Japanese vessel takes on two quake-triggered waves and wins

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TOKYO - The crew of a Japanese coastguard vessel took on two massive waves triggered by an earthquake head-on, pointing the bow directly at the walls of water and living to tell the tale.
Dramatic footage of the video, part of which has been posted on YouTube, shows the wobbling horizon as the first wall of water approaches. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fqyOpqnJyw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)
"Speed up," one member of crew shouts. "Hold on to something."
Then the bow rose, pointing at the sky, as the vessel rode the wave that minutes later would leave a path of destruction ashore, prompting oohs and ahs of relief from the crew.
Minutes later, 5 km out to sea, the same thing happened again. "It's got to be 10 metres," one man shouts. Up went the bow and down came the vessel as the wave passed harmlessly underneath.
Tsunami, like the waves that battered shores from Asia to Africa in December 2004, travel fast at sea but are almost undetected until they reach shallow waters and start to grow in stature.
Nearly 7,000 people have been confirmed killed in Japan's March 11 quake and tsunami, which turned whole towns to debris, lifting ships inland and tossing around houses and cars like toys. Another 10,700 people are missing, many feared dead.