March 16, 1579 Tsunami: Cano Island, Costa Rica
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Cano Island, Costa Rica on March 16, 1579.
Where the waves reached
The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- March 16, 1579
- Source
- Cano Island, Costa Rica
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 8.705° N, 83.880° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
"We set onward, March the 7, shaping our course towards the island of Caines, with which we fell March 16, setting ourselves for certain days in a fresh river, between the main and it, for the finishing of our needful business, while we abode in this place we felt a very terrible earthquake, the force whereof was such that our ship and pinnace, riding very near an English mile from the shore were shaken and did quiver as if it had been laid on dry land." (reference #273)
More
Every tsunami in 1579The 1500sTsunamis of Costa RicaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 5646.