October 1766 Tsunami: Goree Island, Dakar, Senegal
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Goree Island, Dakar, Senegal in October 1766. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- 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
- October 1766
- Source
- Goree Island, Dakar, Senegal
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 14.670° N, 17.400° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1766 October, Senegal, East Atlantic. In Gore, “there was a strong earthquake not long ago, which caused considerable damage, and in two places the local harbor was so filled with sand that ships can hardly enter it”, found in the newspaper St. Petersburg Vedomosti. Listed as “probably a tsunami” due to large amount of sand deposited. (reference #14362)
Note: presently no other source to confirm this event in 1766. Other significant earthquake events have been cataloged in the region over 100+ years prior (e.g. 1636 Ghana, 1618 Mali, etc). See reference #1214
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goree Island | Senegal | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1766The 1700sTsunamis of SenegalAlerts 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 6166.