On the day that the tragic Tsunami hit in Japan, local guide Kevin Brock had luckily canceled his steelhead trip for the day on the Smith River, which enters the ocean at Crescent City. "It had been hailing and the river blew out, so we had to cancel our trip that day", related Brock. "We had no idea that the Tsunami had occurred, but noticed a lot of traffic and activity all around us. I tried to get onto Highway 101, but found it blocked, with a chaotic scene going on all over the place. That was when we heard the warnings on the radio.

"Witnesses said that all of the water inside the jetty and the river mouth completely emptied out. For a moment, the mighty Smith River ran dry, but then it surged back in. Had we been fishing the lower river, anywhere in the last six miles, we would have been high and dry. At least one person watching down by the jetty was killed."