GoPro Descends into the Bloodline of Mother Earth
Life is either an incredible adventure, or it's nothing at all.
The sentiment may seem hyperbolic, or perhaps even a tad clich , but when a man utters it as he gazes into Earth's caldron of molten lava, it suddenly bear the weight of something far more profound. And while Geoff Mackley's life as an adventurist has presented him with awe-inspiring experiences, his statement should resonate with everyone. Whether the adventure is scaling a mountain or raising a child in a challenging world, the journey is as important as the destination.
New Zealand native Geoff Mackley has spent 15 years realizing his goals of experiencing the most dramatic natural events firsthand and setting foot where no man has before. Mackley's lust for adventure has ultimately led to the South Pacific, on a small volcanic island called Ambrym. The beating heart of Ambrym is the lake of lava at the bottom of Marum Crater, the magnetic source that has drawn Mackley to the island.
Above: Adventurists Geoff Mackley and Bradley Ambrose spent over a decade seeking out a navigable route to the bottom of Marum Crater.
It took over a decade of trial and error working inside small windows of predicted good weather to make the full descent into the intense center of Marum Crater. But, together with Bradley Ambrose, fellow countryman and adventure photographer, Mackley has now stood at the shore of the red lake of lava. Mackley's creative impulse is to put humans in scale with Mother Nature, and with Ambrose at his side, along with a host of GoPro HERO4 cameras, he has shown those who will never experience the lake of lava the magnitude of our home's power and beauty.
Flanked to either side of our heroes, Geoff and Ambrose, were two GoPro Original Productions team members. Armed with an arsenal of HERO4 cameras, a few drones, and plenty of optimism and intrigue, Mike Pfau and Trenton Pasic joined the expedition crew in Port Villa, Vanuatu, where they hopped a small plane with their gear to the remote island of Ambrym. From there, helicopters dropped them at the summit of the cone, where the bubbling lake gurgled below.
Above: Deep in the crater, Mackley corresponds with Ambrose via radio as he endures the intense heat from the lava lake.
The team ultimately made three descents, two of which Pasic and Pfau were able to shoot. The 1200-foot plunge down the cliff face takes four to five hours to complete with the four-person crew, so the day is long, even if the window of agreeable weather is short. The payoff, though, is nothing short of incredible.
In a constant battle with extreme weather and environment, the small team endured acid rain, falling rocks, toxic gas, and showers of molten lava, while relying on their weather predictions to set their descent. Grueling, dangerous, and emotionally draining, the view from the threshold of Earths bloodline that revealed the scale and power of our planet proved once and for all that Mackley is correct: life is indeed an incredible adventure.
Now, go behind the scenes with GoPro's own Trenton Pasic and Mike Pfau as they relive their 13-night stay on the top of a crater to capture Mackley and Ambrose navigate the treacherous descent into the lava lake at the center of a volcanic island. Learn how they travelled halfway across the world to experience the most extreme environment either had ever imagined.
Stay tuned to the HERO4 Adventure of Life Series at YouTube.com/GoPro
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GoPro Descends into the Bloodline of Mother Earth 
