Boat Stories
Stories from people BOATING on The Bay of Bengal Dec 26th 2004
These stories are being collected to assist the international tsunami community in creating guidelines to help people on the sea, in future tsunamis.
If possible, please try to include information about the following:
1) Location of boat: type, size, keel, # of people on board, approximate water depth, anchored, sailing, motoring?
2) How did you learn about the tsunami, what time was it
3) What did you do
4) What happened:
-appearance of wave or waves
-did you observe a drawdown of the water
-how many waves or water surges
-how long did the unusual wave or current activity last
5) How did your group fare? Deaths or injuries?
6) How did your boat/board fare?
7) Did you see any marine wildlife acting up before or during?
Any additional comments
Please find and post boat stories using the "comments" button, here:
posted by birdieee at 5:32 PM
16 Comments:
From Blue Water Rallies:
UPDATE FOR 28 DECEMBER
Here at Rally Control in UK we have been in touch with yachts in the fleet and are glad to report that there are no major problems. Despite the devastation caused to the low-lying coastal strip on Phuket Island, inland the situation is much better. Some of our yachtsmen have been shopping and found that there have been few shortages and most of the infrastructure is in good order.
There are several of our yachts amongst the islands and crews have been helping ashore with fellow yachtsmen who have been in difficulty and offering assistance to local clearing up operations - in particular in Phi Phi Don.
This is now a time for an assessment of the minor damage to various yachts. "Paroo" was reported as having hit bottom and may have suffered propellor damage - this is being investigated, but is reported as "not being a show-stopper". There are no other specific problems with our yachts.
We are now looking at our long-term plans for the next stages of the Rally. Clearly Sri Lanka and the Maldives are off our itinerary for the time being but, as we reported yesterday, we shall be putting proposals to the Blue Water Rally fleet in the coming days. We have passed messages to the fleet which have come from a number of well-wishers, friends and family and this has been a great comfort to everyone concerned.
27 Dec 10:55
WHAT NOW?
Clearly this is a time for yacht crews to take stock and to recover from the events of the last 24 hours. There is no question of the Rally "having" to depart in early January given the dramatic and devastating effect of the tsunami at our next ports of call - Sri Lanka and the Maldives. We shall be discussing the situation with Rally crews over the coming days and revising our itinerary accordingly.
27 Dec 10:55
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION FROM RALLY CONTROL
Alistair and Carolyn Roberts' graphic description of their experiences speaks for itself. We have also heard from participants who have been on the main island of Phuket. David and Claire Lewis were staying in an hotel, but luckily in a second floor room - the ground floor was severely damaged, but they were fine. Their yacht, "Condor", berthed at the Phuket Yacht Haven, was safe. This highlights other stories that we have received of yachts in other locations which did not know that the tsunami had swept through the area.
The event has also underlined the benefits of interdependence of the Rally crews. At least three yachts were assisted by fellow owners and one yacht is being sailed by a "passage crew" from Phi Phi Don to Phuket. We also know of Ralliers giving assistance ashore.
27 Dec 10:51
An eyewitness account from Alistair and Carolyn Roberts of "Nademia" relating their experiences:
Ten Rally yachts gathered in the north-west facing bay of Phi Phi Don to celebrate Christmas at the Jungle Bar, a beach-side restaurant. The weather was beautiful, and we all had a lot of fun. The following day, Boxing Day, Carolyn and Alistair of Nademia, Peter of St. Barbara, and Jim and Lolly of Condor (who were staying aboard St. Barbara for a couple of days) were up early to take a taxi-boat over to the neighbouring island of Phi Phi Le. It was another beautiful day, and at about 11am we entered the inlet of Maya Beach, where the film ~The Beach~ was filmed. The inlet is steep-sided and almost enclosed, and would be delightful but for the dozens of tour boats of all sizes that were manoeuvring in the bay, dropping off swimmers and snorkellers. We slipped into the water rather cautiously, as many of the speed boats were dangerously close to us. Almost immediately we became aware of a strong current dragging us towards the sheer cliffs, which was unexpected, given the topography, and we put it down to the backwash from all the power boats. Just a few minutes later the current changed direction and increased alarmingly, and we found ourselves being swept further into the bay, totally out of control. The current reversed a couple more times, and we were dragged back and forth, frighteningly close to the cliff face, in water that had changed from crystal clear to muddy brown, until fortunately we all managed to struggle ashore in a tiny cove some distance from the main beach. We had no idea what was happening, except that at one moment the beach was many metres wide, with a few fish stranded on the sand, and the next moment a heavy surge of water up to 3 or 4 metres high covered everything, and we were forced to retreat into the jungle behind the beach, and as the surges increased in height, we clambered a few feet up the craggy rockface at the back of the cove.
We were stranded in the cove, along with a French family, for a couple of hours as the water surged back and forth into the bay. There was a huge amount of debris in the water, including tree trunks that had been swept off the beach. Gradually the water became more stable, and powerboats which had retreated to the open sea began to edge their way into the bay to pick up the hundreds of people stranded on the main beach There was no sign of our taxi boat, however, and it was still far too dangerous for us to contemplate swimming out to the boats. Eventually a longtail boat approached our cove, and we struggled out to it through still-swirling water, to find our taxiboat driver on board - his boat had been sunk, along with two or three others. It was a sombre group that set off back to Phi Phi Don, through a sea that was littered with an amazing amount of flotsam, including two upturned kayaks and a couple more wrecked longtail boats. We were dreading what we would find back at the anchorage. As we drew near we saw that most yachts had put to sea, including St Barbara who had been boarded by other Rally people, and were standing off about 2 miles.
As we rounded the last headland we saw Nademia - still afloat, and apparently undamaged. Our relief was beyond words. It appears that the tsunami had surged into the anchorage and across the beach, devastating the resort. Two members of the Rally were injured, two Rally boats lost their anchors, and a couple of boats sustained other relatively minor damage, but all had managed to put to sea after the first wave, which had swirled around the bay at a reported 12 knots. Somehow our own anchor had held, but once we were on board we put to sea immediately as there were reports that a second tsunami was expected - fortunately it did not materialize.
Reports of the effect of the tsunami, both locally and throughout the Indian Ocean region, have been relayed to us via VHF and BBC World Service. We were very very lucky - I dread to think how many swimmers in the Phi Phi islands cannot be accounted for. As I write, we are at anchor north of the islands, trying to decide what to do, and feeling the utmost sympathy for the holidaymakers and local population who were less fortunate than ourselves
27 Dec 10:50
ALL SAFE AND SOUND
At Rally Control in UK we have been receiving reports from the fleet and have been answering queries from friends and relatives. We are pleased to be able to announce that all Blue Water Rally yachts and their crews have been accounted for and are safe.We received the following account from Alistair and Carolyn Roberts of "Nademia", which tells the story of their own experience of the tsunami. (It is also interesting to know that at least two of our yachts had no knowledge of the event and the location of individual yachts has had a major bearing on the effect of the tidal wave.)
26 Dec 13:00
UPDATE 2
NEWS FROM PHUKET YACHT HAVEN
As further background to the situation in Phuket, visitors to our website may wish to know that we have heard from friends, Mike and Chris Smither ("Akwaaba"), who were based in the Yacht Haven Marina when the tidal wave struck Phuket. They reported a fierce tide, with current flows reversing every 35-40 minutes, but otherwise OK. "Akwaaba" was undamaged.
NEWS FROM LANGKAWI
We are also pleased to report that owner, Guido Van Daele, has contacted us to advise that "Elise" has survived the tsunami, which also hit Langkawi some 120 miles to the south of Phuket off the Malaysian coast
26 Dec 12:15
FIRST NEWS FROM PHUKET
UK Rally Control has been in touch with several Rally yachts since the early hours (UK time) this morning. Coordination has been somewhat complicated - local communication has not been easy and Rally yachts were, in any event, dispersed amongst the islands close to Phuket or moored in the two Phuket marinas.
By 1100 UK local time nearly all yachts had checked in and reporting both yachts and crews OK. Some minor damage was reported and some yachts have lost anchors, but there have been no reports of serious personal injuries.
As we get more precise news we shall publish it on this website. Our emergency contact number for families and friends is 01285-720568.
Peter Seymour
Blue Water Rallies
26 Dec 10:42 The UK Foreign Office has set up an emergency helpline for those worried about relatives in the wake of the quake disaster - the number is 0207 008 0000
26 Dec 10:40
We are in touch with the fleet in Phuket and gathering information at the moment which will be posted here as soon as possible
The day the fish bowl tipped
Tuesday 10 January, 2005
"I have seen some pretty heavy surf in my life,
but never seen the ocean behave the way it did
that day, with such raw power and ruthless instability."
My name is Graeme Davies, and I am a surfer from
Cape Town. I have spent time in South East Asia, particularly West Sumatra on surfing trips. Over the Christmas period,
my family and I were holidaying in Thailand, at Railay Beach
about 1½ hours by boat from Phi Phi Island and 10 minutes
boat ride from Krabi. This is our story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the morning of Boxing Day, through our tropically induced stupor, we felt a quiet rumble. There was a slight shake, and I looked under my bed to see if my dad was playing games with me. It passed soon enough, and I returned to the day's plan.
We were to visit a place called ‘Hong Island’ - about an hour away by long tail boat - a clunky wooden contraption with car engine strapped to the stern. After a healthy breakfast, we organised a picnic lunch. After all the associated faffing that goes with getting a family going, we were nearly ready. One last ingredient was missing - a boat captain who could speak English. My sister put in a stout effort, and managed against great odds to find an applicant. But at the last minute, he cunningly swapped with a mate of his who turned out to be fluent in smiling and nodding. It was too late to change, so we cruised out into the Andaman sea.
We eventually arrived just off the beach on the island, which is true ‘clean-out-of-a-brochure’ Thailand style. It was an absolutely stunning place. Using a creative set of hand signals, we indicated to the boatman that we would like to circle the island before beaching.
Half way around the island, I began noticing large currents seething through the cliffs. At first I thought it was the spring tide, but finally deducted that it was some sort of wave from the small - most people on the islands didn’t even feel it - earthquake in the morning.
[Hadn’t begun panicking]
This deduction was further aided by other boats in the distance appearing to be quite a bit higher than us. In fact, on closer inspection, relative to the rock faces of the cliffs, we had risen up to five metres at a discomfortingly quick rate. But the clincher - the we’ve-actually-been-hit-by-a-tsunami moment - came when we edged around the corner to the beach we had almost disembarked at earlier. The scene was dramatically different. There was full-on carnage. One 60 foot yacht was in a tree. Speedboats were upside down. The calm, flat water in the small bay resembled the seething turbulence at the base of a waterfall.
[Beginning to panic]
We toyed with the idea of pulling into the bay to see what we could do to help, but the ocean was heaving. The risk to our family and the boatman seemed too great. We decided it would be best not to add to an already out-of-control situation. A little bit in shock and after a lot of ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’, we decided to head back home through the islands.
It was a scary trip. The ocean was acting like water in large bowl being tipped from side to side, like the ocean was moving back and forth between continents. Passing a bay called ‘Au Nang’ we watched as large tracts of water washed from one side to the other and back again - smashing the coast with every arrival. Some of the sets in the aftermath were about 8-10 feet high. They were the small ones. The first set had apparently comprised three monstrous waves up to 30 foot high that smacked the coast head-on.
[Officially starting to panic - life jackets go on]
We thought our home beach (Railay) might have been protected, but when we first saw it in the distance, we immediately noticed that the usually vibrant beach was absolutely empty. Motoring through the debris of floating chairs and tables we began to see that boats like ours (usually neatly lined up on the beach ready to ferry tourists) had sunk or had been smashed ashore, along with numerous wrecked yachts and power-boats.
One precariously balanced boat was halfway through the window of an Internet cafe I had been in that morning. Out of all the bizarre scenes before us, the most notable was the lack of people on the beach. Coming in closer to the coast, while trying to keep in deep water, we still couldn't see anybody. It is one of the most eerie feelings I have ever had. We decided that instead of beaching, we would head to a bay on the other side, which we hoped would be more sheltered.
