20 Years Later: Remembering the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Photos)

On December 26th, 2004, a whopping 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia’s island of Sumatra. In the aftermath of the quake, a massive tsunami was triggered, sending waves reportedly reaching 100 feet to Indonesia, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and other countries. The death toll was catastrophic; some 230,000 died.

It was, and still remains, one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history.

After the devastation, humanitarian efforts mobilized to help those afflicted. That included surfers, who had been enjoying Indonesia’s world-class waves for decades, and been in the developing days of Sumatran surf exploration. Surfers like off-the-grid Indo pioneer, Timmy Turner, and Bali transplant and journalist, Matt George. “This country had been so good to me, the least I could do is get over there and find a way to help,” Turner says about his relief efforts in his film, The Tsunami Diaries. So, among countless others, they set out to help the archipelago that had given them so much.

And still today, Bali, Sumatra, the Mentawais, and other Indonesian treasures are some of surfing’s most coveted zones. So, in commemoration of the horrific tragedy that struck these lands 20 years ago, here’s a lookback in photos of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.