november 18, 1929, a tsunami stuck burin peninsula, newfoundland, after a large-scale grand banks earthquake. sometime after the quake, many people noticed the water draining out of the coves and harbours. in st. lawrence, "the harbour bottom, which on average is deep, was visible in places." "as the water receded, it exposed portions of the ocean floor that were normally submerged and caused boats docked at various harbours to tumble over onto their sides. minutes later, three successive waves hit the shore and water levels rose dramatically." three waves hit the coast at about three hours after the earthquake occurred. "in most places, the sea level swelled three to seven metres above normal, but in some of the peninsula's long narrow bays, such as at port au bras, st. lawrence, and taylor's bay, the water rose by between to ." the waves travelled at speeds up to at the epicentre; they were recorded as far away as portugal. the tsunami destroyed many south coastal communities on the burin peninsula, killing 27 or 28 people, sweeping away homes, businesses, wharves, and fishing boats, and leaving 10,000 more homeless.