The Benney-Luke equation (BL) is a model for the evolution of three-dimensional weakly nonlinear, long water waves of small amplitude. In this paper we propose a nearly conservative scheme for the numerical resolution of (BL). Moreover, it is known (Paumond, Differential Integral Equations16 (2003) 1039–1064; Pego and Quintero, Physica D132 (1999) 476–496) that (BL) is linked to the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation for almost one-dimensional waves propagating in one direction. We study here numerically the link between (KP) and (BL) and we point out the coupling effects emerging by considering two solitary waves propagating in two opposite directions.
