Phuket is an island in southwest Thailand. On the left side of this map is the Andaman Sea which first receded and then roared back as a massive tsunami on December, 26, 2004, causing extensive damage and deaths along the entire west coast. Patong Beach is where this photo series was taken the next day. My family was in Maya Bay during the tsunami, which is part of Ko Phi Phi Le Island in the lower right corner. We speculate that the horseshoe-shaped bays at both locations acted to channel and intensify the waves.