Exclusive: Survivor Recounts Terrifying Encounter During Scuba Trip: Water ‘Boiling’ Beneath Her
Lizz Hills was on a scuba diving boat in Thailand on Boxing Day in 2004 when she remembers the water “boiling” beneath her. Then 21, she was back in Thailand a year after a horrifying train accident left her with traumatic brain injuries during a solo holiday. Hills was in the South-East Asian nation once again with her father, Dan, because she was grateful to be alive. She very nearly lost her life again when the tsunami hit.
## A Journey of Survival and Reflection
Lizz Hills, now a mother, vividly recalls the harrowing experience that unfolded during her trip to Thailand. Just two days after the tsunami struck, she and her father, Dan, were able to leave Thailand and ended up in Singapore, where Dan was living. Hills struggled to comprehend why she was spared from the death toll, but the double survival has shaped her life. She described the tsunami as a “wakeup call,” a moment that changed her perspective on life and inspired her to live a life she once only dreamed of.
“I thought, if I didn’t get the wake-up call the first time around when I was so close to death, now’s the opportunity, and I set out to live a life that I dreamed of,” Hills shared. Today, as the 20-year anniversary of the tsunami approaches, she reflects on how far she’s come and how the experience has influenced her deeply.
## The Terrifying Encounter
Hills and her father joined 16 others for a three-day scuba diving trip off the coast of Khao Lak. On December 26, while they were safe in the water, the tidal wave killed 228,000 people. The ocean around them looked like it was boiling, radio communication was lost, and panic ensued. Hills vividly remembers the chaos and confusion as they cut the anchor and left, knowing that something catastrophic had occurred.
## Gratitude and Resilience
Despite the devastation and loss that surrounded her, Hills and her father’s decision to stay on a boat ultimately saved their lives. Reflecting on the experience, Hills expresses gratitude for the chance to live and the resilience that emerged from surviving not just one but two life-threatening incidents. Today, as she navigates motherhood and reflects on her journey, the memories of that fateful day in 2004 continue to shape her outlook on life.