New Zealand's National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) set off on a month long voyage to the waters' of the Kingdom of Tonga to investigate the effects the underwater eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai has on the surrounding ocean. NIWA discovered that almost 10km3 of seafloor was displaced – the equivalent to 2.6 million Olympic-sized swimming pools and a third more than initial estimates – with two thirds coming from the summit and the rest from the surrounding flanks.

 

This award winning project surpassed any other by NIWA, put simply, the video went viral and increased Youtube subscribers by more than 50%. With well over 890,000 views, thousands of comments (mostly positive) millions of impressions and two offical selections at international enviromental film festivals, the success was huge.

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A standout moment on this project was the moment I looked at the footage from a bespoke deep water GoPro housing that I had commissioned.The footage captured was not only a new visual asset, but also, apart of the scientific discovery of a new vent that had formed in the caldera.​

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