With Christmas almost upon us many in the diving world will think back to a day that will be remembered by most divers, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. Three years ago on the morning of December 26, 2004 an earthquake measuring 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale struck deep under the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake shook the entire planet by as much as half an inch and set off a series of deadly tidal waves, or tsunamis, all around the Indian Ocean.

The waves of up to 100 feet (30 meters) struck coastal communities all around the Indian Ocean, leading to the deaths of 225,000 people in 11 different countries. Many of those lost and injured were members of the dive community, working in diving destinations in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, and Myanmar. I was personally on Phuket, Thailand the day before the wave struck. Phuket was badly hit by the tsunami and I feel lucky to have traveled to Ko Tao, which is located on the other side of Thailand and was not exposed to the tsunami. I had many friends on both Phuket and Koh Phi Phi in Thailand and spent many days worrying and trying to contact them before finally hearing that they were OK. I finally heard from the last one on January 3. I’ve heard many stories from friends who were there on the day and who were even washed away by the wave only to survive. Not everyone was so lucky unfortunately and many locals, tourists, and divers were lost.

After the Boxing Day Tsunami (as it’s become known) many stories circulated on the internet about the complete destruction of the reefs of the affected areas. These stories particularly focused on Thailand and have had a terrible effect on the diving and tourism industries there. Having dived the reefs of this area extensively both before and after the tsunami I can assure you that they were mostly untouched and are still as good as they always were. There was a small amount of damage in Thailand but there are still enough dive sites in perfect condition there to keep everyone busy. The locals have worked very hard to rebuild and above water everything is now business as usual and these islands are still as beautiful and welcoming as they always were. It has been amazing to watch the rapid recovery from such a tragic event. Divers can contribute to that recovery by supporting tourism and diving in these areas.

If you’ve never dived in Thailand I’d highly recommend it. Read more about diving in Thailand and the 2004 Tsunami.