On arrival, we approached within 100m of the shore when the water started to suck out again. We threw anchor and in the time it took to decide whether we should stay in the boat or wade onto land (about a minute), the entire bay had drained out. Our boat was rocking on dry sand. Think of it. A bay about half the size of Hout Bay drained in less than a minute. We chose to make a run for it and bolted across the mud flats.
[Full-blown panic sets in]
From there we ran across the island through empty hotels and bungalows where we eventually found some people staring blankly out to sea, who commented, "They said there's another one coming in half an hour, and that was twenty minutes ago".
What they were still doing there I will never know, but we managed to find out that everyone else had been evacuated to high ground up in the hills. That's where we ran.
When we arrived, there were about 500 people in varying degrees of health. The immediate danger was gone, but the unknown loomed ... no organisation, no warnings, no news. Was it the end or just the beginning? Everybody had a different and shocking story from the day's events. People had been washed into houses or sucked out to sea. Families were separated, people were missing, a resort obliterated. A friend had been in a boat with his family in the impact zone when it hit. He put his shin bone through his knee cap, but he and his family survived a 300 metre body surf through the forest ... unbelievably lucky.
The next two days unfolded without incident, but wrapped in uncertainty. False alarms and rumours were rife, with most people sleeping on the mountain. We eventually got the hell-in and decided to go back and sleep in our bungalow.
Most of it was on stilts. It was largely untouched, except for my room, which had a school of dead fish underneath the bed. In our garden, we had acquired a speedboat and a complete bar from a nearby restaurant. Together with some of its contents - bottles were still full - it had been washed through a brick wall, up a river and over a fence.
We eventually managed to get back to the mainland and organised a flight home via Singapore from a manic Phuket airport.
Although Thailand was badly hit with many fatalities (on our beach alone, 17 were confirmed dead when we left two days later, but with many more missing), we have been watching the news and it looks minor compared to places like India and Sri Lanka.
My heart goes out to them. Will now be watching this and similar disasters on CNN with a little less indifference. Our family could not have been more lucky - all together, out to sea and sheltered behind an island.
Heads up to Wavescape for making a contribution where it counts.
HOW CAN I HELP?
Despite millions of dollars in aid from the First World, local corruption and inaccessibility has meant that Nias and other remote islands off Sumatra have received NOTHING.
PLEASE DONATE HERE for a direct, immediate impact on mercy missions underway by surf charter boats and local medical NGO SURF AID now!
NB Please use references such as 'Indies Explorer' or 'SA Surfers' or 'Wavescape' so that the support of SA surfers can be tracked!!
First hand account from sea
Wednesday 29 December, 2005
A letter by Chris Scurrah, skipper of Asia, out of Padang
Latest news from Padang is all OK. At 4am our time on 26th, my family, Om, and I were crossing the Mentawai Strait aboard our boat ASIA when the earthquake hit.
We arrived at the islands south of Siberut about 2pm after a rough crossing of confused seas and strong north winds. A massive pod of dolphins played with our bow for ½ hour around midday, and at the same time we lost both our lures to a massive double strike on the rods.
We tied up to the mooring at Kandui Island near the Playground and went over to check out the progress of the development going on. There is one American looking after the place, John. He is fine.
At the time we didn’t think too hard about the really high tide, or about the strong shore break. We were thinking more about how low-lying the land was and how it would be overrun by the sea within a few years.
Coming back to ASIA in the tin boat, we noticed the mouth of the little bay on Kandui was charging like a raging river. We saw a coconut palm uprooted and washed out to sea along with a canoe. Neither Om nor I had ever seen this before. Looking back now, the water movement was incredible. The closest thing I have seen to this is when they dig open the mouth of the river at Waimea on Oahu.
We had a rough night sleep with constant wind, some rain and messed up ocean. Next day we checked out Christie’s resort and spent the whole morning there. I ran around the island with Christie’s dogs and we snorkeled the reef. There were definitely some strong shore breaks, but nothing too unusual and this beach facing north.
With the weather again closing in, we decided to head back to Padang. It was another terrible crossing, with major wind changes from mostly north and west, big rain, huge fronts, unusual weather, and crazy skies. About 4pm we put the HF radio on the indo news channel and this was the first time we head about what had happened, about 32 hours after the fact.
Coming into Padang was eerie as there were no fishing boats around, and really radical changes in wind direction. As we entered the river, there was an unusually strong outgoing pull, but all seemed ok.
>From what we have heard lately, the tsunamis wreaked havoc on Aceh, and heading south they smashed into Simeulue and the Banyaks. The Banyaks blocked the brunt of the energy from hitting Silbolga and all points south on the mainland to Padang.
Simeulue is where our friends Will and Dewi have a surf camp and from reports so far it doesn’t look good for the camp. Will and Dewi are ok and are on their way there now to see what’s left. As the ocean energy traveled south from there it travels down a deep stretch of water and would have wreaked havoc on outlying islands of Babi and Lassia, before smashing north Nias, completely destroying the villages on Wunga Island, and funneling into the trench north of Asu.
We hear Afulu was badly hit, as well as Asu and the Hinakos, along with Sirombu also badly hit with lots of deaths and missing people. I guess the surf camps of Asu are badly damaged if not destroyed? Reports are that the 60 people on Asu got in boats and got to safety before the wave hit. This is second hand info and not definite.
This was Sunday morning, and the morning people get dressed in their best clothes and have a church-community meeting. They also spend time with their families and on the beach. I guess the Asu people felt a movement and from experience knew to get away from the island. Near Afulu, people felt a soft movement, but thought it ok, and kept on their beach picnics. But by the time the Tsunamis began 15 minutes later, it was too late to get away and many lives were taken, a lot of babies dead.
One of our crew, Ahn, called his family on the northeast side of Bawa, which is blocked by a few islands. He said they were ok with not too much damage.
We haven’t yet heard from Ovi and German on the south/southwest side. We are concerned for them as they were most probably badly affected at best.
Moving south, West Nias experienced the surge of water all the way down to Teluk Dalam. Sorake has had losmens damaged and the bottom of the bay saw the losmens there also damaged. No deaths occurred here and all is ok, as in Teluk Dalam. Reports have said a death here and damage to houses on the southern coastal road, but again this is too early to know.
The Telo island chain is wide spread, and the northern end of the chain would have experienced damage and destruction. We have yet to hear any news from here. The chain would have again blocked the energy from Padang and from the Mentawais.
I guess there would have been damage to the west and northern sides of the Mentawais as the Tsunami traveled south, certain islands more open to the north would have seen more damage and I guess low lying villages on these shores will be affected. The disease that will come from the contaminated water supplies will be long term.
Right now, at 2pm on Tuesday in Padang there are still strange water movements. The tides are still coming up and down within an hour, there are strange movements in the river, the ocean is still adjusting and I'm sure you’ve seen how far the energy traveled around the world from CNN, BBC and the media.
Latest movements now are trying to set up some sort of fund with Red Cross Indonesia, and help and support the areas affected, lots of prayers and good energy going on here. As the indo TV says, this is Indonesia crying.
Please keep checking our website www.sumatransurfariis.com for updates. Thanks and terima kasih.
Scuzz
First hand account from mainland Sumatra
Tuesday 28 December, 2005
A letter by Christina Scurrah, Padang
Thank you so much for all your concern for us after the recent earthquake. I have received calls from all over the planet making sure all is well. Chris and I feel very lucky to have so many friends from so many places.
Scuzz (Christina's husband Chris Scurrah who runs Sumatran Surfaris and skippers the Asia) left on a short boat charter about 2am the morning of the quake, but all is good with the crew, boat and guests.
The calls started coming in about 2pm our time on Dec 26th (the day of the quake), so I have given all kinds of different info --- as it came in, the story changed.
At 8am Indo time on Boxing Day, 2004, the earthquake hit. It split the sea floor 1000 meters. The vertical fall of water at the epicenter must have been beyond words. North Sumatra was hammered by the waves, Simeulue as well. It’s hard to know the extent of the damage because the island chain is so remote. I am sure much is destroyed. Nias was hit. I spoke to one of Chris’s friends in Teluk Dalam; he says all is good there. The water is receding. He had not heard of any reported deaths in Teluk Dalam, but he had heard of some in Sibolga.
All Sumatran Surfariis boats, including Budyhadari, are fine. Chris was out on ASIA and the rest are in the river. Whew!! Actually the river was the biggest fear. The water was pulled out and shoved back in all day and night forcing all crew to stay alert for possible lines breaking. If a line broke on any one of these fishing boats, it would crash into a number of other boats down river. But that did not happen.
At one point a large island of plants and rubbish washed down river catching on the fishing boats tied to the shore. The water was moving very fast and the island began to pull the boats – I could hear the sound of wood cracking and ropes pulling against the weight. A crew of about 10 guys took long pieces of bamboo and tried to push the island around the boats to the center of the river. As soon as they got it free, it caught on the boats on the other side of the river. When that was freed, the water changed direction, and pushed this massive floating island back up river. Fifteen minutes later it came rushing back. I saw our river rise 1 ½ meters, then fall again about every 5 minutes, then every 10 minutes, 15, 20…. I started keeping track at about 3pm. The calls from outside Indonesia were my first warning. I didn’t even feel the earthquake. The first timing I have is at 3:10:
3:10 – water swirling – low level
3:13 – water rushing back – 1 meter higher
3:16 – water swirling – high level – 1 – 1 ½ meters from lowest it’s been
3:22 – water rushing out – ½ meter lower
3:35 – water slowing – 1 meter lower
3:38 – water swirling – low level – lower than before
It goes on like this for another hour. Same thing. Pulled out, then pushed back. This went on all night. This morning at about 10am, it was still moving, but on a smaller scale, and easily ½ - 1 hour sets. Now at 4pm, it’s much longer between sets. More water is pulled out than pushed in. I see the bottom of the river, and after one hour it has risen approx 1 foot. It then goes out again, and comes back the same. It’s very low, but it’s also low tide.
We have gotten reports that all charter boats docked in Thailand are okay. All the captains and crew are okay. The Mentawai islands were not hit hard. They had the water surges like we did, but no damage. The islands off the coast of Padang are fine as well. Any boats docked out there are safe.
I sent my day staff home early just in case we got hit. Dogs howled all day and night. Crabs were running for the water as the river receded, they had a tough time catching up to it. Leeches were climbing the walls of our terrace (river side) trying to escape the salt water. Rats were swimming. I saw live squid and flying fish in the river. The birds were swirling around like crazy – the wind would blow one way then quickly change and blow the other. I think the birds were really enjoying it. Our power went out for ½ hour. Internet connection has been hard. Telephone lines are clogged. Reporters have called to get info on any damage. Through all this I still have not heard directly from Chris, but I have gotten word from the Sumatran Surfariis office that they called and all is fine. Once again, whew!!
That’s about all the info that I have on this area. We lived. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen.
I must say that the information hotline we had going yesterday was amazing. Everyone kept in touch with everyone about what was going on in his or her area of Padang. Those who had contact with the Mentawais made sure the rest of us knew the updates. Martin, Rick, Yossi (both of you), Elvis, Ferry, Hengke – great job. Thanks to all of them for keeping me updated so I could keep the callers updated.
Thanks for all the concerned emails and phone calls to everyone out there. It’s been tough to get any emails sent right now, but I tried to send a group one out this morning… some got through, some didn’t… much has changed since then so just file that in the circular file…
Cheers, Thanks, Terima Kasih, from all the Sumatran Surfaris crew. We’re all bagus.
Yacht ARAGORN crew during tsunami, taken 22 Dec, at Buddist Temple north of Bangkok. Sloane, Thomas, Leslie, Catherine and Dick.
Below is the email I sent out:
Most of you know about the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean countries. We
successfully weathered the wave. We were blessed, as were most of the
rally boats.
