1821 Tsunami: Bima, Flores Sea, Indonesia
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Bima, Flores Sea, Indonesia in 1821.
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
- 1821
- Source
- Bima, Flores Sea, Indonesia
- Cause
- Unknown
- Runups recorded
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 8.456° S, 118.723° E
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.
1820, (incorrectly 1821), December 29, at 10:00 [local time]. There was a strong earthquake lasting 2.5 minutes at Makassar. The earthquake was followed by a tidal wave, which was then repeated. The tsunami was strongest on the coast from Bonthain on the west to Bulukumba on the east; here many coastal settlements were destroyed and many people died. (reference #414)
1821 [unknown day]. Bima in the island of Sumbava, principally under the sea. At Bima the shocks occurred at regular intervals of five or six minutes. The earthquake under the sea of Bima was tremendous, ships being carried by the sea-wave inland even over houses. The commotion extended to the coasts of Celebes and Macassar. At the same time with the shocks a submarine volcano near Bima threw out burning stones, ashes, and thick smoke. (reference #1879)
1821, unknown date. Flores Sea, Indonesia. Great wave carrying ships over houses. Heck (1947) points out Wichmann listed only one Macassar wave, that on 1820 Dec. 29, and considers the Mallet account refers to the earlier date. (reference #79)
More
Every tsunami in 1821The 1800sTsunamis of IndonesiaAlerts 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 636.