You Got Me Blogging

The power and sudden nature is incredible. Very scary.

wow thats intense... wen that dude is jus sittin there... why would you go on the beach if there is no water???

Just wanted to say RIP for victims.

amazing and terrible video!!
i cant believe, in this tragic day!
only 15 minutes to the caos and victms...
FHughes from Brazil

Confronting and emotionally moving....felt like i was there and certainly helped me to understand the enormity of that day....The most moving and explicit video yet I have seen of that tragic day...the memory through this footage will last forever...thank you for the contribution..and may these poor victims RIP...Forever in our hearts xo

Great video...but such a trajedy...may all rip

This is a classic textbook case of what an approaching tsunami looks like. The telltale warning sign of the shore waters having receeded extreemly far exposing the sea floor for quite a few meters. You can see and hear the rushing tsunami off in the distance. The people on the beach had about 3 minutes to to run away and save themselves. Tragicaly, many people in this situation wander out onto the exposed sea floor to explore when they should be running for higher ground. usuallt these waves are about 10 to 30 feet in depth and very broad. Basically its like having the sea rushing in at an extreemly elevated hight.

amazing and terrible film, i dont think we really need ot know what the people are saying it is fairly obvious it is confusion fear and distress.
rip all those who lost their lives on that terrible day. my thoughts are with you and your friends and families.

Nick M

Well said brother.

I remember seeing a complication vid on youtube that had some of this vid and it had subtitles in it, I'll see if I can track down the one with subtitles, it also had scenes of the boats in the distance that were smashed to bits by the first wave

the woman talking spoke that they should warn the tourists before they started shouting and how the man just stood still, that clip was quite short, I'll see if I can get that subtitled vid and post up what they said or at least link it in these comments
thank you for uploading =)

At 2:04 you can hear him shouting desperately to those below "Run, run" "Go up" "go up" "Run, run". You can also hear the girls in the background crying and screaming. I know Thai people, my wife and in-laws are Thai. They are the nicest people on the face of this earth and I assure you this would be a horrendous thing for them to witness. There are so many stories of ordinary Thai people selflessly helping tourists that fateful day. Anyone who left racist comments on You Tube simply advertises their own wickedness and ignorance to the world.

hi raz,

this is the first time i watch the video... its nice you upload this video so that some people will always remember how tragic it was.. mother nature will always be powerful...

more power!

Thank you for posting video of this terrible tragedy. I hope that a tsunami early warning system will be established on those affected islands, so such mass loss of lives and property can be prevented in the future. I recall hearing about it, but never saw the actual video until a few weeks ago, and really couldn't believe my eyes. My heart and prayers truly go out to the victims and survivors worldwide. Hearing about the raw power of a tsunami cannot compare to actually seeing it. There's another video taken by a Swedish couple vacationing on Koh Phi Phi which shows just how quickly the tsunami was upon them. All videos of this devastating catastrophe just makes me sad, and enlightened. As for the individuals leaving the rude, unkind racist remarks...remember this......KARMA.

miggy...thanks for translation. you must play this video with the volume up to hear the fear . and the waves roaring. scary .

Wow this is a mind blowing video. those people thinking it was over. thank you so much for posting it. wonder why ive never seen this clip ever on TV ? the most powerfull video ive ever seen about that terrible day when so mant past away...sad.

Wow! I was looking for the phenomenon of the water pulling away from the beach (scientific curiosity)... but this video really touched the frailty of humanity. Shocking, sad, tragic... a lesson never to be forgotten.

it s to sad to see pople dieing in this ts

Our prayers go out to all that fell on that horrible day in Thailand and throughout the region.
The U.S., notably the East Coast would and could suffer a similar disaster if the Canary Islands blow, they will in time.
If Old Faithful blows it's stack, it is over due, the heartland of America's breadbasket will be covered in ash and mud.
This is not a prediction it is a probability that will prove itself out in the future. According to Seismologists and Vulcanologist's world wide, the hour glass of time is draining and will be empty when the forces of the Universe let loose...God Save Us All, and a moment of silence for the fallen people of la playa.
ajf

