AG

Against The Odds

Audible

Final Rescue and Aftermath

From FAN FAVORITE: Crash in a Volcano | Climbing Out | 2Jun 30, 2026

Excerpt from Against The Odds

FAN FAVORITE: Crash in a Volcano | Climbing Out | 2Jun 30, 2026 — starts at 0:00

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of A againgainst the Odds ad free right now Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app This series originally aired in twenty twenty two A listener note, Against the odds uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some elements, including dialogue may be invented, but everything is based on research A rescue worker steps carefully along the rim of the Pu Oo Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park cold rain stings his face as he gets pummeled by the howling wind Above him, the sky boils with a mass of storm clouds that are growing darker as sunset approaches The path along the rim is wide enough for several men It still feels like walking a tightroow The rescue worker struggles to keep his balance as loose volcanic rocks give way under his feet Kuu Oo is the most active crater in the Kiluea volcanic system The rescue worker stops for a moment you into it All they can see is a swirling mass of thick volcanic steam and gases Filling the crater like a cauldron Hello. Can anyone hear me There's no reply A few hours earlier, a helicopter carrying two Hollywood cameramen and their pilot crashed inside the crater The pilot was rescued by another chopper, but then a violent tropical storm rolled in, stirring up high winds and trapping dangerous volcanic gases inside the crater The leaders of the rescue operation refused to allow another flight in such dangerous conditions Now, a team of rescue workers scouts along the rim of the crater shhouting down T lost men hidden hundreds of feet below Mic fog Can you hear me? We're with the rescue team Hello Nobody answers. evenven if the men happen to be right below him He'd be surprised if they could hear him over the roaring winds, or if he could hear their reply Through the gloom, a figure approaches It's his supervisor That's it. We have to call it All afternoon, they've battled the storm, but now the intensity has reached a new level The rain is literally blowing sideways Violent gusts of wind are threatening to knock the rescuers off the rim into the crater But the rescue worker knows it's dangerous. The volcanic rocks are razor sharp. One loose stone could start a rock slide that would cascade down onto the men trapped somewhere below. Still He's not ready to give up But we can't just leave them down there. I know, but with this wind, we're likely to join them if we don't head back down to base camp and the sun's about to set. Don't even have visuals We're close. I can feel it. Give me twenty more minutes. Just A sudden gust of wind knocks the restcue worker off balance. He stumbles, falls forward and lands face down on the sharp rocks, just inches from the crater's edge He looks down into the thick volcanic haze behind the veil of steam, the rescue worker knows there's a steep drop hundreds of feet down to the rocks below the supervisor rushes to help him up. Hang on. I got you the rescue worker catches his breath. You're right. We should get out before someone gets hurt I just hope those guys can make it through the night supervisor size Ten more minutes Okay, and then we pack up Don't get too close to the edge. The rescue worker goes back to searching for the lost men. Hello Hello He knows it would be a miracle to find the men in ten minutes. And even if he did, then what Darkness is coming and the storm is getting worse. Trying to pull them out in these conditions could end with even more men falling into the abyss rom Audible Originals. I'm Mike Corey, and this is Against the Odds On november twenty first, nineteen ninety two, a helicopter crashed in one of the craters of Kilauea the most active volcano on the Hawaiian islands. On booard were a pilot and two cameramen there to shoot footage for a major Hollywood film A few hours after the crash, a second helicopter was able to rescue the pilot Craig Hoskin But then a tropical storm blew in, making conditions too dangerous to rescue the other two survivors Cameraman Chris Duddy Benson Now, Chris and Mike must survive a night in one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth inside of an active volcano This is episode two climbing out Thank you to our partner Mantal dooo do do Do ever get stuck in the same routine, same breakfast, same drive, same playlist, don't repeat? Yeah, we've all been there and sometimes all you need is a little fresh to switch it up. That's right. That's where mentos comes in. Mentos