5 Shocking Real-Life Truths Behind Netflix’s Disaster Series, La Palma: Is The Megatsunami Theory Real?

The Netflix miniseries La Palma has gripped global audiences with its terrifying premise: a catastrophic volcanic eruption on the Canary Island of La Palma that triggers a devastating megatsunami. Released in 2024, the Norwegian disaster drama has sparked a massive wave of curiosity, leading many viewers to ask the same urgent question: Is this fictional catastrophe based on a true story, and could a disaster of this magnitude truly happen today, December 18, 2025?

The short answer is no, the specific events and characters of the series are not based on a true story. However, the show draws its dramatic tension from a very real place, a very real volcano, and a very real—though largely debunked—scientific hypothesis that has haunted the region for decades. The series expertly blends genuine geological phenomena with fictionalized family drama to create a compelling, yet ultimately misleading, narrative about the island's future.

The Real-Life Entities and Events That Inspired the Series

While the family's fight for survival is pure fiction, the setting and the core geological threat are grounded in reality. The show’s creators took inspiration from a combination of the island's history and a controversial scientific theory. Understanding the real elements is key to appreciating the series' impact and separating fact from Hollywood-style disaster.

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Here is a list of the real-life entities and events that serve as the foundation for the fictional narrative:

• La Palma: A real island, one of the eight main Canary Islands, located off the northwest coast of Africa and governed by Spain.
• Cumbre Vieja: The real, active volcanic ridge that dominates the southern half of La Palma. Its name translates to "Old Summit".
• 2021 Cumbre Vieja Eruption: A massive, real-life eruption that began in September 2021 and lasted for 85 days, destroying thousands of homes and infrastructure, though thankfully resulting in no direct fatalities. This event is the primary historical inspiration for the series' setting.
• Canary Islands: The real Spanish archipelago where La Palma is located, a region of volcanic origin that has seen frequent geological activity throughout its history.
• Tsunami Hazard Hypothesis: The central, real-world scientific theory that inspired the series, suggesting a massive landslide from the Cumbre Vieja could generate a "megatsunami."
• Atlantic Ocean: The real body of water that the fictional tsunami would cross, threatening coastlines as far away as the eastern seaboard of the Americas.
• Norwegian Miniseries: The series itself is a real production from Norway, reflecting a growing trend of international disaster dramas on Netflix.
• Volcanic Activity: The real, ongoing geological process that makes La Palma a "hot spot" for eruptions, with historical events recorded in 1949 and 1971 before the 2021 event.
• Santa Cruz de La Palma: The real capital city of the island, which features in the series.
• Lava Flow: The real natural phenomenon that devastated the west side of the island in 2021, covering over 1,000 hectares of land.
• Disaster Drama Genre: The series belongs to a real, popular genre of film and television that focuses on catastrophic events.

The Truth About the Megatsunami Theory: Fact vs. Fiction

The most terrifying element of La Palma—the prediction of a massive flank collapse leading to a megatsunami—is rooted in a specific, highly controversial scientific paper published in 2001. This is where the line between reality and the show's dramatic license is most blurred.

The Controversial Cumbre Vieja Hypothesis

The "Cumbre Vieja tsunami hazard hypothesis" suggests that during a major eruption, a massive section of the volcano's western flank—estimated to be up to 500 cubic kilometers of rock—could suddenly detach and slide into the Atlantic Ocean. The sheer volume and speed of this landslide, according to the theory, would displace an enormous amount of water, creating a megatsunami capable of traveling across the Atlantic and causing catastrophic damage to the coasts of North and South America, as well as Western Europe.

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The series capitalizes on this worst-case scenario, showing the family trapped as the eruption progresses and the tsunami threat becomes imminent. This fear-inducing premise is the engine of the drama.

Why Scientists Have Debunked the Megatsunami

While the hypothesis is a real piece of geological speculation, the overwhelming consensus among modern volcanologists and oceanographers is that the scenario depicted in La Palma is highly unlikely, if not impossible.

Key reasons why the megatsunami scenario is considered fictionalized drama:

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1. Gradual Collapse: Modern research indicates that any flank collapse on Cumbre Vieja would occur incrementally over tens of thousands of years, not as a single, sudden, catastrophic event. The volcano is not a ticking time bomb poised for a single, massive failure.
2. Water Displacement: Even if a large section did slide, the speed and coherence required to generate a trans-oceanic megatsunami are not supported by advanced computer modeling. The wave would likely dissipate significantly before reaching distant shores.
3. 2021 Eruption Evidence: The 2021 eruption provided real-time data on the volcano's stability. While it was a powerful event, it did not show any signs of a catastrophic flank failure, reinforcing the view that the volcano is stable in the short term.
4. Erosion and Stability: The structure of the volcano is more stable than the original hypothesis suggested, with new rock formations actually helping to buttress the structure over time.

In short, the series takes a real, remote scientific possibility and exaggerates it for maximum dramatic effect, a common trope in the disaster genre.

The True Story of the 2021 Eruption: The Human Element

To truly understand the "true story" behind La Palma, one must look at the devastating, yet non-tsunami-related, 2021 eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. This event, which lasted nearly three months, is the human and environmental reality that the fictional series is built upon.

• Mass Evacuations: The real disaster involved the successful evacuation of over 7,000 residents, a testament to the island's preparedness and quick response.
• Property Destruction: The slow, inexorable flow of lava destroyed over 3,000 buildings, including homes, schools, and banana plantations, fundamentally changing the landscape and the lives of the islanders.
• Economic Impact: The eruption caused hundreds of millions of euros in damage, severely impacting the local economy, which relies heavily on agriculture and tourism.
• No Fatalities: Crucially, despite the scale of the destruction, no lives were directly lost to the eruption, highlighting the difference between the fictional body count and the real-life success of disaster management.

The true story of La Palma is one of resilience, community, and the power of nature, not an apocalyptic megatsunami. The series uses the fear of the unknown—the megatsunami—to amplify the very real trauma and displacement caused by the 2021 lava flows.

Final Verdict: The Fictional Thrill vs. Scientific Reality

The Netflix series La Palma is a compelling, high-stakes disaster drama that is not a true story. It is a work of fiction inspired by a real-life location and a real, historical volcanic event, but driven by a largely discredited scientific hypothesis.

The show's power lies in its ability to tap into the public's fascination with apocalyptic scenarios and the very real dangers faced by those living near active volcanoes. For viewers, it is a thrilling watch; for scientists, it is a dramatic exaggeration of geological processes. By sensationalizing the "megatsunami" theory, the series creates a fictional disaster, but it does successfully shine a spotlight on the genuine, albeit less dramatic, reality of life on the beautiful, yet geologically active, island of La Palma.