THE ESCAPE ARTIST | Swimming from sharks in the South Pacific by Terence Loose

Tahanea 16°51’S, 144°40’W / Weather: Sunny, 80°

Escape difficulty:  7

Open most atlases and look up Tahanea. Actually, don’t bother, you won’t find it. That’s because Tahanea, an atoll in the South Pacific chain of 77 atolls that make up the Tuamotus, part of French Polynesia, has no hotel, no village, no people. It is simply a ring of coral with a few spits of sand and some palm trees. Picture those screen savers aimed at taking the stress out of your workday –aquamarine lagoon under blue skies with a few harmless puffy clouds and swaying palm trees thrown in. That’s Tahanea. In other words, the perfect getaway for an escape artist.

Now, when I said there were no people, I didn’t mean there were no locals. There are. A lot in fact. I’m talking large blue crabs, family dinner-size snapper, car-sized manta rays and a dozen variety of sharks. Like many locals, they are very territorial. Of course, being me, I had to discover that the hard way. … Continue Reading

UNFORGETTABLE EXPLORATIONS | New Zealand – A Scenic Journey of the Island Country film by Chris Benny

New Zealand, one of those majestic and magnificent places we can never see enough of. For those of you that have yet to visit this country, here is a sneak preview that will take your breath away. HAUTEOC had a chance to meet up with professional photographer Chris Benny on capturing his New Zealand exploration and first-time video journey, an epic short with some of the most compelling  portrayals of the country’s majestic plains. Benny’s film affords us this visionary experience that is both cinematically poetic and absolutely breathtaking.

ADVENTURER CHRIS BENNY:  I originally traveled to New Zealand for a snowboard trip with a bunch of friends, but decided to arrive a three days early to explore through the South Island as I had been told it was spectacular by a few people. … Continue Reading

ADVENTURE QUEST | WINDY GUINCHO – Perfect Kitesurfing Conditions in Portugal’s Renown Kite Beach film by James Bedford

Guincho Portugal  known for not only its beautiful seaside Hotels and Resorts, its also recognized for  its fabulous beaches lulling visitors to its scenic rocky mountainous terrain surrounded by waters.  The beach itself is very deep and wide with strong winds that attract some of the most adventurous Kite Surfers from around the world.  We met up with Kite Surfer / Director of Photography / Filmmaker www.filmekanik.co.uk James Bedford on his short-film feature.  James in the scenic opening of your film you can practically feel the wind.. and the rush of intensity as the change goes from one smooth beautifully scenic trailer to a swift ocean action flick.   You definitely have ‘behind-the-scenes’ down with filming this beautifully scenic feature on Guincho but beyond that your also out there with the rest of the adventurous souls braving the wind and the waves.. tell us about that:

JAMES: Kitesurfing rose to prominence around 10 years ago and has been the fastest growing watersport on earth ever since. … Continue Reading

BOHEMIAN LIFE | Nomadic Traveler in French Polynesia the ‘Day in the Life’ of Eric Schnitzler on filming some of the World’s Best in the Surfing Industry

HAUTEOC: In our travels, we meet some great friends a long the way, here we connected with International Freelance Videographer, Eric Schnitzler, who films everything from Weddings to Sports and we learned about his day in the life of the Nomadic Traveler in French Polynesia. His work most notably recognized in the professional surfing industry.

ERIC: My name is Eric Schnitzler, I’m from Big Island, Hawaii but currently reside in Tahiti, French Polynesia.  I’m an international freelance videographer for surfing, bodyboarding and other sports, and also weddings on the occasion.  I enjoy filming because of the memories that come with it and also the opportunities that it gives me to travel.  I’d like to consider myself a Nomadic traveler.  In fact my friends and I used to have a little crew called the ” Knowmads” about 10 years back.  Straight out of high school, I went  to college and got into a career that kept me indoors all day. … Continue Reading

ADVENTURE QUEST | Landing the Shortest Runway in the World – Sarosh Georges Jacob Quest to the remote Island Saba

HAUTEOC caught up with one of our friends from NYC,  Adventurer Sarosh Georges Jacob on his incredible trip to a remote island east of the Virgin Islands, not your typical landing but definitely exciting – we asked him to share his journey with us – check out his incredible video and photos to Saba!

SAROSH: Saba (say-bah) is located not too far from St Maarten and has a land area of only 5 sq miles. The entire island is basically a big volcano so there are not too many flat surfaces to land on. (photo of Sarosh Georges Jacob – RT)

HAUTEOC:  Sarosh you have such a great appetite for adventure,  how did you learn about Saba and what peaked your interest in heading there.

SAROSH: I first heard about Saba when I was reading an article on some of the top scuba diving sites in the world. What interested me the most was how off-the-beaten-path Saba is. The island is so laid back; it’s the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.  As I was on limited time, I could only spend 3 days there but I could have easily stayed longer. … Continue Reading