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- [00:00]
Wondery Announcer
Wondery subscribers can listen to against the Odds, early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
- [00:10]
Cassie Depechel
A listener Note against the Odds uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some elements, including dialogue, may be invented, but everything is based on research. Wondria Ed Moosh sprints over the exposed seabed toward the beach of Phi Phi Don in Thailand. He has to outrun the towering wave that's closing in on him and his wife, Helen. Ed can't believe that barely two minutes ago they were dragging their dinghy toward the sea, speculating about where all the water in the bay had gone. Now they're running for their lives. He reaches behind him and feels Helen grab his outstretched hand. He squeezes and pulls her along, urging her to run faster. Hurry. He can hear the wave behind them, a churning roar that grows louder with every passing second. He glances over his shoulder and sees that the wall of water has now reached a motorboat marooned on the seabed. The wave lifts the boat into the air, then crashes it down, splitting it into pieces. He looks toward the tree line and the grim reality hits him. They're not going to escape the wave. It's moving too fast. Ed stops. And now it's Helen yanking him by the arm. She turns around and looks at him, wide eyed. ED Come on. We can't stop now. Ed shakes his head, yelling above the roar. We won't make it. It's too far. We have to take our chances here. He wraps his arms around her, pulling his wife close. Whatever happens, don't let go. I love you. Helen clutches him tightly. Ed digs his toes in the sand and locks his wife in a bear hug. The noise of the oncoming wave grows louder and louder until it drowns out every thought except one. Survive. And then the wave hits them.
- [02:21]
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- [02:50]
Cassie Depechel
Can I make my sight softer?
- [02:51]
Wondery Announcer
Can I make my site firmer? Can we sleep cooler?
- [02:55]
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- [03:25]
Cassie Depechel
From wondery I'm Cassie Depechel and this is against the Odds. On the morning of December 26, 2004, a powerful earthquake hit 150 miles off the coast of Indonesia. The force of the quake triggered a tsunami. As it raced toward the coastline, the wave climbed to heights as high as 30ft on Thailand's west coast. Tens of thousands of residents and tourists had no idea they were right in the tsunami's path. As the wave hit one shoreline after another, people ran for their lives to escape the wall of water closing in on them. This is episode two overtaken 13 year old monica Ribeiro hears the wave gaining on her. It sounds like a jet plane. The noise is so loud it muffles the screams of people trying to get to higher ground off this stretch of Kowlock Beach. Monica wants to look behind her to see if she can spot her parents. The last time she turned around, she couldn't see either of them, but she can still hear her dad's words echoing in her head, screaming for her to go, so she can't risk slowing down to look for them. She passes a tree and spots a maintenance shed ahead of her. Maybe she can get behind it and use it as a shelter from the onrushing water. As she rounds the corner, she finds a handful of people huddled there. Monica crouches down next to them. Seconds later, there's a tremendous crash as the torrent of water hits the beachside wall of the shed. The structure holds, but now the water is rushing around the corners of the shed, climbing up Monica's ankles, past her knees, then her waist, and it's still rising. Monica feels fingers digging into her arms and looks over to see a Thai woman pulling her close. At first she thinks the woman is trying to use Monica as a buoy and she wants to wrestle herself free. But she realizes the woman is being held by other survivors and is trying to keep Monica from getting carried away. The water lifts Monica's feet off the ground and her legs are swept up. The fierce current pulls on her like some kind of horizontal gravity. The woman's grasp slips. She sticks out her leg, telling Monica to grab it, but the current is too strong. Monica is hurtled into the churning ocean. She wants to scream, but she knows she'll only inhale water. She locks eyes with the woman, who meets her gaze for a second and then looks away, as if she can't bear to watch Monica die. Olivia su gasps for air as she breaches the water and then is thrown back under. Her body is tossed around in the surge of water that's flooding the Emerald Cave. Seconds ago, she, her mother, and five other family members were making their way along the cave wall. Guided by a rope. They were headed towards a secluded lagoon on the other side. But when they were about halfway through the tunnel, a huge wave poured in, flooding the cave. Olivia fights to reach the surface. As she bobs up again, she searches for her mom, but she can't spot her among all the churning, flailing bodies. A stab of guilt slices through her. It's her fault her mom is in this situation. Olivia's mom had wanted to stay on the boat, but Olivia had insisted she come along with them into the cave. Olivia calls out, mom, where are you? I don't want to die. It's her mother's voice. Olivia is sure of it. But before she can answer, the water pulls her under again. Olivia's body spins. It's like being in an enormous washing machine. She winces in pain as something hits her. Is it the wall of the cave? Another person? She doesn't know. She keeps waiting to wake up from this nightmare. And then her head slams hard into something and everything goes dark. Ed Moosh tumbles along the seafloor. He spins in different directions so fast he doesn't know up from down. Almost as soon as the wave hit, Ed lost hold of Helen. It was like being hit by a locomotive. The wave ripped the shirt off his back and sent him careening through the water. Coral stabs his skin, and all he can hear is a deafening roar. His lungs are burning. He's desperate to take a breath. Finally, his head surfaces and he feels the hot sun on his face. He draws a deep breath, then two. He has to move his arms frantically to keep his head above water. The current is carrying him further inland. He turns his head this way and that, his eyes peeled for any sign of Helen. And then he sees her. The water has pinned her against the trunk of a palm tree. He realizes these are the same trees they were so desperately trying to reach on foot. In what felt like the blink of an eye. The wave pushed both of them hundreds of yards all the way to the shoreline. Helen.
