Yasur Volcano
Growing up, I was fascinated by severe weather, earthquakes, fires, floods and volcanoes. There was a number of volcanoes that attracted my interest, one of those was Yasur volcano on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. I did a school project on this volcano back in primary school, and it was always goal of mine to "chase it". After many years of chasing storms in the USA, my volcano chases had been put on the back burner since Kilauea in 2008, and Mt Agung in Bali in 2000.
So I decided to have a sneaky weekend trip away in September 2018 to finally visit this magnificent place! It didn't disappoint. Currently in level 2 eruptions, lava bombs reach as high as the crater with constant eruptions from multiple vents. When the larger eruptions occur, shock waves can be seen rippling through the volcanic gases. The smells, the sounds, the feeling as the mountain moves under your feet while you stare down into the center of the earth. It is at this exact moment you realise just how small and insignificant we really are. I stayed with Thomas Noel at Yasur View Lodge, you can see and hear the eruptions from the dinner table.
Onwards and upwards to the next volcano. July 2019, I will be descending to the lava lake of Marum Volcano, Ambrym Island, Vanuatu. Check out my Yasur volcano video above, as seen on Channel 7 Brisbane.