Tsunamis in 1933

October 2, 1933 Tsunami: Ecuador

October 2, 1933 · Probable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake began at Ecuador on October 2, 1933 at 15:29:21 UTC. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
October 2, 1933, 15:29:21 UTC
Source
Ecuador
Cause
Earthquake
Runups recorded
1
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
1.5
Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
0.6
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Probable tsunami
Source location
2.000° S, 81.000° 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.

On October 2, 1933 at 10:31 [local time] a strong earthquake took place on the Santa Elena Peninsula. Among the subsequent shocks, the shock which occurred on October 3 at 5:36 [local time] was only slightly weaker than the main earthquake. At La Libertad the sea retreated from shore immediately after the earthquake, rose to the high tide mark at 11:30 (the ebb tide was due at approximately 10:00 [local time]), fell to the ebb tide level at noon and again rose to its previous mark at 14:00 [local time]. (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.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
La LibertadEcuador28Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1933The 1900sTsunamis of EcuadorThe 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 1665.