In the past , there have been several tsunamis in the British Columbia area . Two , occurring in 1700 and 1946 , were caused by earthquakes and never hit the shore . Three tsunamis did make landfall . One struck in 1960 , and was caused by a magnitude 9.5 quake . It affected the town of Tofino by damaging the local log booms . The next , in 1964 , was caused by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake and produced a 14-foot wave that completely flooded parts of the towns Hot Springs Cove , Bamfield , and Port Alberni . The wave was traveling over 435 mph and caused about 8 million dollars in damage . The last tsunami , in 1975 , was caused by an undersea landslide and occurred in the Kitimat Inlet of the Douglas Channel
magnitude 9.5 quake
1960 Valdivia earthquake
Mount Breakenridge