chheewy Mints help refresh your routine by giving you inspiration to switch up your day. Do you remember those Freshmaker commercials, Jason. We were just humming them, Trevis, off course I remember them. Of course we remember those freshmaker commercials. It's one of the best jingles of all time. If you're looking to add a little fun, a little flavor, and a whole lot of chew, they've got classic min or fruity flavors, including the Discovery Roll with fourteen unique flavors. fourteen Whether you're grinding through the day, stuck in traffic or just need a moment to reset The f ones are good. I will say Oh my gosh. they're the I love the fruity ones. Refreshed everyday with Mintos chewy mints. Say yes to fresh. Yes. Or get the fruity ones and say yes to fruit We are live from Fdy's House. Hundreds gathered around the TV all connected to reliable Wiifi from Xfinity. A Joseie on a video call Krilling the referee! Get reliable fiberpowerered gig Wi Fi with PeacOock includcluded to stream the beautiful game this summer. Xfinity. Imagine that. Restrictions apply new gig internet members only spepeeds vary use of fiber cooaxial cable and Pacock offer for Pacock premium with ads currently ninet nine a month value A activation requires access content. terms apply. PeacOock must be activated within first ninety days manage existing subscriptions to avoid multip charges. Third party subscriptions continue until cancellled Chris Duddy pulls his sweatshirt over his head draw his knees to his chest. He's huddled on a ledge high up Crater wall He climbed up here just after the crash, hoping to find an escape route then gotot stuck. unable to find a safe path, either up or down Now he's clinging to this narrow ledge pressed against the wall of the crater Theother helicopter went down this morning. Now Chris can tell it's almost sundown through the thick haze of volcanic gases, he can see that the light is fading T hours ago, it started raining. N before he was sweating from the volcano's heat Now he's shivering with cold. His eyes sting and his lungs burn from the foul smelling volcanic fumes. He closes his eyes to protect them from the toxic vapors. escape growring sense of horror F is an unstable, dangerous environment all around him You can hear large rocks tumbling down the cliffs and smashing at the bottom And if he listens closer, he can hear the gurgling river of magma It's flowing beneath the crust Chris looks down the wall of the crater He can't see him through the steam, but he knows that somewhere below, about fifty feet down, Mike is pressed against the cliff Mike Hearing anything from Craig W on Not long after the crash, Craig Hosky. pilot decided to try to fix the helicopter's radio. He had been shouting up to Chris and Mike every so often to share his progress. but now ' been an hour of silence. At one point, Chris heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter passing. But then It flew away and he's heard nothing since. Try not to panic, Chris. Craig said got the made day out. Someone will come for us soon A dark thought creeps into Chris's head Craig must be dead. He was probably suffocated by the fumes, which were much more concentrated at the crash site Or maybe he stumbled into the lava pond at the center of the crater Chris feels a cramp in his leg. He's been sitting in the same awkward position for hours He shifts his weight and nearly falls off the ledge grips the sharp stones around him. lowers his head. He doesn't know how much more of this he can take But then through the wind and the noise of the volcano hear something new Chriss heart jumps in his chest. Hey, we're here. We're down here. Hello. Between the howling winds and the echoing of the crater, Chris can barely hear the man calling from up above. and he figures the man can barely hear him either Wh What pumps his fist. The rescuers are here. Mike, did you hear that? There are people here to rescue us. Yeah Chris is overjoyed. He won't die down here after all. He'll be pulled up to safety and out of this nightmare. We're here. T us ro. There's a long pause, and then the voice comes back hesitant What Chis struggles to process what he thinks he heard The rescuers are going to come back in the morning Did you say you'll come back at first light? The rescuer shouts that they'll send someone back every hour to check on them. If Chris hears a whistle, he should whistle back to let them know they're okay. And what if we don't whistle back? No answer. Chris's heart sinks his chest How can they possibly expect him to survive the night here You can barely breathe He pulls his knees up again. pence his sweatshirt back over his head, feeling cold, vulnerable abandoned Laura