- [09:07]
OnStar Advertiser
Helen.
- [09:08]
Cassie Depechel
Her eyes are open, but she doesn't acknowledge him. So he yells for her to hold on. The Surface of the water is clogged with anything that floats. Wooden beach chairs, fragments of boats, flip flops, beer cans. He uses the debris to pull himself toward Helen until he's finally next to her. Helen, are you okay? She stares at him with a vacant look in her eyes, but she doesn't say anything. Ed doesn't know what's wrong. Maybe she's in shock, but she's alive. They're both alive. He closes his eyes as he presses his cheek into her hair. But then he hears a rumble growing louder. He turns back toward the sea and sees it. Another wave is coming. Wimon Tongtae stands in the stern of his longtail boat, transfixed by the towering wave that is heading toward the shoreline. Just seconds ago, it passed under his fishing boat, pressing him and his brother Prakang into their seats as the boat suddenly lifted up. But as startling as that was, the wave was a few feet high. Now, as Wiman watches it roll toward the shoreline, it's growing to terrifying heights. The wave is so big that Wiman can barely see the tips of the 30 foot palm trees that line the beach. There's something else Wiman can no longer see the dozens of other fishermen who had decided to fish closer to the shore this morning. Some of them are his friends. Wimon imagines their fear right now as the massive wave bears down on them. He yells out a warning, but he's too far away. The wave moves closer to shore and Wiman watches in horror as fragments of longtail boats shoot out from its wake. Great jagged chunks of timber fly into the water, along with orange plastic buckets and fishing nets. And then we Monsie's bodies. Some of them are limp, their limbs contorted at terrifying angles. Others are alive, their heads bobbing above the water, their arms flailing. From the other end of his boat, Wiman hears his brother Wiman, look. Wiman turns his head toward Prakam and sees that he's pointing not toward the shoreline, but back out to sea. Wimbledon Wiman's stomach sinks. Another wave is coming. It's still far off, but even from this distance Wiman can see it's bigger than the first. It's moving fast, spitting foam into the air. He calls out to Perkong, we have to do something. We can't just sit here. But Perkang says nothing. Instead, he drops to the floor of the boat, curling himself up, whimpering. Wimon wants to chastise him, but there's no time. He grabs the tiller and pushes it far to one side, so the boat turns in the water, but not toward the shore. There's nothing in that direction but death. Instead, he points his boat directly at the next wave and he guns the engine.