This is an unpolished report, but you may want to know.
Many of us were in a small cove, with about 12 boats on the N side of Phi
Phi Don Island. We and about 37 other rally people had spent Christmas
having a mid-day dinner at a beach restaurant on the island. The bay on the
south side is separated from us by a low sand link between two higher parts
of the island. That sandy spit, about 250 yards wide, by 3/4 mile long, and
12 feet above sea level at high tide, was filled with dive shops, small
restaurants, Thai massage parlors, and tee-shirt shops, plus local markets
and food stalls. Working on and off the beach on the south bay, there were
about 50 to 100 longtail boats to take tourists out, along with 20 or so
speedboats, ferries which had arrived with hundreds, and some fishermen.
The wave sucked the water out of much of our cove, then filled it up again.
At the same time, the wave was pouring over the sand spit. It did this at
least three major times. The water in our small, circular bay was spinning,
making boats look like a Disneyland ride.
Several stories happening at the same time:
Our events: We saw the reef/beach that covers the S half of our bay
uncover, despite being almost a peak, spring high tide of 8.5 ft. The water
rushing out made a
giant spinning pool, anti-clockwise, clear on the edges and brown in the
center. Boat just inside us were being pulled around in this circle.
Tahlequah, St. Barbera and one or two non-rally boats broke their anchor
chains, and spun loose. Briet and Regardless got anchors up, Paroo slipped
her cable. For some reason, Nademia's anchor, chain and everything else
held and she stayed where she was despite the speeding, spiraling currents.
At the same time we were being pulled hard backward toward the sea, so I
started the engine and ran it in forward. I had all hands (Leslie, Sloane,
Tom and Catherine) don the large life jackets and Leslie and Tom tried to
get the anchor up. The boat turned 180 degrees around our chain at least
once as the wave began to flood the bay. The anchor hung up once on a coral
head, but we freed it based on our Tuamotu experiences of freeing chains.
The anchor finally came up, and we exited as fast as we could. I think the
wave was on an ebb about then, but it is hard to tell in the crazy-quilt of
the moments.
Tahlequah was manned only by Michael (the 21 yr. old grandson), Ed and Helen
being ashore (see below). He finally started a reluctant engine and powered
out soon after us. About a quarter mile out, he wrapped a warp around the
prop, but was clear of immediate danger. All the other rally boats except Nademia
and St. Barbara (unmanned, see below) were underway, but because Paroo
wanted to buoy, and then slip her cable, she waited too long, and bounced
off some bommies. Paroo was the boat which had anchored in 12 meters of water, but as
the water went down she bottomed. Briet got off with her anchor, but measured 12 kts
on the speedo, a feat for a 35 footer. By this time the (second? third?) wave crest had
refilled the bay and was crashing on the shores around the boats, and the
center of the bay was a cauldron, with the swirling and standing waves
jumping all over.
Outside, we picked up a couple in a double kayak who had been in a little
cove. They were unhurt, but scared. They said they had seen another kayak
deeper in their cove, but we never saw it ...perhaps it made it to safety in
the other direction ... we pray.
After most boats were out, John off Regardless went in with his dink to try
to help, an action I thought too risky as there were standing waves by then.
He did help Paroo, but was unable to get Nademia. Single-handedly getting the anchor up without being at the engine controls
too would have been a feat.
Boats which were free got a mile or two off the island and milled about.
There were two local longtails, some speedboats, and a few other yachties.
We kept up communications on VHF 72.
Once things quieted a bit Tom and I left ARAGORN under Leslie's command and
dinked into St. Barbara, who was still circling the bay (don't think she
hit! a miracle). We got her engine started immediately (always leave your
key in the ignition), and steered her out safely.
At this point Mike needed to free the warp around Tahlequah's prop, and
announced he was diving over the side ... I immediately said that he should
not do that without a second person aboard and sent Tom over in our dink.
When he did finally go down, Mike did not stop the engine, and it slipped
into gear during his second dive, badly cutting and, we though, breaking his
wrist. Tom got him aboard. Duco from Briet wanted to help, so we sent him
to Tahlequah to steer, along with Cathrine from Aragorn. Jessica, a nurse,
from Gaultine III came to help Mike too.
About this time, we heard Ed calling for his oxygen tank, as Helen had
injested water, and that he was coming out on a wooden barkentine (sp?). We
got his medical stuff from Tahlequah and sent it in toward the island with
John from Regardless, after he affirmed that he thought he could make it
safely. Unbeknown to us, Ed was coming off the south beach of the island
and John was going the wrong way. We finally got that straightened out, and
John went out to the barkentine. His wife, a nurse too, went along and gave
both Ed and Helen pain shots. About then, we demanded that Mike go on the
barkentine, which was headed to Phuket to get to medical treatment. Jessie
went with Mike and stayed on the barkentine to nurse Helen and him; Tom
returned to Tahlequah; Duco returned to Briet; Dick stayed on St. B.
About two hours later, Nademia called. Alistair and Carolyn had been
snorkeling with Peter of St. B, and Jim and Lolly off Condor, temporarily on
St. B. for Christmas. When they returned to Nademia, we got the St. B crew
off by dink, and Dick and Tom retired to Tahlequah, Catherine returning to
Aragorn, after commanding Tahlequah for a while. Tom dove on Tahlequah's
prop and cut the remaining pieces of warp off (with the engine off).
Ed and Helen's even more amazing story: Ed and Helen had been walking out toward their dink
on the beach on the N side of the spit when the water started to receed. Ed
was concerned, and finally decided that things were really wrong, and he
told Helen to run with him back to the sand spit. As they saw the crest
coming, and that they were not going to make it, Ed said they should
bear-hug, and the first wave took them out and then back to the sand spit,
near a palm tree. In the few seconds before the next wave, they hugged
themselves and the tree, but the wave tore them loose on the ebb and they
were pushed about 250 yards to the south bay. Ed fought their way to the
surface through debris, and held Helen up, now unconscious from water. He
spied and grabbed on to a longtail, still floating upright,
where the driver had just lost his family and was in total shock. After
getting Helen awake again, Ed started the motor and steered the longtail to
the wooden barkentine that was anchored far enough out that it was okay.
Underway, he picked up two other conscious people from the water. The master
of that barkentine was immediately able to get underway and steam quickly to
Phuket, as mentioned above.
Again a miracle that they are alive. Many others near them were severly
injured by the debris (how did they travel so far across the spit without
hitting anything hard?), and not drowning at the end. I attribute their
lives to Providence, and to Ed's personality of never giving up, and always
making things happen. Helen is just out of the ICU and in a regular room,
but would not be alive without Ed's quick thinking and actions. Sidebar:
Mike's injury was only a sprain, not a break
BTW, I cannot do either of these stories credit, they are both so much more
complex, but you can see some of the incredible things that happened.
Disaster Story: Just before nightfall, we anchored Aragorn and Tahlequah
(still under our command) in another open anchorage about 1.5 miles north of
our prior one, and decided to see if we could provide help onshore. Sloane,
Tom, Catherine and Dick went in with medical supplies and clothing. We
stopped by the NZ yacht Wind Dancer, and picked up a doctor's wife and a
friend (whose boat had just been lost to the tsunami in Langkawi) and many
supplies. We met the doctor coming out in his dink, and split the load. As
we got to the beach, we had to pull the dinks up. We notice the water was
receeding very fast, and we all suspected another tsunami wave, what the
doctor called "another event". We threw the dinghy anchors out, grabbed the
medical gear and ran for the beach. There we found we could not immediately
climb to high ground as the spit was filled with debris, and it was
difficult to move around on it. We had to move east along the beach for 440
yards or so until we could move up onto the spit. Then we picked our way
along, getting to higher ground after climbing by houses that had been torn
in half. Saw four bodies that had been laid out and covered (realized that
many healthy people on the island had been helping others since the event
happened). After climbing up hill, we met with some people who knew of
injured requiring treatment. Simple triage meant the person with two broken
legs and lacerations took precedence over the other person with the same
injuries but severe internal bleeding... there was no ER there. Sloane (a
second-year medical student) volunteered to stay on the island and assist
the doctor. Tom, Cat and I wanted to work our way back to the dink to see
the boats safe for the night. As we approached the dink on the beach, we
were wading in 4 inches of water for the last 400 yards or so. With 30
yards left, the water level suddenly flooded fast, and was chest high by the
time we got to the dink, and it was drifting away! We jumped in, and were
able to motor away. Another anomoly. I now think the tsunami was bouncing
around the Indian Ocean and would occasionally send a surge into places it
already had visited.
We stayed at anchor watch unil 1:00 am (27 Dec) when a surge warning came in
over the radio. Leslie got Aragorn's anchor up, with Catherine and Tom, and
I slipped Tahlequah's cable (second anchor, already buoyed), and we went to
sea. We milled around all night, but did not notice any different wave. By
dawn, we reanchored/ picked up the buoyed anchor.
We quickly motored in to the beach to carry more water and clothing to pick
up Sloane, whom we had told we would come for at first light. Their we saw
hundreds of people helping carry injured to the make-shift helicopter
pad/medical station. We helped carry two, the second who had been cared for
by Sloane and the NZ doctor. Carrying wounded to helicopters which are
landing almost on top of you is like MASH, at the wrong side of the coptor
trip. The scene in daylight was more of a disaster: pieces of structures
everywhere, two stories of hotel windows taken out, injured everywhere, and
white-wrapped bodies being pushed out to sea to meet the 24-hour burial
rules of Muslims. We hated to leave, but had the responsibilities of two
boats and five people to get to Phuket that night. As it turns out, mobile
thousands were being taken off by ferries at the same time on the other side
of the sand spit.
We found out that many of the injuries began at the legs and moved up. That
is, debris hit people's legs as the waves washe over, and then took them
down. But broken and lacerated legs were the first injuries. The more
severely injured had more debris hitting them farther up, until their whole
bodies were smashed by wreckage. Of course this does not count those pulled
out to sea to drown.
There will never be an accurate tally of those killed ... many will be
missing as their bodies are at sea.
Thailand is doing a good job of providing aid. Their forces seem to be
moblizied, and Phi Phi Don has been effectively evacuated. It used to have
thousands of tourists on it every day plus several thousand (?) Thais to
provide services. Some remain in the hills, but the tourist mecca/bazzar
that was on the sand spit is no more... totally washed over by the waves.
We are now trying to regroup. Emotionally, it is difficult, as we have seen
the disaster first hand. We were sorry to leave Phi Phi Don, but it is nice
to know that almost everyone injured was evacuated by now. We are trying to
figure out where to give blood that they need. The local hospitals are
jammed, but Ed reports they are very nice despite the pressures.
The rally is "on hold" for a bit. The next scheduled stop, Sri Lanka is
devastated, and Galle could not cope with us in a few weeks. The stop after
that in the Maldives, ... well many of those islands disappeared, as they
were only about 3 feet above sea level. We will try to figure out a new
routing and get underway when we can, meanwhile getting our visas extended.
Will let you know more when we can.
.......... Dick
Updates: The rally is underway to Cochin, India, Helen is out of the hospital, and the people of the rally are healing mentally.
Below are Ed's story as written by him, and the story of the five snorkelers, as written by Alistair and Carolyn Roberts of Nademia.
Ed's story is incredibly personal, but Ed performed some amazing feats that day, which meant that he and Helen are alive right now.
Tsunami At Phi Phi Don
Twelve Rally boats gathered at Phi Phi Don Island positioned fifteen miles off Phuket, Thailand to celebrate Christmas day together. On the morning of December 26 th Helen and I awoke and decided to go to the island for breakfast, leaving our grandson Michael sleeping aboard Tahlequah. It’s important to explain Phi Phi Don is a small island with a beautiful beach on the north side and the South side having many open restaurants, numerous shops, several luxury hotels catering to the hundreds and hundreds of tourists visiting each day. It’s the perfect picturesque island vacation get away, world famous as a popular Thailand vacation area. Each side of the island is connected by a narrow walkway.
