If you can't stand the heat... keep away from the volcano: Astonishing picture of scientist just metres from boiling hot lava cauldron

He looks like he's on a journey to the centre of the Earth.
But unlike the professor in Jules Verne's novel of the same name, this scientist could meet a fiery end if he goes any further.
In these stunning pictures, fearless Geoff Mackley looks like a speck of tin foil next to the 1,150C molten pit raging inside the crater of a volcano.

Like the surface of the sun: Getting to within just 30m of the molten lava, Geoff Mackley has become the first person ever to get so close to the centre of this volcano

No sweat: Thanks to his protective heat-proof suit, Mr Mackley was able to stand next to raging lava for a staggering 45 minutes

Staring into hell: Mr Mackley peers into the raging Marum Volcano, on the island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific as he abseils into the heart of the crater

Mr Mackley has become the first person ever to get so close to the heart of the Marum Volcano, on the island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific.
At a distance of just 30 metres, one slip or a sudden surge of the bubbling lava and he would be instantly turned to ash.

 

But incredibly, wearing a protective heat-proof suit, Mr Mackley managed to stand there for a staggering 45 minutes in August this year.
The 46-year-old said: 'It looks like the surface of the sun, it’s like all my wildest dreams in one moment, it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen or done.

'The most amazing thing I've ever done': Mr Mackley has been trying for 15 years to reach the bottom, but failed a number of times before now

Extraordinary career: Mr Mackley has been nicknamed 'Rambocam' after taking his childhood hobby of photographing natural phenomena to extreme lengths

Early inspiration: His father used to take Mr Mackley and his two younger brothers, Richard and Steven, on trips to take pictures of freak conditions, such as snowstorms and flooding

Fiery: Marum is situated on Ambrym, a volcanic island in the archipelago of Vanuatu, which is well-known for its high volcanic activity that includes lava lake formation

FIRE AND BRIMSTONE IN PARADISE

Marum is situated on Ambrym, a volcanic island in the paradise archipelago of Vanuatu (formerly known as the New Hebrides).
It is well known for its high volcanic activity that includes lava lake formation.
Ambrym is a large basaltic volcano with a 12km-wide crater and one of the most active volcanoes of the New Hebrides.
The massive, 1,900-year-old crater is the site of two active volcanic cones, Benbow being the other.

'I’ve been trying to get to the bottom for 15 years, I’ve learnt from every failed expedition what to do on the next one. It’s really down to the right people and the right equipment.
'I live for each day. I intend to be doing this for as long as I can. I probably won’t be able to climb volcanoes forever.
'But I can certainly fly to the other side of the world, get in a rental car and drive to a hurricane until I’m who knows how old. There are people running marathons in their 80s.'
Incredible footage taken by Geoff and his team shows them camping at the summit of the volcano for 38 days with it raining heavily for 33 of them.
After a 400-metre descent, Mr Mackley can be seen staring death in the face as he looks over the edge into the fiery abyss. The video also shows a large part of the volcano lake wall collapsing into the lava and instantly turning into smoke.
Rambocam, as he is nicknamed, took his childhood hobby of taking photos of natural phenomena and developed it into an extraordinary career with a reputation worldwide for being prepared to go where others fear to tread.

Adrenalin-junkie: The New Zealand-based photographer, cameraman and reporter carts his £50,000 equipment virtually anywhere where a natural disaster occurs

Patience is a virtue: Mr Mackley and his team camped at the summit of the volcano for 38 days with it raining heavily for 33 of them as they waited for right moment to descend into the crater

The New Zealand-based photographer, cameraman and reporter, carts his £50,000 equipment virtually anywhere where a tsunami has struck, a cyclone is perilously hovering or a volcano is erupting.
His father used to take Geoff and his two younger brothers, Richard and Steven on trips to take pictures of freak conditions, such as snowstorms and flooding.
'We were brought up with an interest in nature. I started doing what I’m doing because I’m interested in nature and it evolved to what’s happening now. I never really expected that to happen. I never thought for a moment I’d be doing this.'

Surveying the landscape: The 46-year-old has developed a reputation worldwide for being prepared to go where others fear to tread

Loving his job: Mr Mackley says he lives for each day and intends to carry on exploring for as long as he can

Photo op: Mr Mackley said he was brought up with an interest in nature, but never expected to be going on adventures like this