Unfounded rumours about an imminent tsunami expected along the French Riviera have been making waves on social media.
According to videos being shared, a tsunami is set to hit Monaco, Nice and along the Côte d’Azur to as far west as Sète on Thursday 10 July 2025, when there’ll be a full moon in the sky. Social media users claim a mysterious clairvoyant has foreseen a “liquid rage” on that date. The anonymous clairvoyant is alleged to have correctly predicted Covid and the severe 2010 storm in Western Europe, Cyclone Xynthia.
Japan suffered similar rumours with a manga artist predicting a tsunami for Saturday 5 July. Le Monde reports that the rumours were taken so seriously that there was a 50% drop in tourist bookings from Hong Kong to the prefecture in Japan where the tsunami was meant to appear.
Despite the Japan prophecy proving false, rumours of the new tsunami have gone viral and spread across the Mediterranean. In Tunisia the national meteorology institute was today forced to issue a formal statement denying any tsunami threat, and urging citizens to not spread rumours that have no scientific basis.
Has the Côte d’Azur ever had a tsunami?
Although there is almost zero chance of a tsunami this week, the French Riviera has in fact experienced a tsunami before, although it was a rare occurrence. Back in 1979, on 16 October an underwater landslide – triggered by work on the Nice Airport extension – caused a tsunami of 3-metre high waves to crash along the Baie des Anges coast. The disaster tragically claimed 11 lives.
Tsunami Ready Cities on the French Riviera
In response to the (very low) risk of a tsunami, Riviera cities like Cannes and Antibes have implemented clear signage and emergency protocols. At Cannes Train Station for instance, you’ll find a sign letting you know it’s a ‘safe zone’ in the unlikely event of a tsunami. And in Antibes, at Plage Ponteil and next to La Gravette beach you’ll see signs directing you to move 200 metres inland to safe zones in the event of a tsunami. Cannes was the first city in mainland France to receive a UNESCO certificate for being ‘Tsunami Ready’, in January 2024.
In January 2024, the Alps Maritimes department sent a test ‘Extreme Alert’ to residents and holiday-makers in the region. The message said that in the case of a real alert, the message would read (in French) “a tsunami will reach the coast within one hour”.
Advice for those on land was to evacuate on foot towards inland areas, while those at sea were advised to head offshore.