Strolling the boardwalk we favored a small bakery with tables, enjoying breakfast together. This day I saw many small children in carriages, babies in back slings, and the usual teenagers and families on Phi Phi Don. I took special note of peoples faces and accents giving special attention to Americans. Ferries were arriving with hundreds of tourists emerging to enjoy Phi Phi Don for a days visit. Following breakfast we made a last minute decision to stop at one of many Internet cafes to respond to e-mails from family and friends. In each e-mail we stated, “Wish you were here”.
At approximately 10:45 we returned to the south beach to collect our inflatable and return to Tahlequah. Arriving at the beach we were stunned to discover little water left in the anchorage, a phenomenon we were not use too. Helen remarked she thought Tahlequah might be on sand, I added this was impossible as we were anchored in 40 feet of water a short time before. We began dragging our inflatable through the sand to reach water in the distance. I saw rental powerboats and Long Tails (Thai Canoes) racing toward us skidding frantically but unable to make progress because of the sand. I commented to Helen how people abuse boats and how furious it made me. The skippers of the Thai Canoes motioned us back and began jumping from their canoes to anchor them in the sand.
Looking into the distance I saw a small foam line on the horizon moving toward us. Helen & I agreed to abandon the dinghy and run back to the island beach for safety. Running I continued to look behind to see the wave gaining distance at an un-believeable rate. Seconds later I turned again to see the wave hit a rental power boat, it broke apart as it fell in the surf. I realized it was useless to run, I told Helen to stop and I bear hugged her. I remember saying to myself, I’m going to forget I have to concentrate on hugging her; I can’t release her no matter what.
We saw a boiling froth of sea coming at us with an increasing loud swishing noise; it seemed to go on forever. Foolishly I dug my feet into the sand hoping to withstand the wave. As it hit I felt us smacked to the sand instantly, as we hugged I could feel us tumbling like toy dolls head over heals along the bottom. The pressure and force of the water prevented us from surfacing. As my hands were ripped from embracing Helen we both surfaced against two palm trees held there by ferocious current. Helen was in shock, staring towards the ocean motionless. I held her repeating again and again, “It’s over, it’s over, we survived, you’ll be ok.
At that exact moment we were hit by a much larger wave. I felt the palm trees give way and again we tumbled together along the bottom rolling over the island. I continued to focus on not releasing Helen. I kept thinking we’re going to hit something; we have to and waited for that moment. We continued tumbling seemingly forever, I was running out of air and knew I had to make it to the surface. Forcing us to the top I had time to gulp a quick breath before being forced down again. When surfacing I saw I was passing through the palm trees on the south side of the island and knew we were now going out to sea. Desperate, I had to make it to the surface again and made a final effort to reach the top.
I tried to surface but couldn’t because of debris everywhere. I lost grasp of Helen a second time. My hand grabbed a floating cushion, pulling myself to the surface only to be forced below again and again. Swallowing water I knew the end was nearand felt death all around me. I remember feeling a sense of peace I had never felt before; everything seemed to go into slow motion, quiet and very peaceful. I recall saying to myself, “I wonder how long it takes to drown” and “I wonder if it will be quick?” “It’s over now I thought and it’s ok”.
My hand seemed to touch something ridged, it was a pipe. Grasping it I pulled myself to the surface and saw Helens head below. Grabbing her neck I raised her above the water for air. She was unconscious, pure white and just staring expressionless. Slapping her face I kept screaming “keep breathing, keep breathing, we can make it” over and over again. I suddenly realized I had grabbed the long propeller shaft of a Long Tail Thai canoe. Helen slipped and began to sink below the water expressionless, her face seemed resigned and to say I’ve had enough let me go. Grabbing her chin I raised her again planting her chin into the metal framework of the adjacent upturned boat. There was a man standing in the boat staring outwards, I screamed to him to help Helen into the boat. Looking he seemed unable to move and continued staring. Attempting to raise myself into the canoe I continued screaming at him demanding he help raise Helen. Suddenly he reached out grabbing Helens hand helping to raise her into the boat. Although lifeless I knew she continued shallow breathing.
With all my strength I pulled myself into the canoe next to Helen. She layed over whispering to me she couldn’t breathe and had awful pain in her chest. I continued to scream “keep breathing, you made it and everything would be ok”, all she had to do was continue breathing. Twenty feet away I saw a man raising a young naked woman into the canoe, I knew she was dead, drowned people were everywhere floating past us. Looking towards the island I couldn’t believe the destruction, all the hotels had collapsed and were sliding into the sea.
I saw two large wooden upturned fishing boats moving towards us caused by the rushing waters. Fearing if we didn’t move quickly we’d be crushed and got the captain to start the engine to move to a safer area and into deeper water clear of the wreckage. Continuing to hold Helen in my arms comforting her I began to hear pleas for help coming from the water. People were clinging to whatever they could with what little remaining strength they had. One woman begged me to help her and grabbed a board to stretch it towards me in an effort to reach us. Reaching out I realized it wasn’t long enough and gave up. Looking down into the water I knew the only way of helping her was to jump back into the water but feared I didn’t have the strength left to get back into the canoe a second time. Afraid of loosing Helen my hands were frozen cradling her in my arms. I kept screaming to the woman it was over, just hang on, it will be ok, your safe now but I knew she wasn’t. A young man suddenly grabbed the side of our boat trying to pull himself up. He begged for my help, I told him he had to pull himself up. Some time later the Captain placed a ladder over the side for him to climb up, he tried but didn’t have the strength. He continued pleading, I continued saying he had to find the strength to get in, my body couldn’t move, . I saw the captain finally move toward him but couldn’t lift him alone. Putting Helen down I helped bring him aboard. The Captain then found a rope to throw the woman nearby a line and dragged her aboard. I insisted the Captain had to move or we’d be crushed in minutes. Starting the engine he managed to run it. Moving away slowly I turned to hear the screams of people begging for help. I was so afraid if I stopped to help them I would loose Helen forever. I want to say all the strength in my body was gone but it wan’t, I had to save Helen with what I had left and wouldn’t leave her.
I knew Helen couldn’t last long without oxygen as her lungs were filled with water and because of her pain didn’t know if ribs punctured a lung. Motoring towards the fifteen remaining long tails the screams faded as we distanced outselves. Other long tales were moving with us, every captain standing silently and motionless staring at the island waiting for the next wave. There was total silence; no words were spoken between the boats. Everyone appeared in shock and could only stare ignoring the screams coming from the water. I asked the captain if he was ok, looking at me responding faintly he lost his niece on the beach. Looking seaward I saw a wooden square-rigger racing towards the island. I told him we had to reach that ship and get Helen aboard for her to make it. Leaving the safety of the other long tails he motored towards the square-rigger. As we approached midship I yelled to the Swedish Captain my wife needed to get to a hospital. He responded “my ship is your ship, where do we take her?” His crew immediately helped lift Helen aboard and lay her on the deck.
I requested oxygen and he responded he had a tank; unfortunately it didn’t have enough to make the 4-hour trip to Phuket. I used his radio to call the Rally fleet in the North Bay. They informed me Tahlequah was safe; most boats had broken anchor and were headed to deeper water bracing for the next wave. I was told Michael our screw had a bad gash in his arm and needed medical attention. Our boat raced towards the north bay while a couple from another boat “Regardless” raced toward us with oxygen and medical supplies. The woman was a nurse, gave us both injections for pain and administered the oxygen. They returned to their yacht to brace for the next wave. Another Rally boat brought Michael with a bandaged arm with Jesse (a paramedic from “Gaultine 2”) to travel with us to Phuket.
We raced towards a major port in Phuket only to be informed by the Rally boat “Aragorn” it sustained major damage. The Captain suggested going north until we found suitable anchorage. Three hours later we transferred Helen to a Hotel atop a hill and were immediately transported to the Phukett International Hospital. Upon arrival we were met by a gurney and were rushed into the emergency room. Paperwork was put aside; they wanted to know only the patients name and injury. Within minutes x rays indicated her lungs were filled with water but no broken bones or organ damage. I was warned by the doctor the body would slowly absorb the water but there was a high risk of serious pneumonia. She would have to be transferred to a private room for the night, then to the ICU Unit.
The following day Helen appeared worse, with more chest pain and pneumonia. The x-rays indicated her lungs were continuing to fill with fluid. Anti-biotics and painkillers were administered every few hours and within two additional days the infection was under control and Helen was transferred back to a private room. Each day she continues to improve and has been informed she will be discharged after a week in the hospital assuming all continues to progress well.
The faces and screams of the people I left behind in Phi Phi Don Bay continue to haunt me. I can never forget their screams and begging for my help and my turning away from them. I find myself walking the crowded hospital corridors among camera crews looking for people I might recognize from that day, their never here and will never know what happened to them. Riding to the hospital one morning with people from the Blue Water Rally we made an unexpected stop at the University for a medical student to volunteer. They informed me the University was providing counseling for victims of the tragedy. After sitting in the car for five minutes I said I had to stay and walked into the building. I saw people sleeping on the floor, blankets and pillows everywhere. Along the wall sat several people interviewing victims for counseling appointments. Limping to the table I said I needed to talk to someone about what happened and was provided a counselor within minutes.
A woman named Vicki brought me to a private office closed the door and sat directly in front of me. I described what happened and said I wanted one person to listen to what really happened. It was the hardest truth I’ve ever shared about myself. As I began to describe the people I abandoned I could still see their faces and hear their cries for help. I didn’t want to hear explanations, or forgiveness; I only wanted one person to know what really happened that day. I wanted Helen & I to survive the Tsunami but I could never anticipate the cost of our survival. Life suddenly seems so different my drive for pushing life to extreme challenges is numb and how I regard myself different. It was a day that changed many lives. A day later I told my dear friend Ivor from Safari about what happened that day, he responded compassionately he would have felt as I blaming himself. Knowing the only people who could forgive me were the people who died Ivor’s simple words helped me without lessening the truth of what really happened that day.
Talking to Helen about what to do next she stated she wanted to continue with the Blue Water Rally when healed. Another skipper volunteered to skipper our boat while his wife skippered his boat. We’ve agreed to stay in an apartment in Phukett to fully recover then fly to the next Rally Port and rejoin Tahlequah flying to that location. The American Embassy representative seemed shocked when Helen informed him we would continue. Some Rally members assumed we would return home following this ordeal. Helen says we’ve done this for the last two years it has to be finished.
Blue Water Rally friends at Phi Phi Don that day are responsible for saving Helen’s life and saving Tahlequah. They endangered themselves in the face of more waves to bring oxygen, medical supplies, and assistance to keep Helen live and even accompany us back to Phuket International Hospital. These same people returned to the island that evening to assist those hurt in the face of the worst disaster of the century. I will never know the man who unselfishly helped pull Helen from the water in his own grief. I will never forget his face and good will that touches only the surface of the Thai people.
Ed Muesch
SV Tahlequah
The story told by the Nademias is in their usual understated tone.
It had to have been scary and emotional. Their "stiff upper lip" covers up the fact they are both very resourceful and optimistic people, and those traits helped them get through. This is the story posted on the Blue Water Rally website.
Below is Sloane York's Story, as told in an email to friends.
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2004 03:57:16 -0800 (PST)
From: Sloane York
Hello everyone,
I am sending this to just about everyone in my address book as I sit here in Phuket, Thailand. As my parents are sailing around the world, my brother, sister, and I came to visit them in Thailand for the holidays. We were anchored in the north harbor at Phi Phi Don on Dec 26th when we looked up and saw the water practically drain from the bay. For a minute we thought it was an interesting phenomenon since it was supposed to be high tide, and then we saw the water start to swirl and boats began to move uncontrollably. My dad realized this was not a curious spectacle and we quickly got life-jackets on and started to get the anchor up as the waves rolled in. We had a few break across our bow before we were lucky enough to get our anchor up and get out of the harbor. Many boats broke their anchors (one boat recorded they were going 14 knots in the water as it sped by them--they normally do 6-7 knots on a good day of sailing). The waves crashed along the shore covering the trees and beach. We had no idea what the horrors occurred their until much later. My dad and brother were able to take the dinghy out after it calmed down to rescure two boats that were unmanned and being flung around the harbor. Amazingly, they held up very well.
