A comprehensive understanding of physical phenomena based on a hybrid experimental-numerical approach supports a safer design of critical infrastructures. However, for large-scale tsunami-like waves, the reliability of numerical models was insufficiently validated. Herein, we validate our numerical model of tsunami-like waves by comparing simulation data (obtained using a smoothed particle hydrodynamics method based on a highly efficient parallel computing technique) with large-scale experimental data for both, dry bed surges and wet bed bores. The presented preliminary results are believed to aid the development of experimentally validated numerical tools for a better understanding of tsunami-like flows.