Man was completely unaware he was filming first waves of 2004 tsunami that killed 220,000 people

Footage of ominous waves that would go on to be the deadly 2004 Boxing Day tsunami were caught on camera by a tourist.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated several countries in South East Asia, with Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia among the worst impacted by waves which reached up to 100 ft in height.

It would go on to become the deadliest tsunami recorded in human history, killing over 220,000 people.

Before the terrifying waves would crash into the idyllic beaches one group of tourists were documenting their holiday in Koh Ngai, Thailand when they noticed the waves become increasingly violent.

Check out the ominous footage below:

On the morning of 26 December, locals and tourists were beginning what they thought would be just another typical day, completely unaware of the impending devastation caused by 9.1 magnitude earthquake which had occurred at 7.59am.

In the video - first uploaded in 2014 - captured by Brit cameraman Julian Hadden, the group can be heard explaining they were staying on a 'paradise island' not too far from the Indonesian island of Sumatra and had been planning to go caving that day.

However, the group didn't end up heading out on their excursion due to the weather conditions, revealing they had been told 'big issue, don't go'.

The group seem relaxed in the first clip, oblivious to the horrors that were about to unfold.

The group had no idea about what was about to unfold. (YouTube/JulianHadden1)

Later on the group can be seen experiencing the first of the deadly waves, with the tide abruptly crashing into the part of the beach they had set deck chairs on.

As they begin to retreat further up to the coast, Hadden focuses in on the increasingly violent sea, commenting: "That was a big one! Look at that boat."

Someone else can be heard shouting out to the boat in the video, saying 'abandon ship'.

Hadden would later clarify in the comments of the original YouTube video that everyone in the video survived the tsunami as their location was on the side of the island facing away from the epicentre and wasn't hit directly by the waves.

Luckily, the group were protected from the worst of the impact. (YouTube/JulianHadden1)

While Hadden and his group were lucky to be protected from the worst of the impact, not everyone enjoying the sunshine that day was as fortunate.

The city of Banda Aceh in Indonesia was the worst hit with the tsunami killing around over 61 000 people, almost 25 percent of its population at the time.

Phang Nga province, which contains the tourist resort town of Khao Lak, was the heaviest hit area in Thailand.

A total of 227,899 were killed in the tsunami, with roughly 400 bodies remaining unclaimed as of 2019.