The resort town of Pangandaran, a popular local tourist spot with many small hotels on the beach, was hit hardest by the 2m tsunami.
The tsunami, triggered by a strong undersea earthquake killed 105 people, swept away buildings and damaged hundreds of fishing boats, officials and witnesses say.
"There are 105 people dead from 10 regencies, 148 people are injured and 127 still missing," said Putu Suryawan, the official at the Indonesian Red Cross disaster centre, adding that 2,875 people had been displaced from their homes.
A local official, Rudi Supriatna Bahro said up to half a kilometre from the beach was affected by the tsunami, with flimsily constructed buildings flattened.
"We need tents, food and medical aid for the displaced."
An Indonesian news agency reported deaths had occurred at two other beach resorts in Java.
"The search is still going on to find those who probably have been swept away by the tsunami waves," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters.
The US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had said the quake, which hit at 08h19 GMT, was of 7.2 magnitude.
Indonesia's state meteorology and geophysics agency initially rated the quake at 5.5 magnitude, but later changed that to 6.8, and said there were two significant aftershocks.
Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. In May, an earthquake near the central Java city of Yogyakarta killed more than 5 700 people.
The tsunami brought chilling reminders of the 2004 Boxing Day tragedy that killed 230,000 people and left almost two million homeless, and a damage bill of billions of dollars.
