Photo 4 of 17

Galle Harbour from just outside the Fort, Sept. 2002. The entire waterfront in the distance and off to the right has been shattered by the Dec 26, 2004 tsunami. In 1883 this harbour temporarily drained of all water in the aftermath of the great Krakatoa, Indonesia eruption several thousands of km away, but the effect of the 2004 Sumatra undersea earthquake has been massively greater due to its geographical location, since the resulting tsunami this time had full access to the Indian Ocean. I have heard today that the Maritime Archaeology Unit offices site from where this photo was taken, has been obliterated, along with their priceless collection of 17th/18th century Dutch shipping artifacts painstakenly collected from the harbour seabed. Fortunately the staff members were on holiday, and several security people on site managed to escape by hanging onto tree branches and then escaping into the adjacent Fort through the old harbour gate (see photo below)