Every Tsunami Generates a Tidal Wave of Morons

As everyone knows, the first sign of an approaching tsunami is when water recedes, exposing the sea bottom or reefs. That was the case here on Maui, minutes before the tsunami that was generated by the earthquakes in Japan reached our shores. And, as always when there’s a tsunami alert, a lot of idiots came out of the woodwork. Most are surfers –- hotshot visitors, not the locals, I hasten to note -– who grab their boards when the sirens go off and head for the beach.

Maui News photo

Then there are the mega-morons like this bozo, who take their little cell phone cameras and actually walk out from shore to be sure they get a good view of whatever is happening. The problem, of course, is that someone could end up risking his life trying to save one of these meatheads.

There was indeed a surge shortly after this photo was taken, and it went well up and over that sea wall and road in the background. However, since there were no deaths reported here, this guy evidently managed to get back to high ground all right. Dumb luck. Very dumb.