Some cameras are sturdier than others and have the rare chance to visit extreme places and live to tell the tale. One such camera shot a mesmerizing video of hot lava approaching and engulfing it; although the photographer thought it was lost forever, even after being encased in liquid rock it refused to turn off and continued to transmit images and video to its owner.
The unique shots of the lava up close were made by Erik Storm, tour operator and lead guide at Kilauea EcoGuides, who routinely leads tourists in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The camera in question — GoPro, was placed into a crack to film lava flows, and he didn’t succeed in removing it before it being torched by the hot lava flames and engulfed by the molten rock.
After some time when the lava had cooled out he was able to get it out using a geology rock hammer and was surprised to notice that the camera’s wifi indicator was still blinking. The plastic body of the camera was melted and the lens was slightly damaged but the memory card footage remained intact, and revealing in mesmerizing slow motion how the lava engulfs the camera.
Storm says the camera even still works although the quality of the shots made with it is considerably worse compared to before the incident.