- [12:33]
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- [13:03]
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- [13:43]
Cassie Depechel
Wimang Tongtae looks around and feels a boost of confidence. He's not the only fisherman heading toward the oncoming wave. He counts six other long tailboats aiming straight for it, and the sooner they get to it, the better. It will only grow bigger and steeper as it approaches the shore. Wiman opens the throttle as far as it will go. He imagines how foolish this must look. Seven narrow wooden longtails racing to take on a wave that's something out of a nightmare. It looks alive, like the mouth of a great hungry beast. A line of froth stretches across its crest as if it's drooling with anticipation. Maybe a half mile ahead of Wu man, the first boat is about to reach the wave. Wu man watches closely as the boat and the wave race toward each other. Then they make contact. The nose of the boat lifts up. It climbs the wave until it's vertical. The wave must be 30ft high. For a second, the boat hangs there, its outline vivid against the wall of water. Then gravity takes hold. The fishermen drop hard toward the stern. One man crashes into another, and they all fall out of the boat, disappearing into the water. The boat reaches the crest of the wave and balances there for a second, its front and back suspended in midair. Then it splits in two. The front half disappears behind the wave. The back half tumbles onto the fisherman thrashing in the ocean. Then Wiman can see nothing but the wave again. Two Other boats meet similar fates. One looks like it might make it, but as it's climbing the wave, it's flipped over backwards. Everything aboard, the fishing gear, the buckets, the people, ends up hurtling into the water below. Wiman looks toward the front of his boat, where Prakang is still huddled on the floor. Part of Wiman wants to do the same, but his whole life, he's been a fighter. In his youth, he even supported himself as a kickboxer. And now, at 50 years old, with a young family, he refuses to go down without a fight. He yells out to his brother, we're going to end up in the water. Grab a plastic jug. It'll keep you afloat. Prakong's eyes are like saucers, but he nods. The wave is barely 100 yards away. Wiman has seconds to decide what to do. Accelerating into the wave hadn't worked for the other boats, so Wiman decides to do something different. He eases up the throttle. The current pushes the boat parallel to the oncoming wave. Could this be the answer? It goes against everything Wiman understands about physics, that a boat's best chance in waves is is facing them head on, not taking them sideways. But this isn't just any wave. This is a devil in the water. Wu Mang cuts the engine. If he and his brother are thrown from the boat, he doesn't want them falling onto a spinning propeller. Prakong hasn't moved from his fetal position, and Wiman guesses maybe that's the safest posture. He kneels down and spreads his arms, bracing them against the boat's ribs. He closes his eyes, but then decides he wants to see the thing about to kill him. So he opens them again. The wave has almost reached them. Wiman has no idea how high it is. Now it's so large, it feels like it's become the sky. And it's taken on a different color. It's no longer a welcoming emerald green, but a malevolent black. Then the wave arrives. It lifts the longtail higher and higher. Wimang presses against the sides of the boat with all his might. He takes a deep breath, not knowing how long he'll be underwater once he's thrown. The boat climbs and climbs, but it's not capsizing. Huiman hears the sound of cracking wood, and he wonders if they'll break in two like the first boat. Finally, the longtail reaches the top of the wave and starts to careen down the other side. For a second, Wu man is weightless. Then the long tail slams back into the sea and Wu Man's head bangs against the floor. He looks toward the bow. Keng is still there. Somehow, miraculously, they made it. He turns toward the shore, watching the wave grow even bigger as it barrels toward the coast. Suddenly the faces of his wife and two daughters flash before him and he can't help but imagine the horror that's headed their way. Watcheri Tong Tae squeezes her eyes shut as she kneels on a dirt road in the village of Nam Khem. She clutches her two daughters, one in each arm. It's just after 10:30am Seconds ago, after seeing the wave bearing down on the beach near her house, she scooped up both her children from their porch and started running. But the water racing up the beach is moving too fast and their path further inland is blocked by a pond. There's no time to do anything except hunker down and pray they survive. Guattari hears cracking behind her as the water rushes closer. There are terrible screeching sounds as if the village is being ripped apart. Screams of those caught by the wave echo in her head. She opens her eyes briefly and looks down at her children now locked in her arms, then closes them again and prays. The water hits them with such force that Watcher ee is knocked face first into the surface of the road. The water both holds her down and sweeps her along. And then her children are ripped from from her arms. She opens her eyes under the water, frantic to find them, but she can't see anything through the silt choked water. She spreads her arms out, hoping they're nearby and can latch onto her, but she's somersaulting through the water. Objects slam into her. She reaches out to grab