Tribal canoe journey disrupted by tsunami advisory
Aug 1, 2025, 5:02 AM
An annual tribal canoe journey was impacted by the tsunami alerts. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
The annual tribal canoe journey that traverses our region was impacted by the tsunami alerts this week.
The Paddle to Elwha was running right around the time the earthquake happened in Russia, prompting global alerts over the dangers of a possible tsunami. Some people in canoes got out of the water late Tuesday and did not go back in on Wednesday until all major alerts were lifted and the waves did not materialize.
The canoe journeys were slated to finish within the coming days, and there were impacts as the groups on shore and in the canoes watched the news.
The good news is that the potential for a tsunami was slated to hit in the early morning hours of Wednesday, not when anyone on the canoe journey would have been in the water. The major concern, though, for some was whether there would be an impact on currents in the later morning on Wednesday, when the canoe journey would get going again.
Chairwoman Frances Charles of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe admitted that a tsunami risk was not at all a concern at the tail end of the canoe journey for many participants.
“Totally unprepared for a tsunami, of course, in regards to that, but we were really concerned about it because it’s all about the safety,” she said, adding that when the first alerts went out, everyone taking part quickly assessed the situation, followed the updates, and got out of the water for the legs of the journey late Tuesday. Some waited to see how things would go on Wednesday morning.
The Paddle to Elwha around our region is an annual tradition that has run for decades; the pandemic stopped it, but the threat of a tsunami only stymied it a bit. When alerts went out yesterday, tribal leaders did not take too many risks.
But dangerous large tsunami waves never quite materialized in Washington, and the canoe journey wasn’t stopped for long, according to Chairwoman Charles.
“There was concerns of the uncertainty on when those current levels would be for our pullers and also in general with the wind situations we run into,” she said.
The chairwoman of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe said canoe groups a little further out west didn’t risk the water and got out and watched the situation. On Wednesday, groups further east near Port Townsend waited for the alerts to be lifted this morning and then safely kept going.
Charles said getting information was quite easy and proved that it was being released fast, “A lot of good communications had taken place with the emergency response agencies, enforcement, coast guard, everybody that needed to be involved was on the phone conferences every hour.”
“We were closely watching KIRO when they were predicting 7-10 inches, and it ended up being a foot-and-a-half, but our team was on the phones and watching everything, all the reports,” said Russell Hepfer, Vice Chair of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
Both Charles and Hepfer feel that the alerts, along with the communications, proved what could go right in the situation. They also stressed that the delays and some people taking canoes out of the water to be safe did not delay the journey. Charles expects canoes to be landing in the next few days to finish off the journey for this year.
