Although a tsunami wave in deep sea can be simulated using linear shallow water theory, the wave dynamics of a tsunami running up a continental shelf is very complex, and different phenomena may occur, depending on the width and profile of the shelf, the topography of the coast, incident angle of the tsunami and other factors. How to simulate tsunami waves at an intermediate depth is studied in this paper by using three different simulation approaches for tsunamis, a soliton, a simulated high incident current and a dam -break approach. The surface wave profiles as well as the velocity- and pressure profiles for the undisturbed waves are compared. A regular Stokes 5th wave of the same amplitude is simulated for comparison. A wave energy converter model, previously validated with wave tank experiment, is then used to study the survivability of the Uppsala University wave energy device for the different waves. The force in the mooring line is studied together with the resulting force on a bottom mounted column, corresponding to the linear generator on the seabed. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.