Really Big Waves

So I'm not sure if any of you saw the movie 2012... the plot was extremely horrible but the special effects were really cool (not to mention terrifying). One of the coolest scenes I've ever watched at the movie theaters was when a gigantic wave crashed over the Himalayan Mountains.

I though animating little balls to fall into a bowl were hard enough to make. I can't even imagine tackling a wave scene like this. I bet back in the day the animators first started their careers practicing things like this...