Thanks for sharing. It's really heartbreaking to see such disaster claim human lives so please, may all those souls claimed rest in peace.

hi. watching this reminded me of how shocking it was when it happened. i cried for the lost that day. i hope things have improved by noww. peace :)

(I understand Thai, but this man is speaking a southern dialeque) The man speaking in the video is telling the others with him that he has received word from someone in Patong beach that there is some sort of storm in the ocean (that is why he is up on the hill, he had prior warning), then he tries to yell down to the people on the beach to run, but they can't hear him. He then says, something to the effect that this is the first time that thailand has experienced anything like this before.

It's a terrible event, the effects of which were staggering and then made me wonder how the devastation could be so enormous.
In this video I now see that it's the gigantic mass of water (drawn out to sea before the wave) returning that was the cause. Talking about the wave's height is meaningless. It was a most instructive film of something that can be understood by ones brain but not by ones feelings...

Hey, I saw this video and I'm Thai, the things that they are saying at that point is mostly RUN RUN, What's Happening, the guard is saying that this is the first time it happens in Thailand and all thinks it's a tornado or something that makes the waves. So at that point they didn't know it was a tsunami. He's also saying that military boats are destroyed. I couldn't understand very much since sometimes he talks with South Thailand dialect and sometimes with the ones that I understand.

Man. That guy was just standing there waiting for it to hit him.Chances are he probably drowned, but wow. Poor guy man, he couldn't have run as the wave would have gotten him eventually...

do you know that more women and childs were raped and molested in the aftermath of the tsunami and floods on the pretext of lending a helping hand. More people were starved to death , more people were murdered too in the line of protecting their rights. you people should also know this truth ..not only the natural but also the cruel human beings have robbed them of their innocent lives.

This is an amazing video. The vortex between 4:45 and 5:08 is one of the scariest things I've ever seen. It's like a giant washing machine just churing up everything, and there's no escape. It truly shows the power of this disaster. Thanks for posting all of it; I just feel sorry for all the people who were caught in it, and for the helpless people watching and not being able to do anything for those in trouble. Imagine the nightmares they will have for the rest of their lives!

this footage was filmed by a local thai who owned a restaurant and had prior warning from his brother that the tsunami would hit which is why he had the time to set up his camera, he also did all he could to round up people from the beach (you can hear him asking "are you ok?" later in the footage to the people he had managed to get of the beach to the safety of his restaurant) the person he and others with him tried to call to just couldn't hear their calls. the person on the beach...if you look closely had been sitting down....completely unaware of the danger that faced him up untill the very last moment when he stood up and the wave just took him...tragic no other word for it

the most disturbing footage of the tsunami i have seen. i cannot figure out whether it is a child or a man that gets swept into the on coming wave and cannot fathom any answers for whether it was either.if it were a child why would they be by themselves when everyone else had left the oncoming danger...if it were an adult......why stay??..

Wow. Incredible video. The part where he is yelling to "Run Run" is so sad. It is obvious he knows what is coming. I hope someone out there who speaks the Thai language can translate this line by line. I know that is not important but I am so very curious to hear what they are saying to each other word by word. Thanks for posting this. We are nothing against God and Nature and this sure shows who is in charge. Amazing video.

@Wendy:

Yes, Tsunami's are numerous regular sized waves crashing and flowing at an amazing speed causing much devistation, and deaths. If you want a big wave, then you want to search for a 'Mega Tsunami'. Mega Tsunami's are caused by land, or a massive ammount of area crashing into the ocean causing the devistating wave. It may be massive in size, but it moves a lot slower than a Tsunami giving you more time to quickly escape. Considering the fact they are enormously huge, I'd recommend taking the wave's slow speed as an advantage to escape as soon as possible. Same goes for a Tsunami, if you see the tide sucking in, then is the time to know that a Tsunami is going to come, and you need to get to high land.

