October 2, 1868 Tsunami: Hawaii, United States
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Hawaii, United States on October 2, 1868 at 07:30 UTC. The water rose as high as 6.1 meters. 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 2, 1868, 07:30 UTC
- Source
- Hawaii, United States
- Cause
- Unknown
- Maximum water height
- 6.1 m (20.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 3.2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
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.
At Kawaihae (Hawaii Island), a strong underground shock made all the residents leave their houses. On the same day at 9:00 pm, near Kahaulea (Puna district), unsually high tides were observed. Kawaihae is on the northwest coast of Hawaii and the effects there are unrelated to any effects at Kahaualea. The effects at Kahaualea were possibly the result of a tsunami from a remote source.
At Kawaihae (Hawaii Island), there was a strong underground shock, which made all the residents leave their homes. On the same day at 21:00, near Kahaualoa (Puna district), unusual flood tides were recorded which flooded slipways with pirogues, the fence, the church and many homes. The water rose considerably higher than on 2.IV.1868 (Reference #415).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahaualea, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 6.1 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1868The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThis 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 990.