Viederman runs through the rain. Just a few hours ago, she was about twenty miles away in Hilo, sitting in the comfort of a makeshift movie production office in her hotel. Now, she's in a dirt lot where the production's base camp has been set up just a few miles from the crater. She quickens her pace to catch up with a county fire Dpartment official You can't tell me you're just going to pack up and leave. Look, we can hear them. We just can't locate them. The acoustics inside the crater, they're just too bad and we can't see a thing down there. We'll come back at dawn and pick up where we left off. Okay? Laura is a producer on the film Sliver, the movie for which Mike and Chris were shooting their volcano footage When their helicopter went down earlier today, it was Laura who got the call from the park service. She called the fire department and suggested they use the production's base camp as a staging area for the rescue Laura is grateful that the pilot was rescued, but she won't rest until all of her crew is brought to safety, even if it means pushing the rescuers to go beyond their normal protocol So what then? you're just gonna leave them there overnight to die A fire department official stops walking and turns angrily towards Laura. They shouldn't even be there. They were cleared to fly over the volcano. N into it. Laura feels the blood rush to her face. But they're in there now This is your job They could be dead by tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I'm not losing my guys to rescue your guys Laura watches through the rain as the official stomps off to his truck She turns and walks back to the base camp tent herer mind reeling. As soon as she's inside, she picks up the phone and dials if she can't count on the fire department She'll have to take matters to her own hands Benson squeezes deeper into the small alcove where he' sheltered himself in the wall of the crater It's pitch dark now is throat is parched His eyes are burning The falling rain has soaked through his clothes Mike's a man who can find humor in any situation But even his nerves are starting to fray He looks up at the steep wall, where he knows Chris is perched somewhere just above him St Still there, Chris I was thinking about getting some ice cream Want to come Adam Paley may not allow it Yeah This must be her revenge for your terrible throw Madame Pele is the legendary Hawaiian goddess of the volcano If a helicopter needs to fly over an active volcano It's tradition for the passengers to make an offering to Pelli Earlier that day, Chris was supposed to drop a ceremonial bottle of gin Ter from their hovering chopper But he missed his target. Mike's not superstitious, but the circumstances he's in are so insane, he's starting to wonder if they should have flown back and grabbed a second bottle. He closes his eyes and tries to build a mental image that will make him feel happy He pictures his wife, Stephanie now that his kids have grown up He and Stephanie are closer than ever He imagines her face distinctive smile the small scar under her chin. she's had since she was seven In a flash, that comforting image disappears Mike is overcome with yet another violent coughing fit wrote It feels like a desert He hasn't had a sip of water since this morning He wishes he'd savored that gat. The rain falls harder Suddenly, Mike is struck with an idea From his pocket, he pulls out his light meter, a small handheld device used to check light levels when he's filming The sensor has a dome shaped cap It's small But maybe he can use the cap to collect rain Mike fumbles in the dark to get the light meter open, then flips the cap over and lets the tiny bowl fill with rain waterater He brings the cat to his dried out lips akes a s But the water tastes bitterly of sulfur The toxic volcanic fumes have permeated the rain making it. drink a. 'll have no relief for his thirst tonight Chris Duddy sits in the darkness on his ledge. cururled tightly into a ball His head is underneath his sweatshirt in a near useless effort to block the toxic gas he's been inhaling for hours He feels like a turtle, sinking deeper and deeper into its shell The last few hours have been torture and he knows it's only going to get worse His legs hurt his eyes and throat burn But the pain is almost secondary to the constant threat of death hanging over him Falling rocks Bubbling Baba He knows that the chance of a full scale eruption is slim But that's not much solace as he imagines the night wait so He's going to be cramped on this ledge for hours with no sleep No water The fumes will keep pouring up from the vent in the center of the crater and it will get harder to breathe Chris pops his head out