Oddly this question came up before Haiti's big earthquake. A former travel agent was trying to decide on a cruise and asked our opinion. She had read that Puerto Rico has a mild earthquake almost every day. ??? And then she said another friend had told her they felt an earthquake while on the cruise from Hawaii to Ensinada. We were on that same cruise and never felt anything or heard any talk of one.
We have been on 25 cruises and really question
feeling an earthquake at sea. Any opinions or knowledge of this? Thanks.

Since an earthquake is two tectonic plates moving along a fault line, you'd have to be close to a shore line to feel it. The energy release is along the fault and I can't see how it would be sufficient to churn up thousands of feet of sea water. It is the same as with tsunami - one could pass right by you at sea and you won't know it because the large waves need shallow water in order to build up. The energy "wave" is below the water surface.

I think your friends felt the ship shake from normal interaction with the ocean and nothing more.

As to Puerto Rico having daily quakes, that is quite common in many countries which are on or near the edges of tectonic plates. Costa Rica has several per day according to a tour guide we had there. It's just that they are so small they are only noticed by a seismograph, which is the case for Puerto Rico.

quote:

She had read that Puerto Rico has a mild earthquake almost every day

Well my wife works in The department of geology at the university and the "red sismica" or the Agancy that is in charge for most caribbean activity is in the same university department so we usually get the information about most of the activy in the island at daily bases.

to answer the question:
You can feel it if its something big but mostly a normal case you will not feel nothing nat sea.

As for Puerto Rico

I have live all my life here on the island and I have never experience even a little movement,
Is nothing to worry, the movement occur mostly on the ocean floor and is not true that we have a earthquake everyday and when they happen are so small you will feel nothing and are not on daily bases...

Thanks for the first hand information, Casanova!

I've never felt an earthquake on a Carnival ship. I have felt some vibrations during rough seas and while the ship is doing docking maneuvers though.

Dwayne

I was aboard the USS New Jersey during the earthquake the messed up San Fransisco in '88 (the 'memorable' pictures of the double-decker roads collapsed on one another...). We were only about 35-40 miles off the coast, and didn't feel a thing.
The Captain made a ship-wide announcement about the quake (crew members had family in SF).
If I remember right, that was a fairly big quake.

I was aboard a cruise ship off the coast of California many years ago when an undersea earthquake occurred. We neither felt nor saw anything! My conclusion is.....Far more likely to feel the ship strike an iceberg than to feel an earthquake!! Don't sweat it!!

BillyBuzzy

I guess if an earthquake caused a tsunami or tidal wave you'd probably feel that though. I don't want to think about it too much, I had a Poseidon like dream once of a wave hitting the ship.

Dwayne