The December 26 Sumatra tsunami was one of the most devastating in recorded history. In all the countries affected by the tsunami, the absence of any effective tsunami education or warning system increased the number of fatalities, although victims on the island of Sumatra, closest to the earthquake epicenter, had little chance of escaping the waves. In May 2005, an international, interdisciplinary team of scientists conducted a detailed survey of the seafloor in the vicinity of the epicenter of the Great Sumatra earthquake of December 26, 2004. The survey was named the Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami Offshore Survey (SEATOS). The overall goal of the SEATOS cruise was to gather data to improve models of seafloor displacement and the resulting tsunami wave.