of his sweatshirt and looks around. Between the steam and the darkness, he can barely see past his arm. behind the haze, he can just barely make out a flickering orange glow from the lav upon in the center of the crater It casts an eerie light through the haze Even amid the horror of it all. Chris wishes, he had his camera capture the scene. So far, the fire department guys have kept their word. They're checking in. the occasional whistle is cold comfort. no one is coming to rescue them before sunrise. Chris puts two fingers in his mouth and blows He's certain that the rescuers know he and Mike are still alive, but he can feel his spirits dropping fast If he doesn't make it through the night, he'll be living his two sons without a father And for what All for one stupid background shot pulls his head back inside the shell of his sweatshirt starts to compose a letter in his mind a letter. to his sons Dear Colin Dear Cameron never thought and I'd say goodbye to you so young The wind gets louder and the rain falls harder Chris Huddles on the dark ledge silently says goodbye to everyone lies Benson. lifts his head and feels the comforting warmth of light against his face even through the rain the cays He can make out the unmistakable glow of the sunrise It was a long, sleepless night. But now It's morning. And He's still alive Above him, he can hear a faint whistle One in return He just hopes that it means the rescue will be starting up soon. Mike looks up at the wall his friend. We're getting out today, Chris I could feel it in my bones. Right R As it gets lighter, Mike surveys his surroundings The fumes seem to be clearing a little. from his perch, he can see a fair distance along the crater wall. It feels like a good omen But then in our passes. another Mike can feel his frustration building Why is it taking so long for the rescue to begin? Suddenly, Chris's voice cuts through the wind from above ike Is that a rope Mike looks to his left. Theyre about forty feet away along the crater wall. A rope has descended. Oh my God, it is It's like a gift from heaven. Except That it's too far away There's no way Mike could possibly reach it the rope lies still against the rocks for a moment Th then slides back up and out of sight few seconds later, it drops back down Ten feet closer now Chris shouts up to the rescue workers Right. It comes down again What do you think you're right The next time the rope returns, it's just ten feet away. Mike presses himself against the crater wall and stretches his arm out as far as he can The rope is still just beyond his reach, but it's so close. I'm jumping for it fall straight down onto those rocks. get hurt. I know Mike bends his legs and readies himself to jump. Okay. One, two But before he can move, the rope disappears back up the wall of the crater. No, no, no, no, I could have made it. Don't worry, Mike I' trying to get a closer. It's coming back. But minutes pass. Win an hour. the rain keeps falling and still no rope I can't believe it. They gota come back eventually, right? But Chris only grunts in response. Mike lowers his head and exhales He hunkers down in his alcove and wonders how much more they'll have to endure Chris Duddy studies the rock he's gripping in his hand He turns it over runs his finger along its sharp edges. Then he throws it as hard as he can to the thick haze Hours have passed since Chris and Mike last caught a glimpse of the road never came back after that last attempt As far as Chris can tell There would be Saviors gone He looks up at the rim of the crater. A break in the storm has let some sunlight pierce the thick fog of volcanic steam Chris studies the light with a cameraman's eye You can tell by its color the shadows 'll be dark again soon mearly makes him cry I can't take another night down here, Mike madeade it this long just need to hold out a little longer for the rescue workers back. No There's gotta be another way Chris looks above him for the thousandth time. sccanning the rocky wall for some path that might lead upward to freedom The break in the murky haze has given him a better view, but there's nothing new to see Until As Chris watches, a ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds, illuminating the crater wall That's when he sees it. A series of rocks that could work like stepping stones, taking him the last hundred feet top of the crater Mike. I think I see a way up I'm going to go for it Sure Rocks could be loose I'd much rather go out trying than spend another night in this hell hole. Chris grabs hold of a large outcropping of rock above him to his left He carefully pulls himself up stands on his new perch It's the most that he's moved in the last thirty