living in Japan when this happened. Luckily my area wasn’t hit by the tsunami but I was terrified to say the least.

I remember being a young child watching something like this on the news with my parents, I can't believe it's been 10 years...

Can I use your video for reference?

It's not just a wave, it's all the water that follows it up ,the sheer terror of anybody seeing this coming and knowing there's no escape brings great sadness to my heart for those lost souls,

That captain who took the wave head on did the most logical thing you could do in that situation. I don't know if survived or not but he was definitely a fighter!

10 Years from this. My condolences to all people affected

The captain and crew of that ship are legendary

It’s not the wave at the front that does the damage. That’s just the leading edge of the sea-level rise that’s coming behind it.

When you look at the ocean, the horizon is roughly 3 miles away. So the waves look like they’re not moving in so fast, but in reality they’re traveling at great speeds!

I was literally searching up on Tsunamis out of curiosity only to realize it's March 11, 2021. Exactly a decade since this has happened.

Where is the waves as tall as buildings that ive seen in countless tsunami movies

The guys at the boats are main characters, holy crap. Balls of steel.

I was 15 years old in 2011, 7:40am and I was late for highschool here in Peru. My mom and I stayed watching the news in awe, horrified...I remember that scene very vividly, both of us petrified thinking 'this must be a movie, this can't be happening' as we watched the first wave arrive...Rest in peace all people that lost their lives that day, praying affected families, relatives and friends can move forward with their lives with support from their communities and government. I'm not even japanese and I remember this day every year. My condolences.

I could not help but feel a strong sympathy and deep respect for the Japanese people, still thriving on top of such calamities as Tsunamis, Earthquakes, .... !

This happened on my birthday. I was still living back in the islands. I remember feeling the big earthquake but the tsunami never hit us. Rip to those who died bc of it.

I have a fear of tsunamis even when I live no where near an ocean, I have constant dreams of running to a higher location to avoid them but I always manage to lose my family.

R.I.P for those how died terribly in a tsunami

That boat sailing on the tsunami gotta be the best pirate i've ever seen

Some good waves to enjoy the beach 😎☝️🔥

Breathtaking