Surf: The coastal plain widens to the east, and swamps occur inland from Sissano Lagoon, where sandbanks are rumoured to form off the rivermouth and offer up a few waves. Endless beachbreaks and rips a concern as well wildlife in the rivermouth. Environment: It was off this stretch of coast that the epicentre of a 7.1 (on the Richter Scale) earthquake hit in 1998. The accompanying 33ft (10m) tsunami trashed this area, leaving 700 people dead and thousands homeless.