hours. The sun continues to sink toward the horizon He doesn't have much light left by He keeps going. He scrambles up to the next rock And the next His progress is slow, but Chris makes his way higher. higher. The rain starts falling harder, lashing against his face. The wind is pushing volcanic fumes around, making it harder to see. But when he looks up, he can see the top only a few more feet to climb, and he's free. He reaches out for a rock, but it immediately breaks off from that crater wall. He realizes he has nothing to hold on to The rocks along the rim of the crater are a mix of loose, crumbly pumice and sharp edged volcanic glass. Anything he might try to grab will either slash him like a knife or break off in his hands. Chris studies the rock wall in front of him These last six feet or so are a sheer vertical face only way out of the crater is to go straight up But how? when the rocks are too loose to hold his weight Even for a moment. He racks his brain. If only he had a rod that he could push deep into the wall, it might hold in place Th then he'd have the leverage to pull himself over the rim thenen An idea hits him It doesn't have a rod, but does have his arms If he dug his arms into the loose rock and pulled his way up, then he'd have the leverage he needed. But pushing his arms into these loose volcanic rocks will be like pushing them into shards of broken glass. It will hurt like hell, but he can't see any other option Chris reaches up, grits his teeth, and slowly pushes his right arm to the raithor sharp mass of rocks above him He can feel the rock slicing into his skin as he digs his arm in up to the elbow. The pain makes him dizzy, but it's working. Once his arm is secure inside the rocks, he pulls himself up and jams his left arm into the rocks, higher up the sheer face of the crater. He winces in agony as the volcanic glass punches his skin He can feel that the rocks are supporting his weight With one final, mighty push, Chris uses his forearms to lift himself up and hoists his leg over the lip of the crater. Then, gasping in pain, he gingerly extracts his bleeding arms from the jagged wall on volcanic rock and flips himself up over the rim He rolls onto his back He lays there, struggling to catch his breath As the wind howls and the rain splashes on his face, he realizes he made it. He escaped the volcano He stands up unsteady on his feet. He has to pull Mike to safety He sees a long coil of thick rope lying nearby The rescue workers must have left it behind tries to pick it up It's a long heavy coil, and he struggles under its weight. A day and a half on that ledge, breathing in toxic fumes sapped his strength. Chris realizes even if he threw the rope down It's too weak to pull my g There's no way he can do this alone. If he's going to save his friend, he's going to have to find help. Laura Viederman steps out of the rain and into the main tent at the production base camp Outside, the camp is teeming with rescue workers, police, and news crews Laura is at the end of her patience Moments ago, she got the news that the rescue operation was being paused tntil the following morning Sure, the storm is bad, but she can't believe it's taking this long to bring Chris and Mike to safety She picks up the phone to update the production team Paramount Lot in Hollywood. producer in LA has news for her. Some stunt men working on the film have come up with a plan to rescue Chris and Mike We could run a cable across the rim. They say they could lower themselves into the crater I se Laura can't believe her ears Listen We don't have time to play Indiana Jones with the stunt guys. Did you put together that list of chopper pilots Yeah. I'll fax it right over Laura hangs up and watches as the fax machine springs to life. She scans the list of names She needs someone willing to do whatever it takes to bring her crew to safety is runs across an endless field of jagged black lava rocks evenven though he's finally out of the crater He still feels like he's in hell Cooled lava flows stretched the horizon like a frozen Jet black sea Chris doesn't know where he is or how far he'll have to go before he spots another human But he's charged with adrenaline and hopes he's moving in the direction of the base camp He soon spots a few dots of color in the black landscape. a row of orange safety cones. Chris guesses they must be there to mark the path the rescue workers were taking to the rim. His whole body hurts. The rain continues to pour He struggles to stay on his feet as he trips over rocks in the fading light Through the rain, he sees a triangular shape on the horizon As he runs closer, he realizes it's a tent This must be the base of the rescue