Viral Harmony of the Seas “Mini Tsunami” Video Surges Back Into the Spotlight
An old video of Harmony of the Seas leaving Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale is making waves once again in 2026.
The viral clip, which was first shared seven years ago, captures the massive Royal Caribbean ship creating a phenomenon in which the water from the shoreline recedes as the mega-ship passes a stretch of beach.
Once the mega-ship has passed, the water comes rushing back in what looks like a mini tsunami, or what would be more accurately described as a “wake-induced surge.”
In the video, beachgoers who were seeing the Oasis-class ship off can be seen playfully running and screaming as the sea quickly returns to its normal depth.
What Caused the Phenomenon?
Part of why this video has resurfaced is because it is fascinating and cruise fans want to understand the science behind the clip.
“Could someone explain because the ship appears to be displacing a bunch of water (which makes it float) so wouldn’t the water be pushed out while it is nearby, and then recede when it departs?” one person inquired in a recent Reddit post.
Cruisers have Bernoulli’s Principle to thank for the sight, which in layman’s terms, states that faster fluid results in lower pressure and vice versa.
When a cruise ship moves quickly, reduced pressure along the hull (or bottom of the ship) creates “squat,” which causes the ship to sink lower. This, in turn, creates a suction effect that is responsible for the temporary receding shoreline.
“This is Bernoulli’s principle in action. As the ship moves through the narrow gap between its hull and the shallow bottom/shore, water is forced to squeeze through a restricted space and speeds up. Faster-moving water has lower pressure — and lower pressure pulls the surface down, creating a depression rather than a wave,” one cruise fan helpfully explained in the comments.
“It’s a well-documented phenomenon in maritime navigation — it contributes to what’s called squat, where the ship itself sinks slightly lower due to the same pressure drop under its hull,” they continued.
Notably, the entrance channel is one of the deepest in the US Atlantic with a depth of 42 to 45 feet, so the Royal Caribbean ship is likely in much deeper water than it may appear to be on camera.
An Impressive Ship Size
The effect of the receding waves and water rushing back to the shore is particularly impressive for Harmony of the Seas because the ship is so massive.
“We saw five of the six that passed through the jetty that day. They all create a mini tsunami but Royal Caribbean’s Harmony Of the Seas makes the biggest impact because it’s so massive,” the original video poster wrote.
Many of the hundreds of commenters on the new Reddit thread also spoke to how impressive the ship looks up close and how it was their first time seeing a vessel of this size so close to the beach.
Harmony of the Seas barely surpasses its Oasis-class sisters to be the current sixth-largest cruise ship in the world. She has a maximum capacity of 6,780 guests and 18 total decks, 16 of which are available to passengers.
She comes in at an impressive 226,963 gross tons and measures 1,188 feet long and 215.5 feet wide when looking at the maximum beam.
Where Was the Video Filmed?
For context, the video appears to have been filmed from the Fort Lauderdale Jetties Public Beach, which is located in Broward County, Florida. It’s just under five miles away from Port Everglades.
All cruise ships must pass through the narrow Port Everglades Harbor entrance channel, which passes by the Jetties, making it a popular spot for well wishers and maritime fans to watch the vessels come and go.
These days, the Royal Caribbean ship won’t be spotted from the shoreside haunt. Harmony of the Seas stopped calling to Fort Lauderdale after the 2022-2023 winter season and has just wrapped up its Caribbean season in Galveston.
As of the time of publication, the 2016-launched ship is in the middle of a 16-night transatlantic voyage to Barcelona, Spain, to begin its Mediterranean season.
However, Cruise Hive confirmed that 15 Royal Caribbean ships still sail from Fort Lauderdale, including some of Harmony’s Oasis-class sisters: Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, and Symphony of the Seas.
Viral Harmony of the Seas “Mini Tsunami” Video Surges Back Into the Spotlight