Oh my god. The people in the video, just lieing in the ground dead. I woul probably pass out if I saw so many dead people on the ground. And that little boy who was just standing there frozen in fear. Oh lordie, that was hard to take. Just another future torn to peices and thrown into the garbage...Tragedy...So sad. You all do realize that by watching this video, you are accepting to watch people dieing, including little kids too. A tragedy. Tsuanmi's are not a,"Oh hey, that looks cool!!!" Imagine being out there, and watching that thing come hurling at you. Trust me, it isn't 'cool'. No natural disaster is 'cool'.

I wonder if this person on the beach did survive. I hope he did.

This so horrible. It's sad to watch the tsunami came and most people died.

Peace.

@ Soun - Thanks for dropping by. I am grateful that a Thai visited this page and to provide us translation of what was said in the video. Our thoughts are with your people.

I am thai. I just saw this video and I will confirm that the thais that took this video are extremely distraught. At first, they called down to hotel workers to round up the guests and quickly tell them leave the beach or run. (he sees the waves brewing). Then he says "omg, this has never happened in thailand before, omg." Afterwards, he is sad to know that the message didn't get to everyone in time and he is upset that this has happened while explaining to others what he saw.

On a personal note..I am saddened to think that any racist comments may have been made about this video. No one would wish this kind of destruction on anyone or any country-we are all human and thats all that should matter.

I know a little Thai, so I know what the man at the background was saying, at the middle of the tape, he was telling the other guy..."I warned them to run, but they won't go, at last they started to run, but it was too late..", something like that, it's just very sad!

Unbelievable! It just keeps on coming. I'd always thought of a tsunami as being something like the wave surfers surf except bigger, but it's not like that at all. I don't think you could surf a tsunami. What's sad is that a lot of people (like that guy on the beach) had no idea what was coming! We need a better program to educate people about tsunamis and a better warning system. If I had seen the sea pull back like that, I'd be running for the hills!

It's a damn shame that people have to mess it up for others in leaving comments. Thank you for posting this vid.

Peace

I've watched this several times; thanks for posting. Leaving aside the human tragedy for the moment, I find the sheer force and amount of water coming in, truly "awesome". I've read that the wave itself moves through the water at about 600 mph. (!!!)
The tragedy is not simply "Mother Nature". First of all, the outposts that the U.S. maintains in the area (I think the Geological Survey, but unsure) DETECTED the initial shock, and per protocol, called the White House, DOD, State Dept. etc....and NOTHING was done. Second, I understand that Japan has "early warning systems" to detect the possibility of tsunamis -- Indonesia, and other "Third World nations" do not (for economic and political reasons). And, last, so many people were on the beach, because of the hotels and other "services" that cropped up, due to the denial, by various political interests, of basic and real (industrial) development of these various nations, and also due to "globalization". It is a tragedy that could have been prevented, had the adequate infrastructure been built.
It shows the abysmal ignorance of those who would leave racist or other disgusting comments about such a tragedy.
The loss of life in this event alone, is mind-boggling. People should mourn, but then resolve to not tolerate the economic conditions that led to this.
It's similar to the "malign neglect" (though not the same magnitude) shown in the response to Hurricane Katrina here in the U.S. The administration had been warned, and did nothing to lessen the loss of human life.
Human life is still sacred. Let us treat it so.

@ Stuart - Thanks for visiting, and the mention of your video on YouTube. I have viewed it myself. Must commend you for your courage to document this for the benefits of us all. For those of you who are interested in Stuart's video, please visit this link.

I was in Thailand on the day of the tsunami and was lucky to survive. I was on the beach on Ko Lanta when the wave came. I filmed it too and my video is on Youtube. If you search for stuartguerin you will find it and your comments are welcome but I will remove any abuse or racism. Thanks for the video Razlan.

