Panic before the storm (a terribly sad series of three pictures taken as the tsunami approaches)

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | 12/30/04

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Tourists run for their lives as the first of six tsunamis starts to roll towards Hat Rai
Lay Beach, near Krabi in southern Thailand. One woman runs towards the waves.
Photo: AFP

The woman continues to run as the wave advances.
Photo: AFP

With the waves engulfing boats, the woman makes contact with her group. It is not known if they survived.
Photo: AFP

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After the first two pictures, I just thought the woman was being an incredible dumbass thinking she’s having fun.

She was running towards what looks like her husband and four kids. I would imagine the five of them are all gone. It’s just so sad.

[Lazamataz]

Is that dark blue thing way in the background the tsunami?

If so, it is HUGE

[dead]

That's just hills in the background.

[KoRn]

Those looks like mountains. What's most interesting to me is how far out the water line receded to.

[MikefromOhio]

nah thats land of some sort...

the Tsunami was only about 6-10 feet high....

[Hatteras]

I think what you are referring to is a land mass in the distance. The tsunami is the foaming white wave approaching.

[Echo Talon]

Is that dark blue thing way in the background the tsunami?

no that would be a mountain/hill.... the tsinami is the huge wave comming in...

[Lazamataz]

The wave in the foreground, then, simply doesn't look that large. But, of course, as we know looks are clearly decieving in this case.

[Arpege92]

Very sad!

[MikefromOhio]

I dont know about you guys, but if I see the water receed like that, I am running for the hills....

[Lokibob]

The white line is the wave. I imagine the blue is mountains in the background.

[Muzzle_em]

In retrospect, we regard those people as idiots, but looking at the waves, they don't look THAT ominous. I've seen pictures of surfers in Hawaii on MUCH scarier looking waves. Not until you see them engulfing the boats do they look like something potentially scary. The tourists just don't realize that when those waves get to them, they are STRONG and followed by a whole LOT of water that is going to continue pushing inland. They probably thought the waves would stop at the shore. I'm betting the woman and family did not make it. SAD.

[bvw]

The wave was coming in at sixty or so. MPH. Hard to outrun.

[KoRn]

"I dont know about you guys, but if I see the water receed like that, I am running for the hills...."

Same here.

[Lazamataz]

the Tsunami was only about 6-10 feet high....

That's interesting! 3-4 foot waves are common on the ocean, so I would never have suspected that the tsunami that caused this much devastation would have a wave height that small.

I was envisioning these 50 feet walls of water....

[Lazamataz]

In retrospect, we regard those people as idiots, but looking at the waves, they don't look THAT ominous. I've seen pictures of surfers in Hawaii on MUCH scarier looking waves. Not until you see them engulfing the boats do they look like something potentially scary. The tourists just don't realize that when those waves get to them, they are STRONG and followed by a whole LOT of water that is going to continue pushing inland. They probably thought the waves would stop at the shore.

Zactly. They just don't look as dangerous as they are.

[Lokibob]

Look at the 3rd pix and you can see 2 waves, one right behind the first and MUCH taller. Judging from the boats, I
d guess that each wave was 10-15 feet, making the total 30'.

[MikefromOhio]

well if you think about it, water is one of the most powerful forces on Earth.

It isnt the height, its the momentum of such an event....

These waves had been going for hundreds of miles...which was just building up the force higher and higher......

[John W]

Caption says first of six.Perhaps 2-6 were bigger.

[Brilliant]

I suspect that the pictures you see were taken from places that did not get hit so hard. The photographer survived.