Later that night, after spending the whole day a mile off of Phi Phi afraid of another tsunami, we took some medical supplies into Phi Phi. I met a doctor off another boat and was dropped off with him for the night to try to help some people.
I have never beheld such horrors in my life. As we walked around this formerly picturesque tourist town, every single building had been taken out. The water went as high as three stories and the hotels on the side of the mountains were even affected. I will never forget the piles of rubbish around the island. The concrete structures barely held and everything else was gone completely. It was incredibly frightening from sea but was nothing compared to what the people on land experienced. I wish I could tell you all the stories of every person I met as we tried to treat major lacerations and other injuries with the bit of alcohol, bacitracin, and gauze we were able to get off our boats. People said they saw hotels rooms zoom past them as they were pushed by the water. One person told me their sister landed on a roof top--but the true horror of his story is that his girlfriend is one of the many still missing. Most likely she was one of the many pulled out to sea. The children without parents and the parents without children are the people we see everyday here in Phuket. There were so many people my age, just traveling around the world as I have always longed to do who just were going for a quick swim in the morning and who say the next thing they knew there were true heroes pulling them up the mountain trying to get them away from the beach to and attempting to treat the huge cuts and broken bones with torn sheets and a small first aid kit their mothers insisted they bring as they left home a year ago...
I have heard a number of miraculous stories from other friends--surviving snorkeling nearby or eating breakfast on the beach and surviving almost drowning. My family is amazingly all well. We keep thinking how we were about to get in the water to swim. I was going to go into town but woke up a bit later than expected. And to realize that we were sitting have Christmas lunch on that beach exactly a day before and if it occurred now most of my family and their sailing friends would probably be dead. Good luck, as the Thais keep telling me. I don't know why we were so lucky as so many others--children, adults, and mostly people my age--were not so lucky. But we are trying our best to help now, though I never feel I can do enough when I think of what we just lived through.
So now is my urge to you to help as much as you can. I am sure you have seen the new stories. I never thought that on my vacation I would be living one of those news stories--and I have only seen such a small part of it! I can't even imagine the disaster that has occurred in Indonesia or Sri Lanka, or all over the world because of this massive earthquake.
I have found a list of organizations that are taking donations and will have their websites below. PLEASE help in any way you can. I have written my story the best I can and hope that it moves you to at least pledge $5 to one of these organizations. If I was already trained as a physician you would not be seeing me for many months because I could not leave these people the way it is now. Whole towns and cities are gone--whole families are gone. You have been seeing it non-stop on CNN and other news channels but I just wanted to put a more personal perspective on it to urge you even more to help out.
Thank you for whatever you can do. Say a prayer (in whatever religion you may be) for these people. It is something I hope none of you will ever have to go through but could have been any of us. And take care of yourselves. I feel so fortunate to be alive and well and you should too. And I feel so fortunate to have so many great friends to reach out to in this time. You guys are great and thanks for the incredible support my family and I have received through all this.
Love, Sloane
Here are the organizations:
UNICEF: www.unicef.org
Network for good: www.networkforgood.org
OXFAM: https://secure.ga3.org/02/asia_earthquake04
AmeriCares:
https://www.americares.org/donate/?id=South%20Asia%20Earthquake%20Relief%20Fund
Or donate in whatever other way you may have heard about.... thanks...
Kayak stories - Thailand
Situation around Phang Nga Bay & Tarutao Island after tsunami.
25 December 2004 two clients took “A Day in the Islands” excursion to Phang Nga Bay. The sun was shining, the water was smooth and the sky was clear. We circumnavigated picturesque islands such as Kudo, Hong and Pak Biey Islands. On our way back that evening we stopped to visit 13 clients who were camping on Nok Island. A perfect day was had by all.
26 December 2004 We had 40 customers on our Phang Nga Day Trip. Two boats departed from Ao Por pier at 9.30AM in calm seas. Only half an hour later our operations manager received a call from his wife, who was working in a hotel at Kata Beach, reporting that a mammoth wave had flooded the hotel, almost drowning her. He radioed the second escort boat and they both prepared for the worst. However, nothing happened in Phang Nga Bay, so a group paddled thru the “Bat Cave” and into the hong (enclosed lagoon). But then the water rose quickly, blocking their exit. After several minutes the tide dropped as rapidly as it rose, and they made a hasty retreat back to their escort boat. The only injury was sustained by a guide who cut his foot on a sharp rock.
At that stage they heard on the radio that another monstrous wave was due to hit Phuket’s west coast in two hours time. So they immediately returned to the pier, only to find it washed away. Waves were breaking on the beach, a rare phenomena in Ao Por Bay. They were unable to contact anybody there on land, as everyone had taken to high ground and their mobile phones were out of order. They stayed in deep water for awhile (when in doubt, go out!), but eventually decided to disembark at a nearby pier that was still standing. Everybody was safe and happy to be on land away from the bay shore.
Ao por Pier 26/12/04
Meanwhile, the overnight campers (8 guides, 13 guests, lead by Ta) were also returning to Ao Por. They were surprised about the news on the radio, because at their location the sea was calm and the weather was great. They stopped at Hong Yai (big room) and paddled into the open lagoon (no caves here). But the tide started fluctuating wildly and one kayak capsized, tossing a guest into the water. She was quickly rescued by our staff. They returned to Ao Por and safely disembarked.
All customers went to our main office in Phuket town. Some watched the terrifying news on TV, while others emailed their family and friends. Fourteen clients had come from Khao Lak, which was severely hit, and one of them was especially anxious to return because his wife had remained there that day. He convinced the others to return with him, and Sea Canoe volunteered to take them in one of their vans. However, the police check point wouldn’t let them thru to the devastated area. Undeterred, he went on foot to search for his wife. He found her, unharmed, and the whole group returned to Phuket where they stayed overnight. Since the hotels were fully booked or washed out, some stayed at our guides’ homes.
White Bellied sea eagles soaring overhead.
Paddled among these intriguing islands.
Mr.Shore explains HKIS teacher about the current situation around Phang Nga Bay after tsunami.
A few days later we inspected various islands in Phang Nga Bay used by both our day trip and overnight programs. Being enclosed and not exposed to the west, they were not affected by the tsunami at all, nor were they being explored by other groups. It took us back to the “good old days” when only Sea Canoe Thailand paddled among these intriguing islands. We saw monkeys playing in the trees and White Bellied sea eagles soaring overhead. We also noticed that the sand was whiter and the sea was clearer then before.
A group of 4 clients went to Tarutao Island on 3 January 2005. Our lead guide Nick reported that only one sailboat was stranded on the beach, and there were very few people there. Our guests had a wonderful time.
We at Sea Canoe International deeply mourn the loss of the 1⁄4 million people who perished in this tsunami. Two of our employees, Mr. Enn and Mr Tiger, lost their father and mother-in-law respectively. RIP
Letter from valued our guests (TSUNAMI DAY)
From: Greg Sawyer
To: info@seacanoe.net
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: letter of recommendation
Greetings,
The Seacanoe operation is in great condition. I feel fully confident in their equipment, destinations, and knowledge of the area to strongly recommend our students to continue with plans for their school trip to Phuket in March.
Seacanoe and Phuket are ready for school groups. One of the best ways to help the area recover is to continue to sustain the economy. Students on a Seacanoe trip will have a real chance to help real people.
Again, thanks for all your help during our short visit, but it has helped reassure parents.
Greg Sawyer
Principal Hong Kong International School
*********************************************************
From: Marc Heusser To: info@seacanoe.net
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:00 PM
Subject: Trip dec. 26th 2004 / Phang Nga Trip
Dear all
Hi this is Marc (the tall guy), I joined the trip last Sunday December the 26th 2004. In behalf of the Khao Lak Group I would like to thank you all for your professional behavior and reactions. Your support was very helpful to us.
We also appreciate the fast reaction of the office, especially the organization of an accommodation and for contacting our travel agency.
Please hand us out the names and email addresses of our two guys (guide and driver). We want to contact these guys in person and thank them for there support.
We know that Sea Canoe will face a hard time, since the tourism stream will massively break in. To support you guys, we report your professional behavior to anybody we can and recommend your company to all our friends and to travel agency's.
We look forward to hear from you and wish you good luck. Take care!
Lots of greets from Switzerland and Germany .
Marc
*********************************************************
From: Janet Levinger To: info@seacanoe.net
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 1:17 AM
Subject: Professionalism of Staff
Dear Sir/Madam:
My husband, two children, and I were on one of your excursion boats on December 26, 2004 when the tsunami wave hit Phuket Island . I am writing to commend the professional and courteous manner of your staff during this crisis. They used good judgment and worked hard to assure that we were well-informed and safe, even when we knew they were worried about family back on the island.
We were on the boat with Luang, the young guide who hurt his foot.
Sincerely,
Janet Levinger
*****************************************************
From: dvkwan To: Seacanoe
Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2005 4:15 PM
Subject: Thank you
Hi Anne and Noom I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to the both of you, to all the staff at Seacanoe, and also to Ta, our guide, for making our trip to Phuket so smooth and memorable. We will remember the trip forever - despite the disruption due to the tsunami, we were very well looked after by all of you, and we are very grateful for all your help both before the trip, and also during our stay in Phuket. Thanks to Ta and your staff, we were able to very quickly collect our things from the Merlin Beach Hotel, and we caught our scheduled flight with no trouble. We have been watching all the news about Thailand and Phuket since we got back to Hong Kong. We hope that you and all your families and friends are safe and well, and that your homes have not been affected by the disaster. And I hope that things will be able to get back to normal soon.
All the best, and please send my regards to Ta.
David Kwan
**********************************************
From: "Margaret Hussey"
To: < info@seacanoe.net >
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 10:37 PM
Subject: To Noom
Hi Noom:
Just wanted to let you know that we did make a donation to Doctors Without Borders considering the huge need for medical assistance and clean water and all of those necessities in so many places. We still will remember your kindness in the midst of so much tragedy around you and for all Thais. We are seeing so much on TV about your country and the wonderful acts of kindness coming from your people to Canadians and other foreginers who needed help. So many Thai people went out of their way to be kind to foreigners. Your country is a great example to the whole world. The Thai people are heroes in the middle of this tragedy and will be remembered forever for all their gracious and selfless acts.
You must be most proud of your country and your people.
All the best,
Margaret
The Tsunami Onboard Queen Scuba
Last Updated: 16-Jan-2005, Marcel Bruijs
Hello everyone,
Well, I’m back in Holland now since two weeks. And have to admit that I have some mixed feelings about being here. Yes, it’s great to be with my family and friends again. A warm bed, hot shower, windmills and lot’s of good cheese. But I miss my “family” from Khao Lak. Before we left for that Christmas Cruise with Queen Scuba I could have never thought the season would end this way.
On the morning the tsunami hit the coasts of South East Asia we were making ourselves up for a wonderful last day of a wonderful Christmas Trip. The customers were a great bunch, the diving was finally getting really good again and we were all quite tired as it had been a very busy but also one of the best trips.
We made our first dive on Koh Tachai around 8:00. Nice dive, bit of current, good visibility. After that we left for Koh Bon and the last dive would be at the Boonsung Wreck. When we arrived at Koh Bon at around 10:30, we saw the weirdest things happening at the surface. Strange thermoclines, small waves, an extremely low water level and later a huge height difference between the water in the bay and the water around Koh Bon. When we checked it out with the dinghy we saw a lot of debris floating and there was a bad smell on the surface. We thought that the full moon and some weird spring tide might be the cause. All the other boats kept distance as well and we decided to cancel the dive and head for the wreck, where we thought it would be calmer.
