A tour guide in Hawaii lost his GoPro camera in a lava flow but when he fished it out later, he was surprised to find that it had survived.
Eric Storm runs a guide business called Kilauea EcoGuides which tours the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii. He was guiding a group about 16 months ago when he decided to place his GoPro in a fissure to film the lava flowing down the crack.
He was telling a story to the tourists and had forgotten about the camera - until it caught on fire.
He told PetaPixel, "[Later] I used a geology rock hammer to pull it out of the lava and thought it was a total loss."
However, after getting the camera back home and chiseling off the hardened rock, he noticed the Wi-Fi light was blinking. He pulled out the SD card, and the video was fully intact, even up to and after being covered with molten lava.
"The camera even still worked although not a well as it did before," he said. "Truly amazing it survived!"
GoPro cameras have always been known for their rugged nature. They are the go-to choice for anybody that needs a camera that can survive a tumble down a snowy mountain or a plunge into a lake. I don't think engineers intended for it to ever have to face off with a volcano but the fact that it survived does say a lot about the camera's durability.
Video and Image courtesy PetaPixel