In an age where it seems like there are few waves left to discover ‘The Search for Volcano Island’ is a reminder that true surf exploration isn’t dead – it’s just a hell of a lot harder to find.
The new film from Fielder Films follows five brothers on a first-of-its-kind boat expedition through Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands, one of the most isolated and least explored stretches of coastline on earth. Their mission? To find a mythical wave breaking beneath a volcano – a dream that had consumed expedition leader Ricky McDevitt for more than a decade.
Joined by acclaimed adventure filmmaker Ben Weiland, the crew navigates military exclusion zones, violent North Pacific storms and active volcanoes in search of an empty lineup no surfer had ever documented before.
“It’s easy to think that in our day and age we have the whole world at our fingertips, but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Ben at the beginning of the film. “There are regions of the planet that remain hidden from us. One of them lies in the seas beyond Alaska. I’d spent a decade of my life searching for waves in the Arctic, but because this area was so remote it remained a mystery to me. When a group of brothers invited me on the trip of a lifetime, I knew I had to go. This is the search for volcano island.”
The result is far more than another surf flick. Equal parts adventure film, travel documentary and ode to the spirit of exploration, The Search for Volcano Island captures the kind of journey most surfers only dream about.
With stunning cinematography and a story built around obsession friendship and the unknown, it’s proof that despite what the internet might have you believe, there are still corners of the planet where the maps run out and exploration for new waves begin.