We didn’t realize that a tsunami just had passed us with us hardly noticing anything. We were also unaware about the great tragedy that was happening at that same moment in Khao Lak, Thublamu and basically the whole coastal area. Didn’t know that people had fought for their life and then started to help the wounded people with whatever little means they had. Didn’t know about all those people that hadn’t been able to survive the waves. And didn’t know about the total isolation and fear for those who survived.
On the way back, the captain informed us that there was something going on, something about big waves (8-10m) coming our way from Phuket in about two hours and we should stay away from land. On the thai radio we heard something about 20 victims in Phuket and 9 in Khao Lak. Later we also understood that it had something to do with an earthquake in Sumatra.
That made us decide to cancel all the dives, pack the gear and see and wait what would happen. The sea had not been that flat all season and that wouldn’t change anymore.
We tried to contact the diveshop to get an explanation but couldn’t get through. Then I finally got a phonecall from Pi Aod who was in Thai Muang and he told me that everyone from Coral Grand was OK except for his girlfriend who was being brought to hospital. We should stay another night on the sea and he would try to pick us up the next morning around 11:00. When I asked him why we couldn’t go back to Thublamu and Khao Lak he said to me: “Khao Lak is gone, Thublamu is gone, all boats are gone”. I told him I didn’t understand and he said: “You will see it yourself tomorrow”.
Still we didn’t understand what was going on but we couldn’t do anything but wait. So we told the customers all we knew, got some extra Singha from another boat closeby and went to a fishingboat to get some fish as we had just ran out of food. During the night we got more pieces of information by SMS’s that were send to the customers.
The next morning we slowly moved towards the harbour, still guessing what had happened. We were actually expecting everyone to wait for us on the pier so we could quickly go to the diveshop and sort out the customers destinations. We were wondering if Joe’s Steakhouse would be OK and what to do about the next trip, the NewYearscruise. There was some debris, but it didn’t look too bad on the coast.
Then we rounded the corner and saw the total devastation in Thublamu. It was like a ghosttown. In silence we got the people and the gear from the boat and made our way through towards the equipmentshop which was somehow still intact. There we waited, got some water from the police and navy and later we jumped on some trucks towards the main road and found more chaos as people were trying to leave or go into Khao Lak. Kaide was able to contact Janne from Raya Divers and they picked us up in some big old army trucks and brought us to a little school that served as a camp towards Thai Muang. We heard more and more stories about all the dead people and I started to fear for our friends in Khao Lak. Somehow we heard Steffi was missing, as was one of Klaus’s friends. When the customers were evacuated to Phuket, Andy and Stu picked us up and we went to Khao Lak. I cannot describe the relief I felt to see everyone there at Happy Snapper.
I can’t forget the smell of dead in Khao Lak. And I can’t forget the sight of the totally destroyed laundryplace and keep wondering if the laundrygirls made it. And I remember to see the guy from the gas pump at ChongFa, standing in between the rubble with a somewhat confused look on his face. I want to go back and look them up and help. Buy them a new washing machine or a new gasoline pump so they can start their lives again.
I consider myself to be one of the luckiest amongst all people. We were on sea, my house was still standing (just moved about a week before) and everyone I know is still alive. I cannot imagine the horrible first day there in Khao Lak and to hear and read the stories just make me realize what a great job you all did for the people who needed help. It also makes me realize what a great life we had in Khao Lak and wish things were back to normal. Just as they were before we left on that Christmas cruise.
Thank you very much for everything you did. Maybe one day it will be the same again.
Take care,
Marcel Bruijs
Update 21st Janary 2005
Rally Yacht Dismasted - All OK
We have been reporting departures of Rally yachts from Phuket and their onward voyages to Cochin in India and Male in The Maldives. For most the trip has not been difficult, however a tropical cyclone was forecast as some of our crews were well en route and they had few options other than to continue. Many of the Rally yachts en route to Cochin encountered strong winds and heavy seas as they approached the SW of Sri Lanka, with particularly strong gusts off the west coast. Regrettably "Gee Whiz" was dismasted and was escorted by "Ocean Song" to the port of Galle. Both Paul and Elizabeth Moody were unhurt, although clearly shocked by the event, but are safely alongside in Galle Harbour. Two other Rally yachts sought refuge in Galle, but were undamaged. Within a few hours Paul had been in touch with UK Rally Control and his insurance brokers. An insurance assessor will be with them in Sri Lanka on 23 January when decisions will be made about possible repairs. Rally Control UK put Paul in touch with the owner of the Unawatuna Beach Resort (see our good news report earlier), who has offered Paul and Elizabeth accommodation. Families in UK have been kept informed and are now in direct contact with them.
Farewell to "St. Barbara"
Early reports from Phuket indicated that no Rally yachts had suffered damage serious enough to stop them continuing with the rest of their voyage. Unfortunately, St. Barbara suffered damage when breaking her anchor during the tsunami at Phi Phi Don. On first inspection this was deemed to be fixable within the short time frame. However, once she was out of the water and a full inspection had been carried out, it was found that she had extensive damage to the rudder which will need replacing. The repairs are estimated to take two months to complete at the earliest so it is out of the question for "St. Barbara" and her crew to continue with the Blue Water Rally. We are extremely sorry that Peter and Sue Goldsmith (and Roger) are unable to continue and complete their circumnavigation with us. They originally took part in our Yachting Monthly Biscay Triangle and have been an integral part of the Blue Water Rally since October 2003. Our very best wishes to them for the future and we look forward to their joining us for the first Blue Water Rally 2003-5 Reunion.
Planning Ahead
Over the next few days Rally yachts will be meeting up in two main locations - Male in The Maldives and in Cochin. Final decisions and planning is now taking place for the onward transit of the fleet towards the Red Sea and their final return to the Mediterranean. We are pleased to report that "late starters", "Paroo", which suffered damage during the tsunami in Phuket, are making good progress and should meet up with the Rally soon. We are also pleased that "Tahlequah" should catch up with the fleet with her transit crew on board. Owners, Ed and Helen Muesch, are recovering well after their life-threatening experiences in Phuket and will rejoin their Rally friends and the yacht in Djibouti.
RALLY CREWS PREPARE TO LEAVE PHUKET
After the traumas of the previous few days, Rally crews have met in Phuket on Friday 31 December to discuss proposals for the reorganisation of the Rally itinerary. Back in the UK the Rally organisers have been busy preparing alternative options set against the disastrous effect of the tsunami in neighbouring countries along the Rally route.
Help for the Rally
The port of Galle in Sri Lanka is clearly not an option and the Maldives have suffered serious damage. Nonetheless the organisers have been in touch with the authorities at the port of Cochin in SW India, which was unaffected by the tidal wave and terrifying events of 26 December. A major hurdle was the requirement for entry visas for India, which would normally apply to visiting yachts. However, an approach to the Indian Deputy High Commissioner in London outlining the special circumstances immediately resulted in a most generous offer of cooperation and helpful treatment on arrival in Cochin.
A New Destination
Rally skippers agreed unanimously to accept the planned changes to the itinerary, which will see crews and their yachts starting to leave Phuket over the next few days. Tony Diment, Rally Director for the Sri Lanka stopover, will now be heading for Cochin in order to meet the first arrivals there, due around 13 January. Cochin and the district of Kerala is a holiday destination for UK tourists and should present an opportunity for Rally crews to recover from the stress and individual crises of the last week. The new itinerary will also allow the Rally to get back “on track” and return to the original planned itinerary from Djibouti to Egypt and through to the Mediterranean.
Rally Reporting
The Rally will recommence the reporting system daily within the fleet as soon as yachts leave Phuket. We shall report general positions of the fleet in the normal way as they sail towards Cochin.
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02.12.05
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acqua'marina
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Reged: 04/22/03
Posts: 867
Loc: Sonoma Coast
Duckdiving tsunami, surviving to help... a most incredible story!
#651861 - 01/07/05 12:44 PM
Edit Reply Quote
I got this blog from waveofdestruction.org.
It's not about bravado, but more about what we can accomplish when we are really tested. This guy Luke is an amazing, caring, humane person. I think it's one of the best stories I have read... it's long, but well worth reading.
FIRST HAND STORY: Luke Simmonds
Luke Simmonds from London, England describes what happens to he and his friend as he was out sailing when the tsunami hits. He was miraculously washed forward on to the beach - and then went on to help aid hurt people, including a small child. Read his account - his tragedy - and the heartache he continues to have!
Sehen Sie viel mehr Überlebendgeschichten einschließlich Fotos und Verbindungen zu den tsunami videos an: TSUNAMI SURVIVOR STORIES
On January 3 - Luke sent me a letter he sent to friends. Part of his story was also covered in the SOUTH AFRICA SUNDAY TIMES
I arrived in Thailand on the 20th and spent 3 days in Phuket on Kata Beach with a Swedish girlfriend and her family. They had planned their trip for months. I decided very last minute to join them before going onto meet Danish friends in Koh Phi Phi, and finally onto Bangkok with friends from Hong Kong for New Year. I moved onto Phi Phi on the 24th and celebrated Christmas with 3 of my Danish friends - Lars and his girlfriend Rine , and Jesper. On the evening of the 25th , I was exhausted so didn't join them for dinner and went to bed at around 9pm. This is important as anyone who knows me , will know that I tend to sleep late ! But given a long nights rest , I was up early and had breakfast with Lars & Rine.
At about 10:30 we went to the beach. Lars and I planned to go sailing , but there was no wind so we opted for water skiing. We waited for the boat and noted the wind was picking up so we would sail afterwards. First Lars skied and then it was my turn. At the moment i got into the water the lagoon started to drain out - in particular on the far right hand side of the bay ( as you look out to sea). Within seconds it was too shallow to ski, so i climbed back into the boat. Lars, I and the driver sat there just watching the water drain away without any comprehension of what was to happen next. At first we saw a couple on a Kayak struggling in the current - they were being sucked out to sea. But then almost immediately they were on the top of a small wave kayaking into the beach at some speed. We were excited by the site and just imagined they were having some fun. Of course we could not know of the huge volume of water that was underneath them , that once it reached the shallow water would simply rise up into a huge wave. That is basically what happened next.
We were in the ski boat facing towards the shore, when the water passing underneath us began to pull the boat around and towards the shore. Almost out of nowhere there was a huge wall of water, behind us at the beach. We were at the bottom of a 10 meter wave that stretched the entire length of the beach, maybe 1km. I said to Lars that we were in trouble - at this moment it didn't even dawn on me that the wave would pass through the island causing the destruction that it did. I screamed at the driver to get us out to sea, but even at full power , the boat just got sucked to the bottom of the wave. The wave collapsed on the top of the boat. I remember covering my head and rolling into a ball. Underwater I just kept on thinking " please don't get hit by something ". I came to the surface , breathed, and then was pulled under again. I like to think that all of the diving I have done helped me - I knew not to fight the current and to wait as long as I could before reacting. The truth is , I was just lucky. I came to the surface , grabbed some more air, and then saw a huge wave coming at me. I could see that it wasn't about to break where I was so i took a breath and dived through it, coming up the other side. I grabbed some wood to hang onto, but then saw a life jacket ( presumably from our boat ) floating 10 meters away. I swam like crazy for it - in my head I knew it was the best thing to do. I got it on and instantly felt safe - i was afloat in the sea and things didn't look that bad for me. I knew I was safe from drowning I just had to wait for help. I looked for Lars, saw our driver first, and then Lars about 150 meters away, he looked unhurt, but even from that distance I could see his face had taken on a different aspect. I have thought about this since and have decided that it was survival.
We were all then pushed inland , over what I now know was the Cabana Hotel pool where so many people had been when the wave struck. I saw the water flooding into open spaces and it was here that I got very frightened. Water was rushing into fill any empty voids and I could see that I was likely to go wherever the water went. I smashed into the first floor balcony of the hotel and was hanging on with my body being pulled under. It was too strong. I took a breath and then was pulled under the hotel through the ground floor pool side balconies. I am sure i survived due to the life jacket , as it was always trying to get me to the surface. I think I came up around the corner of the hotel and drifted a little way to the back of the Hotel before swimming to a tree and climbing up.