anything that hits her in case it's one of her daughters. Then she smacks into something hard, stopping her short. She runs a hand over it. It's concrete. A wall perhaps. Her face breaks the surface and she gulps in air, her eyes darting around. What she sees is incomprehensible. Cars are sweeping past, bobbing in the water like corks. Entire roofs and uprooted trees float by, and everywhere there are bodies. Arms stick up from the surface of the water. Legs too. Some bodies float on their backs, others on their stomachs. Many are naked. The force of the wave was so strong it stripped the clothes off of them. Then Watchari sees her eight year old daughter, Ratikan, suspended above the water as if by magic. She doesn't understand how she's hanging there. Before she can figure it out, the thundering water pulls Wachiri Back down. As she spins underwater, Guattari realizes what she's just seen. Ratikan is caught in a clothesline stretched between two buildings. Her daughter is alive, but the line is wrapped around her neck. Watari flails her arms around, seeking anything she might use as a handhold to keep her above the surface. She has to get to Ratikan and find her three year old daughter sue to rot. Finally, she grabs onto something, she's not sure what, and pushes her torso up out of the water, gasping for air. But just as she tries to orient herself and find her daughters, the current reverses. Watcher Ree loses her handhold and is back in the water again. Only this time she's being pushed in the opposite direction. The water is dragging her out to sea. Monica Ribeiro is certain she's going to die. She's being carried inland by the wave. The question is whether she'll drown or be crushed to death by all the debris pressing up against her. There are tree branches, splintered wood and even cars rushing all around her. Every time she gets her head above water and draws a of piece breath, the masses of floating debris immediately push her back under. As she's forced under once again, Monica gets an idea. She'll use the objects as a ladder. Her lungs burning, she presses the sole of one bare foot against a large piece of wood beneath her. The momentum pushes her up. She reaches around for something to grab onto and feels a branch. She hoists herself toward it and then feels something near her other foot that she pushes against. She kicks her feet in the water and shoots up. She ascends in the water, making her way toward the surface and clearing out a space above her head. As she breaks through the surface, she takes a deep breath. But this time when the water pushes her down again, she's calm. She knows she can figure out a way toward the surface. The torrent of water is pushing her farther inland, but eventually it'll have to stop. She figures the only force she really has to fight against is the one pulling her down. As long as she can make it to the surface, she'll be okay. But she's getting tired. She doesn't understand why she keeps sinking as soon as she's above the surface. Then it dawns on her. Once she comes up for air, she stops kicking for that moment. And so the water sucks her back down. So she tries to ignore her fatigue and keep kicking. Even as she breaks the surface, Monica finally feels her heart rate slowing. She's exhausted, but she's figured out A way to ride this wave until it deposits her wherever it will. She just hopes that her parents, wherever they are, have been able to do the same. But then, just as she's coasting along, the bottom suddenly drops out from under her. It's as if this raging river of debris has turned into a waterfall and it's taking her over the edge with it.
- [24:36]
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- [24:40]
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- [24:48]
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- [24:48]
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- [24:52]
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- [25:21]
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- [25:35]
Cassie Depechel
Picture this. You're standing on the beach when you notice something strange. The horizon doesn't look right at first. All you can see is a thin white line stretching as as far, far as your eyes can see. Then the line starts to rise, but it's not the horizon at all. It's a wave. A 30 foot wall of water. And it's racing straight toward you. On the day after Christmas in 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a devastating tsunami. It struck Thailand without warning. No alarms, no cell phone alerts, no evacuation. And this season of against the Odds, experience one of the deadliest natural disasters in history through the perspectives of those who did everything they could to survive. Follow against the Odds on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of against the Tsunami in Thailand early and ad free right now on Wondery. Monica Ribeiro. Monica screams in terror as the water hurls her over a precipice. She has no idea what's happening. She can't see what exactly the water is rushing over. All she knows is she's in a free fall. Monica has had a fear of falling her whole life. She's never understood the appeal of skydiving or bungee jumping. But now she's out of the water and flying through the air. She screams in terror. No. She hits the water and sinks far below the surface. The suction of the water pulls her down. She kicks and kicks, trying to reach the surface, but she can't break through. She swallows a mouthful of salty ocean water. Her lungs feel