(from Phuket, Thailand)...Many people were gathered at the top of the road because of reports of a second wave coming, the first one had been about 20 feet high, and the second was reported to be even higher...

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(from Phuket, Thailand)...and though it is a major disaster, the specific areas that are affected are limited. Basically, it is beaches that have a western exposure that have been the most hit. Also, the depth of the destruction is for 500 yards or less. It is not like a typhoon that blows away the whole area. Ao Chalong, the bay on the east (safe) side of the island had two boats go up on the beach. Those are the only two boat problems on the island so far as I can find out. S/Y Harmony said that their depth sounder went from 7 to 37 feet. It was VERY lucky that it hit at low tide, and early before many people would have gone to the beaches.

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(from Langkawi, Malaysia)...Fortunately for us we were sitting at anchor in a sheltered bay outside of Telaga Harbour Marina, protected by two small man-made islands. We had chosen this spot to spend Christmas and New Year as it is peaceful and beautiful, protected from the North-east trade winds, with stunning views of the Matchincang range of mountains, forest and beach...So there we were on Boxing Day and decided to look up the tide tables for the area to correct the tide clock. Robert told me it was high tide. I looked towards the shore and rather scathingly told him that it certainly was not, the water was right out and the fishing boats were high and dry on the sand. Being nearly full moon this was totally possible and so we exchanged some rather acrimonious comments, such as - do you think I am stupid and can't read the tables - well my eyes aren't deceiving me and the water is right out - these tables are quite correct - maybe you are in the wrong hemisphere - look I'm not the village idiot you know.

At that moment a call on channel 69 of the VHF alerted us that there were strange waves breaking outside. Looking up I saw a great wave curling and breaking before the entrance gap of the islands, the sunlight shining through the green water like a surfer's dream come true. Only it shouldn't have been there and when Nature plays a trick like that the mind won't register the change and says - oh no, that's not possible. I shouted for Robert to come and look and he leapt up from the computer, took one glance and said - start the motor. We were stern to the flooding water pouring through the entrance and he had the presence of mind to reverse into it, stretching out our anchor chain away from the beach and even though it walloped into us and shoved us forward it did not pull out the anchor due to the full force of our powerful motor. It swept under us and roared up the beach only to return in full force once again from the other direction. By this time we were turned sideways on with our beam to the tossing waves which chucked us around like a matchstick. But Deusa is a very strong matchstick and although all our belongings down below were thrown to the floor, she and ourselves suffered no damage at all - what a miracle.

The lagoon became a swirling bathtub with the sea rushing in and out almost like it was breathing. Every few minutes the surge would change direction after the initial three waves that came pounding in. The marina basin lies inside a protected channel, is newly built and quite solid. It was full of yachts, not one empty berth. We watched in horror as the yachts tied up in there started throwing backwards and forwards clashing masts and then the strangest thing happened; they all started moving in a macabre carnival carousel, whirling in great circles around the marina in the swirl of rushing water, the pontoons wrenched from their pilings. As the water started to recede they poured out through the channel, spat into the lagoon where we were anchored.

Rebak Marina, some two nautical miles from Telaga Harbour, had a similar experience with all boats and pontoons swept out to sea. These two marinas that were considered so safe are on the west coast of Langkawi where the major surge of water happened. Who in their wildest dreams thinks of Tsunamis when storing their boat or thinking of a safe haven? Many people use their boats as retirement homes and have settled comfortably into marina life with light, water, air-con and companionship. This is now all torn apart in a few short hours and they are all anchored out, bewildered and forlorn. The local staff of these two marinas were totally shell-shocked and unable to do much at all. The Navy Police came around in their big blue power boats but when asked to help anchor boats, were unable to do so...

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(from Telaga Harbor, Langkawi, Malaysia)...We had three or four extreme high water events, the first of which tore all the vessels from their moorings, one of which lifted a huge dredge upon the quay and the last of which washed "Sula" onto the quay. There were many unmanned vessels including one ship, several harbor craft and 15 to 20 fishing boats which were drifting around the harbor. They were all washed out of the harbor, as were we, after the first high water. As the high waters returned these unmanned vessels were washed back into the harbor at 6 to 8 knots where they entered a huge eddy in the harbor formed by the inrushing water. At each excursion boats were washed into the breakwater, the piers and each other. Many were sunk or grounded. It was a truly chaotic day. It was fully eight hours before "Callisto" was finally safely moored alongside. The unmanned ship was one of the biggest hazards in the harbor. She left and returned to the harbor on at least four occasions and finally remained in the harbor adrift to threaten us throughout the night...