Kimberley, Australia Expedition Day 4 of 14
Written by Scott David Martin | May 2, 2023

The Dash [ - ] goes behind the scenes of a WABU filmmaking expedition in the remote Northwest region of Australia, The Kimberley. In this 14-part series, we’ll share the highs and lows, from marathon shoots aboard luxurious yachts to heart-stopping encounters with nature's fiercest creatures.

**WABU Director Scott at Gantheaume Point with Talent Manjit & Britt**

My stomach was still doing jumping jacks.
Broome was just a warm-up.

She held only 5% of our storyboard.
Once we boarded our vessel, it was game time.

The Kimberley Coast? That was our main act.
95% of the locations we’d prepped for over the past six months.

You could feel the shift in the air on Day 4.
And our crew was buzzing to wrap Broome and embark Akiko.

Akiko was our Endurance.
She would take us deep into one of the most remote and untamed regions on Earth.

BUT before boarding, we had two final shots to capture in Broome.

First: sunrise at Gantheaume Point.
And our much-anticipated dinosaur footprint.

**Broome, Australia 17.9618° S, 122.2370° E**

**WABU Director Scott with Talent Britt**

Enter Manjit and Britt.

We cast them for two reasons.
First, they were perfect for brand…

Elegant.
Grounded.
Aspirational.

Second? Chemistry.
On-camera and off.

They trusted us, and we trusted them.
Why?

Maybe because we’ve spent an unusual number of hours crammed into very small spaces together.

**Shooting Submarines with Manjit & Britt in the Caribbean**

On day one of knowing each other, we spent 10-hours in a submarine.
You learn a lot when you’re bumping knees underwater.

That bond only grew after shoots across the globe.
They became part of the WABU, not just talent.
And that closeness matters.

I believe closeness is a key to high-performing creative teams.
You feel that intimacy on screen.

Our sunrise goal:

A human hand pressing into a 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprint.

BUT we had a 15–18 minute window after sunrise.
Then, the light vanished.
After that, the opportunity was gone.

Our call time was 4:00 AM.
We arrived in darkness.

Writer Andrew and I were first on the rocks.

As the sky changed colors…
We could see the textures of Gantheaume begin to glow.

The light was perfect.

**Gantheaume Point at Sunrise with Manjit & Britt**

Before our hero shot,
we executed a “double-barrel” setup:

I’d shoot active lifestyle stills.
Drone Operator Chris captured aerials.

This was a rare window where we could get photo, video, and drone in the same scene.

The same light.
Critical for a full 360 marketing campaign.

When the ball of fire finally crested, shutters started firing.
The crew moved like a NASCAR pit team.

Every second counted.
WABU mode.

And…we nailed it.
Hero video.
Lifestyle photo, drone…all in the can.

The morning ended in high-fives.

Half the crew returned to the hotel to prep for embark.
Meanwhile, Marc, Chris, and I returned to Roebuck Bay for one final interview.

Spirits were high.
I remember thinking: What an incredible start.
Then the day turned.

The interview subject had a last-minute emergency.
He might arrive in an hour…or maybe a few hours.

We had a choice:
wait and risk losing daylight for boarding. Or leave.

Marc, our line producer, logistics ninja,
and production heartbeat sprang into action.

He coordinated with the Akiko team.
Our gear crew.
And our transport contacts.

Chris and I waited at Roebuck Bay, hopeful.

We said six months ago.
We can not embark in the dark.

We wanted this interview. Badly.
BUT after a long wait, we had to call it.

No interview.
No second chance.
We pivoted.

Back at the hotel, the team hustled.
Prep for the most complicated move of the production:

Load all gear onto 4x4s.
Unload.

Drive onto the beach.
BUT we couldn’t board like usual.

We had to hand-carry every case.
One by one.
Through 50 yards of knee-deep water.

Each load handed up onto a tender boat.
That tender would ferry us out to the Akiko, waiting in the bay.

The day’s chaos wasn’t over.
Our last tender boarded in darkness.

**Boarding the Akiko at night (exactly what we said we wouldn’t do)**

Preparing to embark, Robin, our expedition leader greets us.

“We just had a 3.5-meter hammerhead shark right here,”
he said, pointing to where we embark.

Marc and I looked at each other. “Here?”
Robin just grinned. “Yes.”

Welcome to the Kimberley.

Finally, we stepped aboard the Akiko.
And met the second half of our team:

Ben - Captain, Akiko
Ben - Chief Engineer
Peter - Kimberley guide & historian
Josh - Adventure guide & Nyaid captain
Seb - Chef (and legend)
Bronte - Crew Chief
Alex - Deck Hand
Briar - Cabin Steward

Now we were 18 strong.
A full Water Buffalo herd.

In destination filmmaking, the team is everything.
These aren’t 9–5 jobs.
This is emotional, mental, and physical work.

16-hour days.
High-stakes moments.
Tight quarters far from home.

So how do we make it work?

We follow the Navy SEALs performance vs. trust model.
Performance is what you do under pressure.
Trust is what you build when no one’s watching.

If you can build trust in the quiet moments.
That connection shows up on screen.

Up next on The Dash (—):

On Day 4, the herd was built.
On Day 5, WABU is ready for lift off.

The Start of Something Bigger 🦕

Predator Eyes & Sunset Lies 🐫