About 3 or 4 minutes later the water subsided. I climbed down and almost immediately saw Lars and the driver , they were both fine. Then the screaming started. People calling for their loved ones. At first a guy looking for his daughters , Fredericke and Isabella. I asked him where they had been ( in the pool ) and then I explained how far I had travelled and that we needed to spread out and walk away from the Hotel. Everywhere was devastation. The small wooden bungalows were ripped open. We called their names, we never found them. Then 2 French girls stuck up a tree asked me to help them down. I now know from Lars that he had a similar experience. Whilst looking for Fredericke and Isabella he found 2 Thai girls stuck in a basement room, filling up with water. He helped them out as the water was rushing in to fill the space they occupied. On a lighter side, I understand one of the girls didn't want to come out as all of her clothes had been pulled from her body - Lars didn't give her a choice !
At the Cabana Hotel we started to make a hospital area. Some people came on their own, others we heard screaming and we went to them. Another English guy, called CC ( spelling ? ) was a psychiatrist, and so we kind of appointed him in charge. The first girl we collected from the rubble was an English girl called Sally. She was covered in the most severe cuts i have ever seen. Imagine those documentaries about liposuction, etc..... it was like that. Gaping holes with grotesque cuts in the flesh, to the bone. She had at least 7 lacerations over her legs and tummy. We saw wounds like this throughout the day caused by the debris in the water. The bungalows often had their roofs made of corrugated iron, which travelling through the water at 40 KPH clearly just tore through bodies. We kicked down a door to use as a stretcher and carried her to the first floor. She was the first , and then they just kept coming. A Japanese husband and wife. The wife had lost half of her throat. We simply held her neck together. A Swedish women whose head was cleaved open - we tied her head together. A Japanese girl whose leg was so badly broken , we decided that we had to put it straight. I held her hand, and kissed her, whilst crying with her, as 3 guys pulled her leg straight. It took 3 or 4 minutes of the most unbelievable pain for this girl. She was amazing. I am still trying to find her. I know it was the stress of the situation but somehow there was a very special connection between us. Afterwards we all prayed for the rest of her group. She was missing 16 people ! I have since contacted some Japanese newspapers as I feel that I will find it hard to put this behind me until I know what happened to her. I would get on a flight to Japan in an instant if I knew that I could see her again. Then there was an Israeli boy , travelling on his own, I think called Tommy. He had a major cut by his armpit and was petrified that he would lose his arm. I cleaned out his wound whilst trying to give reassurance. I'm pretty sure he would be OK as he was able to move everything - It just looked so horrible. Whilst we were helping someone , often you would hear , " Doctor , please come and help my friend." I didn't know whether to explain that I wasn't a Doctor or not. 9 times out of 10 , I said I wasn't, but still people were desperate for help.
I think it was about 12:30 now and around this time the first reports of more waves came. They never did, but the effect was to cause even more panic. Around this time I met another amazing person. Michelle walked over and asked if she could help. You need to understand we had very little. We were sending people off to the rooms ( if they were prepared to leave the relative shelter of high ground ) to get water from the mini bars, cleans sheets , and the sewing kits ( we thought we might have to sew up some of the wounds... fortunately we did not ). I looked at Michelle and could tell she was holding back. I said we needed help , but how was she and who was she with ? Her husband was missing , he'd been swimming. We cried , but then she just said, " right, lets help these people".... unbelievable ! An hour later, her husband Marvin walked in , unhurt !!!! I cannot describe to you that moment , it was pure joy.
At around 14:00 we heard that a boat was coming in. CC and I spoke and where concerned that people would panic and rush for the boat. He pointed out we would have to restrain people. I made an announcement about what was happening and said that only the most injured would be allowed to leave and that CC would decide who they were.... i think we all knew who had to go. The boat came in and we carried about 20 people down to the boat on doors, deck chairs, etc. We took Sally, the 3 Japanese, a number of Swedish and Thai people..... i think it was about 20 people in total that went on that first boat.
After that I tried to make it over to my Hotel to find my friends. Lars and I had got separated and I hadn't seen him since the water first subsided. It was impossible to cross the island and it was in this journey that I started to see how bad the destruction was. In the 200 meters i travelled I saw at least 20 dead bodies. I gave up and went back to the Cabana Hotel. Time went by and as more warnings of waves came in , people left to goto higher ground ... up the mountain. A number of people stayed and were debating the risks. To get to the mountain was probably 30 minutes across flat ground of total destruction. If a wave came and you were out there, you were dead. Simple as that. At about 4pm a guy came in with a walkie talkie and confirmed that another bigger wave was coming and that we were not high enough. This wave never came, but again the damage was done. Those that could walk left. I decided it was time i had to go too.
As I was leaving a S.African family , mother, grandmother, aunt and little girl were making their way very slowly. They all had cuts to the legs. As I understand it, the little girl had drowned but they had given CPR and brought her back to life , but she was unresponsive. I said to the mother I would take her and go. I am not sure if she really understood. She passed me the little girl, and I went. I was very frightened. I did not look back. This has given me some nightmares. I got to the mountain and it was impossible to get up whilst holding a little unconscious 6 year old. An English guy helped me ( his name may have been Adam and his girlfriend Emma ) , and we only got up about 15 meters. I sat there with her in my arms trying to feed her 'sugar water' for about 2 hours. Eventually I decided she would not make it unless she got to a hospital. I climbed back down the mountain , which I could not have done without the help of an American guy called Larry and crossed the island ( unbelievably scary , fear of another wave ) , got to the beach where there was a boat with about 100 people trying to board from 1 plank. The Thai's saw me with this little girl and just hoisted me aboard. Going out to sea was one of the most bizarre moments. The harbour was full of debris and dead bodies. Very silent. Everyone frightened of another wave.
At sea , we boarded a bigger boat and waited for other boats to join us. I still held the little girl in my arms. Her name I thought was Shania ( she had whispered it in a moment of consciousness ) , I later found out it was Chane. We arrived at Phuket town at approx 22:30 and were the first into an ambulance , with 2 other English guys I met on the boat - Jimbo (21 ) and Mark (32 ). We went to the Mission Hospital and got the little girl into intensive Care - I had not put her down for 8 hours. I now have some understanding of what it must mean to be a parent and I look forward to that day for me. Later though, we had to move to the Government hospital to get a brain scan. All ok, so back to Mission hospital. Throughout the night I tried to find relatives of the little girl. I called S.African embassy ( shut ) so left a message of who i was, where i was , and who i had. Spoke to British embassy and repeated the story. In intensive care there were 2 other Europeans - Angelika from Austria, and Antonio from Portugal. Antonio's girlfriend Anna was there , unhurt, so we talked a lot. She helped me. I felt very responsible for the little girl and was suffering some guilt at taking her from the Mother. I kept on thinking about how the Mother must be feeling, not knowing where and how her little girl was.
Later on I noticed the Austrian women ( who I would find out was called Angelika Thomes ) looking in my direction. I went over to speak to her. " How are you , are you ok ?" She just burst into tears - she had lost her husband and 15 year old son. I told her that I would go and phone the Austrian embassy and give them her details. The next day we heard that both her husband and son were alive and well ! Such happiness. During the night I called Angelika's friend in Austria ( Karin ) and told her what was going on, who I was and where we were. An hour later a call was passed to me " Doctor Luke , this is Angelika's Doctor in Austria " !!!!!! This happened on a number of occasions, people mistaking you for a Doctor. I must say this was quite surreal. Especially as I was wearing a pair of ripped shorts from the day before. Her Doctor and I spoke and he was just happy to be able to talk to someone properly in English. I love the Thai people, they are simply one of the , if not THE, kindest races out there, but in our hospital language was a problem. In the intensive care unit not one of the nurses spoke English. Often I would go down to the administration department to talk to the staff there who were excellent and were really trying to help, but it was chaos at the hospitals. Perhaps worse was the lists - names were spelt wrong, nationalities wrong,etc. All this made it more complicated to find people.
I slept a few hours at the hospital and about 6am the little girl Chane opened her eyes. We played a game of trying to spell out her surname. I held up letters in front of her and she nodded or pointed at them. Her surname was PANAINO. I ran ( hobbled ) downstairs to phone the embassy. I kind of broke down at this point for a little while. I had been desperate to find her parents, but with no name ,and her not talking it seemed an impossible task. Now it seemed just a matter of time. At this point I still hadn't spoken to anyone from home or any of my friends. Losing your mobile phone cuts you off from the world. How many numbers do you know ? I didn't know many and was too tired to concentrate. I was leaving messages at home , my Brothers mobile, even tried the office. But hadn't spoken to anyone. I called my own mobile and heard messages of people calling in. Most importantly I heard that Anneli ( my Swedish girlfriend ) and her family were fine. However, the desperation in her voice was clear. She wanted me to call her but didn't leave her number ! I tried to call her Hotel but the lines were down, so no way to tell her I was ok. I then realised that if i could get my messages I could re-record my own message. So I called back and did this. Unfortunately it did not save the message, so it wasn't until i called back 6 hours later that I realised this. I recorded a new message which I think many of you heard.
At about 9am I walked through the hospital reception and heard my name shouted. Corny i know, but of all the hospitals in all the towns, there was Lars and his girlfriend Rine !!! Both of them well , cuts & bruises. No sign of Jesper and today as I write this almost a week later we still have no news. I think we accept that he has gone, but just hope he did not suffer and that we can find his body. We left the Hospital to goto the Pearl Hotel where all the Scandinavians were being moved to. I stayed with them a little while but felt disconnected and isolated. I wanted to be around British people and I wanted to go back to the Hospital to find out how Chane was, so i left.
I have spoken to Lars about what happened to Jesper and this is all we know : Jesper was on the beach with Rine when they saw the wave coming. At first they gathered up some of our belongings and then started to run through the Hotel bungalows that we had been staying at - Phi Phi Charlie. Running in flip flops is hard. Jesper fell over and Rine fell on top of him. They got up, left everything and carried on running. They were separated. Rine was trying to get up some stairs when the water came. She was hanging onto the top step, with water up to her neck, when two Thai guys pulled her up to safety. She did not see what happened to Jesper.
Back at the hospital , at about 11am, a nurse came in holding a mobile phone which she shoved next to the ear of Chane.... it was Daddy !!! Chane could not talk, i took the phone. It was not her Dad, but her Uncle Anton. I told him who I was and where we were. He arrived 30 minutes later and collapsed into my arms. Actually I collapsed into his too. We just cried and hugged. He had spoken to the Auntie and knew who I was. The mother and Grand mother were all fine just miles away. I explained the story and how guilty i felt for taking her. He was brilliant and just thanked me for saving her life and told me that the mother was so grateful. Since getting back to the UK, I have called the hospital , the mother was there, we spoke, it was great ... nothing else to be said !
I think around 14:00 i had this sense that it was time for me to leave. There was no-one else left who I was connected with that hadn't met their family / friends, yet I was on my own and still hadn't spoken to anyone. I went to the City Hall to get papers but gave up after an hour when someone said, just get upto Bangkok and sort it out there - a Thai guy gave me the shoes he was wearing , a t-shirt from someone else. I went to Phuket airport and waited 5 hours before getting on free flight from Thai Airways. At the airport I met the 2 French girls I had got down from the tree 36 hours earlier !!! I became part of their extended family as they had been 'adopted' by a French guy , Bernard , and his wife and Kids. At Bangkok, within 30 minutes I had a piece of paper to admit me to the UK, and within 1 hour I was on the BA flight that had come from Sydney, First Class. I lost the plot here. For about an hour I was in 'shock'. I could not stop shaking and crying, I think the plane represented home. The staff were great and I really must contact BA to let them know that the crew on that flight helped me significantly.
