Haunting footage captures the initial waves of ocean tsunami that killed 220,000 people
A seemingly innocent video of a man enjoying himself on a beach in Thailand takes on a new meaning when you realize these are the first waves ahead of deadly tsunami.
Boxing day in 2004 went down in history in Asia due to a massive tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people.
This massive wave came as a result of an intense earthquake that occurred under the Indian Ocean. The earthquake was recorded at an immense magnitude of 9.1 on the Richter scale, occurring 18 miles underneath the ocean's surface, as two tectonic plates collided. This made it the third largest in the world since 1900.
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The quake took place just off of the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
While it was powerful, it was the resulting tsunami that really caused devastation to India and Indonesia. It wasn't just felt in Indonesia, as Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand all reported the earthquake.
Within 20 minutes, waves of water began to hit the coasts of surrounding islands.
In Indonesia's Aceh province in Northern Sumatra, waves reached 167 feet and caused floods for three miles.
Following the tsunami, an astonishing 227,899 were killed or missing and presumed dead, including tourists and locals.
This made the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami the most deadly in history.
On top of this, more than 1.7 million people were left without homes, and total damage was estimated at roughly $13 billion.
But what ended up as the most deadly tsunami of all time unbelievably started with just a few small waves.
And even more shockingly, an unknowing tourist actually managed to capture these first few waves on video.
In the clip, a man says: "We were supposed to go caving this morning, had just about booked it.
"But then, look, waves."
He gestures to the ocean where some moderate waves are picking up.
Later, the waves begin to look more serious, even knocking over a beach chair. A boat is also seen rocking in the water as the tourists begin to clear the beach.
Julian Hadden, who posted the footage on YouTube ten years ago, thankfully confirmed that everyone in the clip survived the tsunami.
He said in the caption: "In response to the many questions - all of us featured in this video are still alive.
"We were on the landward side of the island of Koh Ngai, Thailand, so didn't get a direct hit - rather the wave as it washed around the island."
Gerrard Kaonga