operation Hey Help. With his last ounce of strength, he pushes himself through the tent flaps and staggers inside. There's nobody there this Chris starts searching through his tent In a supply box, he finds a few bottles of water hasn't drk any in two days withith thirst Chris grabs It helps the water down. On. to spit it out His throat is so swollen from exposure to the sulfuric fumes that he can't even swallow In the corner of the tent, Chris spots an oxygen tank He puts the mask on his face Twist the valve open Breathe in deeply. After more than a day of inhaling sulfur Pure oxygen is invigorating He can feel his lungs opening up again. thenen He hears a welcome sound outside. He stumbles out of the tent Looks up. It's a park Ranger chopper Flying below the worst of the storm clouds. Chris waves his arms and shouts. Hey, over here Over here The chopper circles back and touches down on the rocky expanse. twowo Rangers, their faces a mix of shock and relief, leap out and run to Chris, the moment the Ranger' taken by the arm. This collapses thirty hours of exhaustion and pain Hops of fumes finally catch up with them The rangers carry him into the chomper. As they lay him down inside, Chris grabs one of the rangers by the sleeve We have to go back for Mike. No, we have to get you to a doctor. I know where he is. There's a rope. Sorry, everyveryone's been ordered to stay off the crater for now. The Ranger says they'll send someone on foot to drop a survival package with food, water and blankets to Mike. It's the best they can do. As the chopper carries him away, Chris looks back at the crater. He can't believe his friend will be trapped down there for another night, braving the elements in the depths of a volcano. Well Benson runs his hands along the rocky wall of the crater scratched out a message to his wife Dear Stephanie I love you The dark of night is starting to close in around him believe he's about to spend his second night inside the crater He hasn't had any food or water Over thirty six hours He hasn't slept either and the thick volcanic steam keeps swirling around him Filling his lungs with poison can feel his brain getting foggier When he wrote the message to his wife less than an hour ago He struggled to find those five simple words. deear Stephanie loveove you It's getting harder to hold it together. He hears lava flowing bubbling below the surface blood running through the veins of the volcano. In every direction, he hears rocks falling It's starting to feel inevitable that eventually He'll be crushed by one And Where's Chris It's been at least an hour since he last heard his voice calling down from above The last thing Chris said was that he was going to try and climb out he make it Or is he stuck on a ledge even higher up the crater wall too far away to be heard Chris G up there, buddy There's no reply Mike gazes out into the center of the crater Thick, swirling steam flickers with orange and red light It's a horrific scene strangely hypnotic. thenen He notices a shape ming. Aays Itess A woman floating in the air about twenty feet in front of him The lava pool below casts a soft orange light on her skin Her long hair trails gracefully behind her slidide slowly through the thick steam then. She stops turns her glowing red eyes towards Mike. recognizes her It's Madame Pelly Godddess of the volcano He shouts at her. No, You can't have me Her eyes grow brighter as she continues to stare. but he refuses to give in to her. I'm not ready to go. The light flares She's gone. Mike feels his heart pounding in his chest His rational mind knows he must be hallucinating. and yet It felt so real Even now, you can still sense Madame Pelly's presence She's watching him. waiting to take him But he won't give in that easily He sits back against a rock wall. Braces himself For another long night Chis Duddy stares out the open door of the Ranger helicopter as it lowers onto the road next to the production base camp for their film sliver He's stunned by what he sees Fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, and news fans are parked everywhere Camp's Dirt lot is swarming with people. Chris turns to a ranger sitting in the helicopter beside him What's happening here Are you kidding? You're a celebrity. Chris learns that the story of the crash has made national news Trapped and isolated inside the crater, he had no idea that the eyes of the world were trained on him and that such a massive rescue operation was underway The Park Rangers help Chris step down onto the road his legs wobbling from fatigue He sees a group of rescue workers and EMTs approaching as photographers and TV cameras capture the scene But there's one face in the group that