When the wave smashed Sri Lanka, a young Sri Lankan-American couple were caught in its deadly grasp on a beach near Galle.
A rescue helicopter and lifeboat were sent to help a fishing vessel at around 5 30am, after it called Mayday when a wave smashed its window.
"The victim's death was caused by a wave smashing into him, which at that time was massive, up to five metres high," he told reporters.
Given the extraordinary force of the waves I wasn't surprised and I gritted my teeth each time a wave smashed directly into the bulkhead, waiting to see what would happen".
And in a flash, Mamataz Begum's youngest child, barely 2 years old, was swept from her arms, as a tidal wave smashed through the fragile mud homes of this village and scooped up everything in its watery arms.
In Cornwall, French boat Le Sillon lost power and steering when a huge wave smashed through its bridge on Saturday.
While the boat was being lowered into the water, a breaking wave smashed it into the side of the ship.
Before Yayi Bayam Diouf's son disappeared into the sea after a wave smashed into his boat in 2007, she was frightened by the perilous journey many young people undertake to seek work in Europe.
Yes, a revolving sculpture created from enormous playing cards that advertised "Now You See Me 2" is charming, but then there was the poster for something called "Tsunami L.A.," complete with an illustration of the world's biggest wave smashing into Pacific Coast Highway and the head-shaking tagline "Traffic's Gonna Be A Bitch Today".
Eventually I find myself at Steels Point at the north-east edge of the island, looking out from the top of a cliff as waves smash against the rocks.
The family hunkered down below, the children stoic beyond imagining as they did lessons with their governess, pressing their faces to the glass of the portholes to watch the waves smash the deck.
