Can an EMP Reach Ocean Floor

[Mr Ask]

Could a low-frequency EMP like a strong solar flare reach the bottom of the ocean where Internet cables would be laying?
A specific scenario being that a large EMP reaches underwater Internet cables and fries Internet-related systems in Japan and America.

And since that sounds like an oddly specific scenario I should mention again that this is for a sci-fi story.  If large EMP’s can reach those cables, I am guessing that they would have to be laid wrapped in a flexible Faraday cage, and there would be frequent disruptions as sharks nibble at the cages (as they are known to do frequently with our cables now).


Mr. Ask

[swansont]

Data cables tend to be shielded already

[Enthalpy]

And they're made up of fibre optics.