Our target within this massive expanse of marine beauty was a tiny sandy atoll known as Vlasoff Cay. Surrounded by the magnificent Arlington Reef and stunning turquoise water, this tiny sand bar was nothing short of paradise. It took all the skill of Cameron to navigate us close to the Island, especially with the lowest tide of the year forecast due to the gravitational pull of a ‘Super Moon’ right on the day of our planned shoot.
The exposed sand was probably 100 meters long by 5 wide and it was surreal stepping foot upon this island over 35 kilometers off the coast of the mainland and only sharing the place with a couple of birds. Within a few hours the tide was set to drop by around 3 metres, which would expose much of the surrounding reef and leave us stranded if we couldn’t manage the positioning of the boat correctly.
The crew set about rigging up while I went for a quick stroll round the island (which took about one minute!). Next up was the issue of launching. With the tide racing out, the nearby reef was already starting to look exposed, but somehow the boys would have to sail out without totalling their fins.
Once everybody was out on the water, I second guessed they had no intention of coming back due to the perilously shallow water so I was left marooned on the island to contemplate the next part of the plan alone. Ian Fox had been through meticulous planning to bring this whole quest together and according to his schedule, a helicopter was supposed to arrive and pick me up bang on 2pm.