One of the first things I learned as a child was never to run out onto the reef if the water receded unusually quickly and never be tempted by the stranded fish there.  It was a common theme through all the tsunami stories I heard starting with my mother.  In fact, the earliest recorded such incident in Hawaii was in 1837 when 62 people in Hilo lured by fish trapped on the reef by receding waters died as the tsunami came rushing in.