ready to explode. If she's going to keep going. She has to block out the pain in her chest to distract herself. She focuses on feeling, each of her muscles in her legs and arms working together to swim. But she can't go much longer without breathing. She's so tired and everything hurts. She flashes to a talk she once had with her mother about the moment of death. Her mother told her an angel would offer her a choice. Life or death. Suddenly, Monica feels a peace wash over her, a soothing warmth. All the chaos and terror around her recedes. She knows if she just stops kicking, all the pain will go away forever. But there's another voice too. That voice says, or you can live. And she realizes that to stop kicking is to give up to die. She thinks, I'm only 13. My life hasn't even begun. She wants to live. She needs to live. She kicks harder and harder until her legs feel heavy and her vision narrows. She doesn't know how long she can keep going. But then she breaks the surface and she's drawing in huge breaths of air. She's going to live. Olivia Hsu wakes to see light through her closed eyelids, then opens them slowly. A splitting pain pulses through her head. She reaches a hand up and runs it gently over her head. Her hand comes back covered in blood. She sits up, groaning at the effort and looks around. The last thing she remembers is being tossed through the water filled tunnel and the desperate cries of her terrified mother. Now she finds herself lying in the secluded lagoon on the other end of the Emerald Cave, propped on some rocks overlooking the beach. Someone must have dragged her here. She feels a trickle of warm liquid weave its way down her cheek and wipes it away. More blood. But for the moment she shakes off the pain. She needs to to find her mother and the rest of her family. Her stepfather, her sisters, her brother and his girlfriend. She looks around the beach. She recognizes people from her tour boat, but doesn't see any of her family. The wave seems to have receded back out the tunnel. But people are scrambling up the rocks that surround this lagoon, trying to get to as high ground as possible. They must be worried that another wave might be coming. Olivia sees a dead body floating face down in the water. Two men reach down and each takes one of the man's arms. They lift his torso as they drag him out of the water. As they carry the body to the shore, Olivia sees the man's face. It's her stepfather. She stifles a sob. Her poor mother, she thinks. She has to find her and comfort her. Olivia scans the people arranged on the rocks, searching for her mom. Some are sobbing. Others look like they're in a daze. Some are nursing wounds. One woman is bleeding from her forehead. But none of them are her mother. And then, just off the shoreline, Olivia sees her. She's lying on her back, and Olivia's brother is kneeling over her. Olivia looks closer. She stares hard for a few seconds, and then she realizes her mother isn't moving. Wimang Tongtae cranks the motor of his longtail boat to life and lowers the propeller into the water. He's heading toward shore to pick up as many survivors as he can. His own bow is still in one piece, but barely. After he and Prokng survived the second wave by aligning the boat parallel to the wave, Wiman made the same decision for the third wave. It worked again. But his wooden longtail is cracked and starting to take on water. And the ocean is still rough, so Wiman needs to be careful as he moves closer to the shore. He knows that as the water grows shallower, any wave naturally gets bigger. If another large wave hits them, his boat could fall apart and he and his brother could drown. He motors slowly in the direction of the men. He's reassured to see that many are clinging to pieces of their boats. They wave toward him, and he waves back. But sure enough, as the water grows shallower, the waves grow bigger. The boat groans violently, and more water pours in. Wiman realizes that his long tail is too fragile. He decides he can't risk helping the survivors. Besides, he knows the wave probably hit his home village of Nam Khem, six miles north. He needs to get home. He turns the boat to the left and starts making his way up the coast, still a couple of miles offshore. He's not sure if his boat will make it, but right now all he can think of are his wife and two daughters. When he left them this morning, they were all sleeping peacefully, and now he wonders if he'll ever see any of them. Alive again.
- [33:04]
Wondery Closing Announcer
If you like. Against the odds, you can binge all episodes early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com survey.
- [33:25]
Cassie Depechel
This is the second episode of our four part series Tsunami in Thailand. A quick note about our scenes. In most cases we can't know exactly what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the books Wave of Destruction by Eric Krause Rising above the Wave by Edward Moosh Surviving a tsunami at 13 by Monica Ribeiro Connolly and the television series Race Against Time directed by Daniel Bogado produced by the National Geographic Channel. I'm your host, Cassie Depechel. Steve Fennesee wrote this episode. Sound design by Rob Schieliga. Audio engineer is Sergio Enriquez. Original theme music Scott Velasquez and 2K for freesound sync Fact checking by Alyssa Jung Perry produced by Emily Frost. Managing producer is Desi Blaylock. Senior producers are Andy Herman and Austin Rackless. Executive producers are Jenny Lauer, Beckman and Marshall Louie. For Wondery.