September 1, 1981 Tsunami: Samoa Islands
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Samoa Islands on September 1, 1981 at 09:29:31 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- September 1, 1981, 09:29:31 UTC
- Source
- Samoa Islands
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 25 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -3.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 14.960° S, 173.085° W
The toll
- Deaths
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
On September 1, 1981, an earthquake occurred with its source at the northern extremity of the deep water Tonga Trench. The tsunami generated by the earthquake caused destruction on the southwestern coast of Samoa. In the village of Taga on the southern coast of Saai'i Island, women preparing food were swept away along with their household goods. A fishing boat was drawn into the sea. The village well was severely damaged. Two large guest houses were destroyed. The village main street was blocked with piles of rocks and logs. On Manono Island several houses were damaged and many houses were swept away, No loss of life was reported from the island. The wave height was apparently about 1 m.
In Apia the tide gauge recorded a tsunami height of 21 cm at 09 hr 55 min. In Pago Pago a 24 cm high tsunami was recorded. (reference #417)
Reference #3331 states "no casualties were reported on either island". Judging from the damage and effects of the tsunami, the wave must have been up to nearly a meter in these parts of the island.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taga, Saai'I Island | Samoa | 143 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Manono Island | Samoa | 161 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Apia, Upolu Island | Samoa | 190 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 269 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1981The 1900sTsunamis of SamoaThe 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 2131.