Clip of Portugal's giant waves misrepresented as Indonesia tsunami

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia on August 15 triggered a tsunami warning, but a video of people witnessing colossal waves shared online was filmed at a tourist destination in Portugal. AFP shot a similar video at the coastal town of Nazaré on Portugal's west coast and there are no official reports that a tsunami hit the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara recently.

"NTT tsunami," reads an Indonesian-language caption of a Facebook post dated August 17, 2026, referring to East Nusa Tenggara.

The post includes a video that shows a group of people on a cliffside as large waves crashed below.

Superimposed text on the clip reads: "Hopefully everyone in NTT is safe".

The video circulated on TikTok and Facebook days after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

At least 105 people have been killed , 1,100 injured and 40,000 displaced, according to Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency BNPB ( archived link ).

The quake also triggered a tsunami warning for waves ranging from 0.5 to three metres (1.6 to 9.8 feet), prompting hundreds to evacuate ( archived link ). The warning was lifted less than an hour later.

But there were no official reports of any tsunami in East Nusa Tenggara as of August 28 ( archived link ).

Indonesia frequently experiences earthquakes because it lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Ocean.

In 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed about 220,000 people across the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.

The circulating clip also does not depict a tsunami hitting eastern Indonesia, but shows big waves at a coastal town in Portugal.

A reverse image search using keyframes from the falsely shared clip led to a similar Pinterest video uploaded on June 25, 2026, more than a month before the earthquake struck Flores ( archived link ).

According to the description, the video shows powerful swells in Nazaré, and that big wave season in the town runs from October to March.

AFP contacted the video's owner for comment, but has not received a response.

Nazare , the fishing town and seaside resort located 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Lisbon, is famous for its big waves ( archived link ).

It came to worldwide recognition when in 2011 American Garrett McNamara beat the world record of the tallest wave ever surfed -- a massive estimated 24 meters (78 feet).

Since then, Nazare has become a go-to spot for the sport's most daring athletes as well as for tourists who come to watch them.

AFP has previously published a video documenting the record-breaking waves that attract world-class surfers to the area ( archived link ).

The slope of the cliffside and a structure seen in the Pinterest video matches that of the AFP video and the Google Earth Street View imagery of Nazare ( archived link ).

AFP has debunked misinformation regarding the Flores earthquake in Indonesia.