After reading some of the disgusting comments left on the 'you tube' website it makes me feel ashamed to be part of the same human race as some of those people! I believe that the people who carried on filming throughout this disaster did us all a favour, if not for people like them, most of us could never even begin to imagine what these poor people suffered and are probably still suffering, after this devastating tsunami. I for one didnt have the first idea of what tsunami meant until I saw footage like this, I thought it was a big wave, seeing this video and others like it, I now know the difference between a big wave and a tsunami! My thoughts are with everyone who was affected by this disaster. xx

Kenneth at Post # 15. That's very noble of you to hear about your mission. Sir, May you be safe out there. You can be sure we need more and more people like you. :-) You got my respect.

Best Regards,
Gabe.

Thank you for sharing this Video, the person at 2:40, looks more like a child to me and that makes it twice as bad if you'd ask me.
I remember this day like It was yesterday, even though not that many Norwegians died, I feel for all the Fathers, Mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts etc that lost their loved ones.

If I were 18 years old back then, It would have taken me a day to get over there, for volunteering, as help.

It's videos like these that brings me to do what I'm going to start with in 2009, serving in UN as a solider in whatever country that may need then, and a lot people asks me why I would want to go to a place where something like this has happened, well I can't really answer it either!
A little off tracks here, but these videos make such an impression on my I can just keep on talking for ages.

@ John - I guess in the face of such danger, mere mortals will be stunned to submission, not realising the danger these waves will bring.

You know the guy at 2.40, why does he just stand there, you dont see him running or anything, he probably died because of that, couldn't he realize the potential danger of the situation?

Dear Friend,

Saw video was stunned.
This desperate situation has inspired me to do something for cause.
Whoever faced it should know it.

lets Awake & awken people about this disaster.

@Razlan and Rick, I hope we all have learned from this mistake. It should be a law no matter what beach it happens on in this world, if the water pulls back or away from the beach, one should seek up to a higher ground. And though as it may look interesting to be there on the (water less) beach, I'd pray to God to be somewhere else than just stand there. Let this be a warning for every human being out there. Be safe to all of you. Best regards, John Gabe from Philippines

Such a terrible tragedy,my heart goes out to everyone caught up in it.and as for people saying the Thais are not equipped for it, Iv'e been on loads of English beaches full of people and if it happened here would we be any better off ? The problem is it doesn't look like much until its on top of you, and by then its too late

@ Gabe - I guess the Thais are just not equipped with such alarm system at their beaches. If only they thought of that... I guess more lives could have been saved. Amen to those who are gone.

It's been a long time since I have watch the last tsunami videos. This one have I not seen before. I am very curious if they did sound off an alarming sound that something was up. You like the high pitch alarm sound.. ???

Thanks for sharing this video. It's horrible to see them on the beach, also why the hell was the guy there on the beach, he's probably the first one who died on that beach. Rest in peace :-(

@ Patrick: It took me ages before I realised how bad the racist comments were running amok on my YouTube page, hence I consolidated everything over here. Thanks for visiting. This page will be important to remind people on the tragic history of tsunami 2004.

Such tragic footage and waste of life. Thanks for removing the ignorant comments from Youtube. There seems to be a plethora of such low-class remarks across Youtube's system. It gives you an idea of the mentality of our country.

@ Yannik: Yes, it is all very tragic. Hope this video will serve as a reminder to all that mother nature is all powerful.

this is so sad :(
when you see thous people just standing there...and there are probably dead now...
so many people had to die on that day
but thanks for uploading this video

@ Arne: Thanks for the alert. Yeah, I always got confused about the date. Can't believe it that it has already been3 years

@ Alex: Neither can I. The commenters were slamming each other on YouTube. Many viewers wrote to me in private asking me to do something, so I decided to put a stop on the slew of racism remarks.

these images are very disturbing and i cannot un derstand anyone leavingn racist comments. they would do well to understand that natural disasters ahppen all over the world and it could be them next

Raz, thank you for sharing this unique video. Regardless of copyright, this is an important sequence showing one of the most devastating natural disasters in modern time.

Please be aware that the tsunami occurred on Boxer Day, December 26th, 2004. The heading is misleading.