Hvassing.com

Only 10 hours after the 9.0 magnitude quake struck South Asia people on the east coast of Africa could see how enormous this quake really was. In the harbour of Dar es Salaam the water raised with two meters in six minutes before it was emptied within only a few minutes. Thanks to low tide and swift action no damage was done, although some of the local markets had to wrap their things up in a hurry.

In Dar es Salaam it was the houses in the Masaki area that were especially vulnerable as the sea was only centimetres from the gardens and houses.

These big earthquakes, when they occur in shallow water... basically slosh the ocean floor... and it's as if you're rocking water in the bathtub and that wave can travel throughout the ocean.Bruce Presgrave of the US Geological to Reuters

The Maldives islands with their over thousand corral reefs and atolls has announced national disaster as the Maldives islands is located only 2.500 kilometers from the quake's epicenter, laying only a few meters above sea level makes them especially vulnerable making the flooding severe.

Further reading

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2004/asia_quake_disaster/default.stm
In Depth - Asia Quake Disaster

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4125481.stm
Sea surges kill thousands in Asia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4126055.stm
Sri Lanka searches for survivors

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4125845.stm
South India struck by quake waves

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4126473.stm
Disaster overwhelms Madras residents