he's especially happy to see It's Craig Hosking pilot of the crashed helicopter Chris wraps his arms around Craig, overwhelmed by joy and disbelief canan't believe it You made it out That's right And so did you. Come on. I gotta get you to a hospital Craig and another man grab Chris's arms Chris leans on their shoulders as he shuffles slowly towards the waiting ambulance. The brutal ordeal of the past thirty six hours weighs heavily every step. Chris stops and turns to Craig. Wait, wait, wait We got to send a pilot to get Mike now I laid a rope on the edge of the crater to mark the spot Mike's right down below it Chris, I'd fly in there myself, but they're not letting anyone go out there till the morning. Not in this weather Chris lowers his head He feels a sharp pain in his stomach as he pitchures Mike down there. starving. strruggling to breathe Craig squeezes his shoulder Listen, I talk to Laura Viederman. She's putting calls out to the best pilots on the islands We're gonna get Mike out of there soon I promise Chris Knots. He' not surprised to hear that his producer is on top of it If they can't get Mike out of the crater until morning. Wonders They'll be too late Benson cranes his neck squints through the fumes. hear the sound of a helicopter above him At least he thinks that's what he's hearing after spending a second night in the crater, he's exhausted lightheaded He knows couldould be hallucinating the sound of the helicopter bounces around against the crater walls. Between that and the veil of steam, it's hard to place where the noise is coming from exactly Mike slowly scans the morning sky. and then see something emerge from the haze, something. makes his heart leaper. It's a net shaped like a stretcher, swinging on the end of a cable Mike recognizes that it's a rescue basket. There actually is a helicopter above him E if you can't see it through the steam This basket swings back and forth like a pendulum. It's no more than fifteen feet away and swinging closer every second. Mike stretches his arm out to try and grab it. Come on Come on, this way. He reaches out again, but it's still too far away. A frightening thought begins to dawn on him might have to jump for it. He looks down the wall of the crater. If he missed the basket, he'd have a long fall onto the sharp rocks below. The height is hard to judge. It's got to be at least a hundred feet. It's hard to imagine he'd survive the fall. Mike looks up again and trains his eyes on the swinging basket He decides it's now or never. He jumps off his rocky ledge into the open air and lands square in the basket His hands scrip the net tightly as he swings back and forth the thick clouds of sulfur And then He feels himself being pulled upward The basket emerges from the steam And for the first time, two days, Mike is able to see far into the distance below him The dark Cauldron of Poou Oo. In the distance Deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. above him Helicopter That saved his life. Mike closes his eyes. He's finally free He breathes the fresh air and recalls his haunting vision from the night before. He looks back down at the massive crater. That was his prison for the past two days. You didn't get me, Madame Pellle If the great Hawaiian goddess hears him She doesn't reply Chris Duddy, Mike Benson and Craig Hosking were reunited at the hospital shortly after Mike's rescue Despite their prolonged exposure to the toxic fumes, they spent only a few days there. None of them suffered permanent lung damage, but Chris says that for months after getting rescued Taste sulfur Every time he coughed Researchers believe no one in modern history had ever breathed in volcanic gas as long as Chris and Mike did during their ordeal. doctors asked them to stay on the island for another week so that their condition could be studied A week after the rescue, a cargo helicopter was sent to airlift Craigsdown chopper out of the crater. the rotor That snapped off in the crash was never found The footage Chris and Mike shot for Sliiver was never recovered either. Instead, The climactic scene at the volcano was created entirely with special effects and stock footage. during advanced screenings of the film The scene tested so badly with audiences. that was ultimately cut Chris Studdy, Mike Benson, and Laura Viedermman have all continued to work in the film industry Craig Hoskking has helped deliver aerial footage for more than one hundred and fifty ature films Recently, Chris served as director of phhotography for the reboot of the TV crime drama, Magnum PI The show was shot in Hawaii on the island of Oahu Despite the trauma he endured there

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