This file is rated FM-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:
Geology This file is within the scope of WikiProject Geology, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative, comprehensive and easy-to-use geology resource. If you would like to participate, you can choose to edit this article, or visit the project page for more information.GeologyWikipedia:WikiProject GeologyTemplate:WikiProject GeologyGeology

That is an amazing picture. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.106.125.16 (talk • contribs) 23:12, 25 September 2005.

Who has taken this photograph? What happened to him/her & those people ? Though the picture is great, no one should take such a dangerous photograph, since it is so harmful for him/her as well as family members. -- User:59.161.12.79 16:23, 10 October 2005

You can find the full image credit, if you follow the link to the image description page on Commons. The photographer was David Rydevik of Stockholm, Sweden. I received an email from him a couple of weeks ago, so you can be reassured that at least he survived the direct effects of tsunami. -- Solipsist 16:54, 10 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This picture seems fake to me. Firstly, a tsunami is not like a normal wave that breaks. Rather, it is as if the sea is rising rapidly, which causes a powerful torrent of water that moves inland. (i.e. it is more tidal than wave). Secondly the body language of the people in the photo gives no indication that they're about to be inundated by an avalanche of water. It looks to me like a picture of the aftermath of a tsunami - mud on the road, bollards pushed skew - spliced skillfully with an image of a normal crashing wave.Paulgush 23:38, 10 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There was some small discussion of this when the image was nominated for FeaturedPictures. Ultimately only the original author knows, but I have corresponded with him (or at least the credited author) and have no particular reason to believe this image is faked. Although I've seen some television images of this tsunami as it reached other beaches, I couldn't say for sure that local conditions in other areas couldn't make the wave break this way. -- Solipsist 08:30, 12 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd guess there's a retaining wall or other vertical surface just below where the wave is breaking, directing the last vestiges of the tsunami wave upwards. --Carnildo 08:05, 22 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you imagine what a rising tide would look like when encroaching on a retaining wall, it would not look like that. Paulgush 23:17, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, if I was about to be annihilated by that kind of water, I wouldn't just be standing there, not even looking at it. THis is fake. Karwynn (talk) 20:20, 24 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It appears to me that these people either simply do not know what is about to happen, or are just beginning to react. Moving water is also quite complex to model; one's intuition may not be the best guide. From the wet ground, it also looks like this was not the first wave. It would be interesting to get the full story from the photographyer. -- Beland 02:20, 25 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Here is another perspective of the same event. I was skeptical also, but this appears real. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 159.182.1.4 (talk) 22:58, 27 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I sent the following questions by email to the photographer:

Editors are curious what happened to the people in the photograph? It looks like this was not the first wave? Why had they not all run away? Was there a wall in front of you or something to cause that tremendous splashing? Did you all just get a little wet or were you actually washed away by the force of the water? Was anyone around you injured?

Thank you for your very interesting and poignant contribution,

Beland

He was kind enough to reply:

That was the second wave that hit Ao Nang. The first one trashed the street closest to the beach, then it was quiet for about 30 minutes or so, then the second wave (photo) hit. I guess people were curious about what had happened so there were a great many people close to the beach.

Yes there was a wall infront of me. The beach in Ao Nang is located about 3m below the city so there is a ~3m vertical concrete wall between the beach and the city. The picture is taken a split second after the wave hit the wall. I personally wasn't washed away by the force of the water since I was standing higher up than the people on the street. Some people on the street was knocked down and swpt a couple of meters up the street.

Where i was standing no one got seriously injured but about 200 people died in Ao Nang.

-- Beland 02:32, 30 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It doesn't look like he's above the wave looking down on it. The shot looks like he's looking straight at it. 66.189.38.7 01:51, 16 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe he was on elevated ground but the wave was high enough to make the scene look like a beach and not a small elevated area. --Radical Edward2 (talk) 01:57, 17 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]