What actually happens on a cruise during a tsunami as passengers report being 'left behind'

There's drama on the high seas, with reports of a massive Earthquake in Russia's remote Far East triggering a tsunami that's seen waves hit Hawaii and California. Measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale, the Russian quake is one of the biggest ever recorded, and has also led to some two million people being told to evacuate in Japan.

Although no deaths have been immediately reported and the situation has since been downgraded, the tsunami has caused chaos in Hawaii and other US states. In particular, groups of cruise passengers have reportedly been left behind as their ships headed for safety.

If you haven't seen the campy Doctor Odyssey on Disney+, check it out because there's an episode where this exact situation happened, and passengers were left behind as the ship was forced to flee.

Footage of 'abandoned' passengers has started to go viral, with big Island tourist @mandythecruiseplanner sharing a series of clips showing how a bus of tourists was left behind.

In one clip that's amassed 1.1 million views, she explained: "We made it to the port, but the ship is leaving. The ship is leaving and now we’re going to higher ground, and people are upset."

Expanding on the scenes of panic, she added: "This is not me making light of the situation, this is me just saying it’s crazy, it’s chaos, nobody knows what’s going on, our bus driver had no idea what’s happening."

While some were outspoken about passengers being left on land as the cruise took to the sea, the Daily Mail has revealed what goes on when ships are issued with tsunami warnings.

The outlet notes that vessels at sea in the likes of Hawaii and Japan were given tsunami warnings, as were those in Alaska, which is currently in peak cruise season. Tsunami waves still haven't reached their predicted highs of between 1.1 and 2.5 metres, although they apparently don't pose too much of a threat to ships that are at a safe sea depth of 180 feet. This is because tsunami waves out at sea tend to pass underneath boats.

Cruise Hive warns: "If at sea, avoid entering shallow water, harbours, marinas, bays, and inlets to avoid floating and submerged debris and strong currents."

Ships will have dedicated staff to monitor the weather, advising on whether they need to change course. Some vessels may have to skip destinations due to damage to ports, while ships might have to stay away from the shoreline until the situation improves and the full power of the tsunami has subsided.

Cruise ships will typically try to avoid the epicenter of a tsunami, but as they're specifically designed to handle the relatively minor bumps of a tsunami out at sea, the average passenger will experience little more than the odd rocking.

It's only when ships are close to port that they're in real danger of being struck by the massive waves that have built up power as they head toward the shore, which is why we're seeing all these sensationalist videos of passengers being left behind.