Volcano diving: Crazy or exhilarating?

ByLA Blake KGO logo
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
(YouTube, Sam Cossman)
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When it comes to creating adventure videos, these guys have turned up the heat.

Sam Cossman and three other explorers traveled to the Marum Crater in the Pacific Ocean to go volcano diving--you heard that right. These guys aren't just dare devils, they're journeying to the gates of Hell.

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"I've always had a great curiosity for adventures," Cossman told Good Morning America Tuesday morning when asked why he decided to take the plunge. He said he'd decided on Marum Crater specifically after finding it on the internet.

Cossman had to descend 1200 feet just to reach the volcano. But it's not the journey there that deters most adventurers--it's the heat.

How hot was it?

"There's just waves of heat hitting you and melting camera gear and melting pretty much everything it comes into contact with," Cossman told GMA. "It's a pretty extreme place."

It's so hot that more humans have been on the moon than up close and personal with this volcano.

So hot that Cossman had to wear a special heat suit and only stand close for a few moments at a time.

So hot that his suit still got burned.

It's 2,000 degrees, to be more exact.

Cossman acknowledged that with the heat comes danger, but that didn't slow him down.

"There's always an element of risk," he told GMA, "but I suppose it was worth the risk, for me."

Do you think Cossman's exhilarating feat was worth the risk? Let us know what you think in the comments.