Adventurous wilderness doctor Karina Oliani is the jack of all trades.
From floating around in anti-gravity chambers, becoming the first Brazilian woman to climb K2, swimming alongside great white sharks, and rescuing endangered wildlife - it’s better to ask what the inspiring environmental guru doesn’t do.
While roaming the planet in search of a new way to experience the Earth we live in, her latest expedition has taken her to one of the hottest points of the earth – volcanic lava lake Erta Ale in Afar, Ethiopia.
After a death-defying suspension across a crater of scalding 1187 °C hot lava, the wildlife physician and video producer has now achieved the world’s longest tyrolean traverse over a lava lake with a distance of 100.58 m (329 ft 11.76 in).
“Since I was a very little kid, I was always fascinated by nature and big challenges. And I thought, what could be a bigger challenge than traversing the largest lava lake on Earth?”
Karina’s initial motivation for her record stemmed from her love of interacting with the wonders of the world.
“Outdoor challenges have always been my passion, and because of this, I've participated in countless expeditions at sea, up mountains, in jungles and in the desert, including climbing Everest two times.”
In the past, she had dived with anacondas, scoured the North and South sides of Mount Everest, and had even taken to the air by wing walking on planes – but volcanoes were still an unchecked item off her bucket list.
And although Karina can now add this incredible feat to her long list of excursions, the journey to breaking this record title was anything but easy.
When looking for a team to help her climb to the volcanic site and properly engineer the traverse, many thought it was too dangerous to support.
However, Canadian rigging specialist Frederick Schuett believed in her drive and her passion for adventure.
He decided to work with her to find the perfect materials and points around the lake to stabilize the ropes for secure suspension.
Part of the safety precautions Karina and her team needed to take involved wearing specialized heat suits, which protected them from the heat extremities from the waves of lava and ashen air quality.
Despite a terrifying pit of volcanic lava below her, Karina was mesmerized by the natural beauty and colour of the magma.
"I'm moved by challenges and being connected with nature is fundamental for my life. I need this energy, this contact. I feel most alive in situations of danger and when you feel the power of nature."
With no hiccups along the way, she managed to finish the complete traverse as the sun was rising over the horizon.
"I believe my inspiration comes from nature. Human beings, they were always related to nature in a very intense way, but then we decided to move away and build big cities and go to concrete jungles. But every time I go back to the ocean or the mountains or the jungle, I feel like I'm home and that fills me with energy each time."
Karina mentioned that when she was a child she would often get lost in the Brazilian jungle for hours with her sisters, pretending to go on wild expeditions that now mirror her adult life.
It’s no secret that she is an incredibly accomplished woman, and Karina has the certifications to prove it.
At the early age of 12, took her first scuba diving class and managed to get her certification which led her to swimming among the ocean’s largest predators later in her career.
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By 17 years old, she had become a two-time Brazilian wakeboard champion in addition to being three-time champion Snowboarder.
Today, she serves as a front-line worker as a doctor with double certifications in both emergency medicine and wilderness medicine.
She also has her helicopter and piloting license, which allows her to take her missions and medicine practices to remote areas of the world.
Because her day-to-day life is filled with so many wondrous sights, Karina has made it a habit to capture her adventures with video footage and stunning photos.
Her extensive documentation inspired her to start her company Pitaya Films, where she has directed and produced dozens of series for Brazilian television, including Celebrities' Challenge and Extreme Mission on the Discovery Channel, Facebook Watch, Channel OFF and Rede Globo.
Now, Karina has hopes of inspiring the next generations of girls with her fearless mindset and continuous sense of adventure.
“I hope that all the things I have accomplished in my life today can empower girls and women from all over the world to go after their dreams. I hope by watching me they go: ‘if this girl was able to do that, I can also do whatever I put my mind to!’ If they want to be president, climb a mountain, Traverse a volcano, or something else that has never been done before - they can and should do it.”
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