As much as i dislike the little twat, he's right.
A tsunaimi is nothing like a tidal wave, not in cause and not in action in any way, sort or form other than that it is a wave.
You'll have to concede to this one and you should fucking know better.
Unfortunately, tsunami waves are also incorrectly called "tidal waves."
Although it's an incorrect term because tsunami waves have little to do with the tide, (except to perhaps make things worse if they hit at high tide) it's just a part of the vocabulary...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami
"...and at one time incorrectly referred to as a tidal wave..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_wave
"The term tidal wave may refer to:
* A tidal bore, which is a large movement of water formed by the funnelling of the incoming tide into a river or narrow bay
* A storm surge, or tidal surge, which can cause waves that breach flood defences
* A tsunami also called tidal wave, or harbor wave, although this usage is not favored by the scientific community due to tsunamis not being tidal.
* A Megatsunami, which is an informal term to describe a tsunami that has initial wave heights that are much larger than normal tsunamis."
I don't defend the incorrect use of "tidal wave" for a tsunami wave, but, right or wrong, it is still widely used as such.