Home, my Brother , the Press, guilt. I am safe , unhurt and I was out so quickly. Every day I think about what happened and whether I could have done more. I have a strong urge to go back, but think that first I will have to goto Denmark to be with my friends there to deal with the loss of Jesper. I sleep , but wake up very early. I am glued to the TV. I have contacted the press, as some of you will have seen. I want to know what happened to the people we helped. Last night Sally's Mum called. She is recovering in Bangkok hospital. Another amazing call from a Mum who was frightened for her daughter. She knows the extent of Sally's injuries, but she is alive and will recover. I hope to go and see them in Jersey when they are ready.
I am now just looking for the Japanese girl. I have sent an email to some of the papers out there and hope that someone will pick up on the story - I hope so.
I lost everything out there. The only thing I came back with were the shorts I was wearing and lots of paper with names , telephone numbers, messages to give to family and friends. I know that I am very lucky to be alive. We must do everything we can to help those that have not been so lucky. I urge you to go and make a financial donation - if you have done it already , do it again. I am trying to get a passport so I can goto Denmark, but it seems that it may take some days. I will come to the office and already I have read all of your mails. Please forgive me If I have not written back yet, I hope that this 'story' will answer your questions. I cannot wait to see you all soon.
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So you’re telling me... I simply put the lime IN the coconut?
Report on Tidal Wave from Phuket
The first thing I want to say is that Active Light is fine, unharmed, and so are the both of us, Nancy and Neil Sirman. Nancy is in the USA visiting her mother and I am on the boat in Phuket doing a thousand and one long-postponed boat maintenance jobs.
I am in no position to be capable of describing the enormity of the tidal wave disaster which struck South East Asia on December 26th, even if I had sufficient data to do so. I am receiving daily BBC radio reports of the situation, as I am certain you are, and I am proud that the United States is one of the first countries to be in the worst- hit areas of Sumatra helping directly with relief efforts.
In the Phuket vicinity, there were no cruising boats lost during this disaster that I am aware of, but there were many boats that were rolled and shipped water through open hatches. The day the tidal wave or surge hit the southwest beaches of Phuket was beautifully clear and sunny, little wind, and calm conditions. Having spoken to several people who were anchored on the southwest shores, the only warning was that water levels dropped several meters prior to the waves and surges that followed. Most people tell of a series of three surges with the first most nearly approaching a breaking wall of water. They tell of people being drawn by curiosity to the receding water and dry beaches prior to the wave hitting, puzzled by the water's recession. The second two waves were more like enormous non-cresting surges, but they were nonetheless devastating. There is considerable variation in how the waves presented themselves depending on bottom contour of the bay the boats were in. For the most part, there was no huge wall of water that came crashing in on the anchored fleet. The water came as a powerful surge that swamped everything and washed away all in its path. Most all boats held at anchor, some were lucky or prudent enough to escape to the open sea when they saw the water dropping so fast. The devastation on the southwest beaches is terrible. There is such a feeling of sadness among the Thai people here and much loss of life and property on the beaches.
In the Yacht Haven Marina, the only effect felt was a surging tidal current of about eight knots one way, followed by eight knots reversing shortly thereafter. No boats in the marina were damaged at all, the marina lying on the northeast shore of the island. The day after the disaster, however, many boats that were out at anchorages started coming in with wounded people aboard, some still in intensive care units at the local hospital. The owner of local Muslim restaurant, Imron, was at Patong Beach when the wave hit. He was carried out to sea three times, dunked repeatedly before he managed to swim back to shore. He is a relatively young and athletic man and narrowly escaped drowning. His voice seems ruined, though. He speaks now with a hoarse rasp.
I have heard that two well-known south-facing marinas on the island of Langkawi were wiped out with many boats lost. We had almost decided to spend our layover season in one of these. Dan, Marian, and Dana Corley aboard Windwalker III are safely on the hard in the Wavemaster Marina having gel-coat repair.
We very much appreciate the concern and email from those of you who have worried about our welfare. We have returned an email to each who has written us. In our last webpage, we explained that our shipboard radio was not functioning, that we would be using only our Hotmail account at worldvoyage@hotmail.com until the radio is repaired. I placed a mailto link on that webpage for people to use. Please be aware that email sent to our radio email at ac7qk@winlink.org is out of service for the time being. Please do not send to this account, you will only get frustrated and worried unnecessarily.
Thank you for your concern and inquiries,
Neil and Nancy Sirman
s/v Active Light
Yacht Haven Marina
Phuket, Thailand
Survivor Stories
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," December 29, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, GUESY HOST: Our next guests were sailing off the island of Phuket in Thailand when the tsunami struck Sunday. Julie Sobolewski and her son, Casey, join us from San Diego.
Julie, you two were sailing with a friend. Tell us how far you were off shore and what you saw when the tsunami hit.
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: We had just left a little island where we'd had breakfast that morning. We were about a half a mile from shore and about a half a mile from the next small, little island that we were heading to snorkel when a huge wave came and took out the sandbar that we were heading towards.
CAMEROTA: And Casey, after the wave struck, many of the smaller wooden boats around you broke apart, but not yours. So you guys started helping stranded people. Explain to us how you rescued them and what they were saying as you were.
CASEY SOBOLEWSKI, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: Well, as we were coming up to the event, you know, there was all these long-tail boats, you know, full of tourists and Thai locals. And when the wave came and shattered the boats, we were close enough that I was able to rush into a dingy that we were pulling behind our sailboat and rushed out and started pulling in the people. And it seemed like, you know, there were probably about 40 people floating in the water, ages 4 to 30. And all the locals were yelling children and pointing at the children, you know, and that was my first goal or task, if you would, was to get as many of these kids into my boat and onto our sailboat.
CAMEROTA: So your strategy was to first save the children, then you went for the adults. Was everyone hysterical? Were people calm? What were they saying?
CASEY SOBOLEWSKI: Kids were screaming. All the women were crying. When I pulled the people into my boat, all the women and the children were just holding onto me. It was very emotional. It was very emotional.
CAMEROTA: I can imagine. Julie, by pulling people out of the water, you and Casey and your friend, did you fear that you were putting your own lives in danger?
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI: Not at the time. We were just really busy finding people and getting them on the boat and figuring out what to do next and continued searching the area. Really didn't take time to be afraid.
CAMEROTA: Yes. Did you see examples of those heart-breaking stories that we're hearing about, about loved ones and couples being together, and in an instant, in the blink of an eye, being separated and not being able to find each other again?
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI: Not so much. When all of these people were in the water and there was another big wave coming, it was apparent that if we didn't get them on our boat and the second wave hit them, that they would be separated and separated from the items that were keeping them afloat. So we were concentrating on getting everyone we could see into the boat.
CAMEROTA: And Casey, how many people do you estimate that you guys rescued?
CASEY SOBOLEWSKI: I would say 50 people. If we didn't pull them out of the water, we rescued them from stranded rocks that they had been slipped away to.
CAMEROTA: That's incredible. In some ways, do you think that it might have been safer out at sea than on shore when the tsunami hit?
CASEY SOBOLEWSKI: It was definitely safer in deep water. You know, another mile out past this island, the water gets to about 23 meters deep. Where we were at, it was two, three meters deep. So when the tsunamis came and hit the reef and the shore, that's what caused the waves and that's where the devastation actually came from.
CAMEROTA: Julie, you say that you saw a couple of other sailboats in the area, but that they didn't stop to help those people stranded. I imagine they were too terrified?
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI: I'm not sure if they knew what to do. We were hearing a lot of rumors about another big one coming, one coming at two o'clock, and then at three o'clock, we heard one's coming at five o'clock. And we didn't know what to do or where to go, and the other boats didn't, either.
CAMEROTA: OK. So tell us how you got back into shore, and then the scene that you saw once you were back in shore.
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI: Well, we were trying to find a couple that we had met earlier and get some information from them on what to do next. And so Casey stayed in the big boat and deep water, and John took the dingy and took me ashore, back to where we'd had breakfast that morning. And there was just devastation. The restaurants were completely obliterated, and there were boats thrown all the way up on shore, and just massive destruction and eerily few people around.
CASEY SOBOLEWSKI: The Internet cafe that I had spent the morning at, talking on instant message with my girlfriend and my best friend, was gone. If we hadn't been on that, spent 15 minutes talking to them, we would have been in the trouble area, and who knows if we would have been around.
CAMEROTA: And you're talking to us tonight from California. You're back at home. How did you get home so quickly? And what are your thoughts, now that you're safe at home?
CASEY SOBOLEWSKI: As soon as we got back to Phuket, to actual shore, you know, the first thing we wanted to do was go home. And we called China Airlines, and they were more than helpful in getting us home right away. And our main concerns and thoughts is we just wanted to get home and tell everybody that we know that we're safe and we love them and we're very grateful.
CAMEROTA: And Julie, you, too? You must be terribly relieved to be home.
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI: It's interesting. When we got to shore, we had no idea at the time the extent of what was going on, and we didn't even know that the United States had heard anything of what was happening. And so when we called our parents and found out what they'd gone through that day, sitting there watching this news all day, not knowing where we were, I think it was harder on them than it was on us. So it's a great relief to let them know that we're safe.
CAMEROTA: We can imagine. Well, thank you for sharing your story with us, Julie and Casey.
CASEY SOBOLEWSKI: Thank you.
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI: Thank you.
Content and Programming Copyright 2004 FOX News Network, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2004 eMediaMillWorks, Inc. (f/k/a Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon FOX News Network, L.L.C.'s and eMediaMillWorks, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.
Dec 26, 2004
Slammed by Tidal Wave, But I'm OK
A lot of people heard about the devastation caused by the earthquake in Indonesia. I was on Phi Phi Don island off the Andaman coast of Thailand when the tidal wave hit. Not really up to posting the full story as yet, but here's some info I emailed to family members.
We were on a boat tour when the captain dramatically veered off course (we were headed to remote Bamboo Island) and was frantically talking on his cell phone. Their English was very poor so it was not clear what was going on. Long story short, we got on the beach but were too low when the tidal wave struck. It created a flash flood effect and I was in the middle of rapids containing debris, wood and all matter of building material. Ton Sai, the main village and also the pier, are completely leveled is the rumor.
I cut my knee up pretty bad and have trouble walking but nothing broken. I am fine considering the state of most of Phi Phi and the rest of the folks here in Phuket hospital.
Unfortunately, all of our stuff was on a bungalow hotel called Maprao about 40 minutes from where the boat landed so we were not able to go back and get any of our things.
Thus, currently nearly penniless, passport-less, travel insurance-less etc. at the moment. But at the hospital everything is free including email access. Unfortunately, the US embassy has not been very helpful in contrast to other embassies and we don't know much logistically in terms of loans, passports, retreiving our stuff, etc. The ambassador to Sweden personally visited all the Swedes (several were on our boat trip).
I appreciate all the concerned emails from readers but I will not be able to respond individually to emails for some time as free access (no money) may be difficult to obtain for a bit. But please be assured I am fine.
Posted by Evelyn Rodriguez on Dec 26, 2004 at 10:03 PM
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Here are a selection of eyewitness accounts from people who e-mailed us with their experiences of the devastation. Please note our message boards are now closed.
I was on holiday near Phuket on Koh Surin. It was my third visit there and everything seemed totally normal. I went kayaking in the morning and reached the shore before the wave struck but was still washed away by the wave. I grabbed the kayak, which was wedged between two trees. I managed to climb off and walked up a nearby hill. It was so devastating to watch. Charavee Bunyasiri Deer, Bangkok
We were out at sea in a 25-foot longtail boat which was going from the mainland to a secluded island when we saw the tsunami. We were about 1km (half a mile) from shore when the boat driver very quickly headed for a nearby bay. We had enough time to talk and had a solid plan for when we did hit the beach. It was a very close call and we made it to shore with only about 10 seconds to spare and headed to higher ground. It was a very surreal experience but I am thankful to say I have nothing more to show for it than just a few scratches. Jason and Lisa Bagby, Los Angeles, California
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