Nakuru Kuru
The problem
Retracing a surfer's forty-year-old South Pacific passage meant filming across four territories, on water, in a format barely anyone had shot.
The approach
Combine VR camera systems with aerial and underwater capture so the passage could be experienced rather than narrated.
What was built
Field production August–September 2017 across Oregon, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, on a $306,560 budget. Gavin credited as VR Content.
The outcome
Kickstarter-funded, completed and distributed via TIME Inc.'s LIFE VR — the same platform that carried Capturing Everest.
Nakuru Kuru retraces surfer John Ritter’s original South Pacific passage, forty years later, combining virtual reality camera systems with aerial and underwater footage shot across Oregon, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji in August–September 2017. The project was Kickstarter-funded and distributed via TIME Inc.’s Life VR — the same platform that carried Capturing Everest — with a production budget of $306,560.
The project’s own pitch deck credits Gavin directly: “Gavin Farrel // VR Content — VR Industry pioneer,” alongside Mike Franz on panographic photography, director Steve Engman, and pro athletes including a 13-time windsurfing world champion and a WSL Big Wave Award winner.
Note for the record: confirmed completed and released by Gavin directly (2026-07-14) — independent corroboration of the Kickstarter campaign and final release is still being sought to move this from a self-confirmed credit to a fully independently-verified one.
VR Content — VR Industry pioneer, Nakuru Kuru.
