Frequently Asked Questions
Is the tsunami email factual or a hoax?
Following the disastrous tsunami of 26 December 2004, thousands of people received emails that contained images of amazing deepsea creatures supposedly washed up on Thailand's Phuket beach. This email is a hoax.
The animals shown in the images were collected during the joint New Zealand and Australia Norfolk Ridge - Lord Howe Rise Biodiversity Voyage (NORFANZ) in May - June 2003. The images were used by the unknown hoaxers without permission of the copyright owners.
Related links
- Australian Museum NORFANZ fieldtrip pages
- National Oceans Office NORFANZ voyage pages
- Practical Fish Keeping's page on the hoax email
