A Canadian beachcomber made an unexpected find along British Columbia's Pacific Coast on April 18. Debris from Japan's tragic tsunami a year ago have only recently begun washing up on North America's west coast. Like on April 18th, when Peter Mark found a white container with a Harley Davidson inside of it.

At the port of Kesennuma in northern Japan, cars and other debris were swept away by ferocious, 20+ foot tsunami tidal waves. Hundreds have been killed. Police say 200 to 300 bodies were found in coastal Sendai. (Photo: AP)

After the 8.9 earthquake hit Japan early this morning, and a tsunami washed into parts of the northeast region of Japan, helicopters captured this amazing footage of a whirlpool offshore. LIsten to the BBC's Humphrey Hawksley explain why.