Lost In The Waves

In their beach bungalow in the Thai resort of Khao Lak, Garry Beran and Carolyn Spraggon were jolted awake by the earthquake — but didn't think much of it. The British couple had breakfast, then joined the other tourists on the beach and noticed the tide receding. "One minute it was at our feet and then it was half a kilometer away," says Beran, 30. "People started walking out to get to it," but the couple, research scientists from Manchester, didn't follow because Spraggon was putting on suntan lotion. That probably saved their lives.

Within minutes, people ran...