Once again on my journey into the unknown, I was fortunate enough to see and briefly explore one of the most illusory places on the earth, the mysterious Floating Isle of Stone. It has been said that once one finds it, he/she will never find it again because the island never remains in the same place. I would be happy to share it's GPS coordinates if anyone wants to visit but alas, it's not there anymore. I happened upon it quite unexpectedly while out for a little day sailing off the coast of Crakatualoma. I had heard of it but thought it was only a myth. The story has it that it broke away from the famous Easter Island, a story which may or may not be true but given the similarities in statue building, I tend to join the camp of the breakaway theorists.
Upon setting foot on the island, I immediately began taking photos. Within minutes, the ground began to shake and one of the statue heads fell to the earth, narrowly missing my colleague and fellow day-sailor, Wadsworth Mellow, leaving me a bit shaken and Mr. Mellow collapsed and crying like a schoolgirl amidst the soft ground cover. Unfortunately, we were not quick enough in our reactions to pull our lunch bags to safety. Our peanut butter and cucumber sandwiches smashed to bits, we quickly boarded our vessel to escape the quaking island with it's hideous stone behemoths. Quite strangely, as we sailed back toward the mainland, less than a mile away, the island itself began to drift away from us at incredible speed. By the time we reached the mainland, it was no longer visible at all. I do hope to find it again and spend more time exploring but who knows? Maybe the stories are all true.
Blender 2.78c. Rendered with Cycles, 1000 samples. Ground cover and ivy done with Grass Essentials (Blenderguru). Sky/background done with Pro-Lighting Skies (Blenderguru). Extra tweaking done in Photoshop CS6 with Color Efex Pro (Tonal Contrast).
Great fantasy and skill! :)