Is the most northern part of Iceland still there?

Kolbeinsey is the most northern part of Iceland, a tiny island that, according to Wikipedia, is due to disappear due to wave erosion "probably around the year 2020". Which raised an obvious question: is it still there?
THANKS TO:
This video was inspired by some tweets from author Sam Hughes. You can follow him on Twitter here: / qntm and read his work here: qntm.org/fiction
The pilots and team at Norlandair, who sorted out a charter at very short notice: www.norlandair.is/
The folks at the Hafdals Hotel, who were okay with me filming from their spectacular view!
FILMED SAFELY: see www.tomscott.com/safe/
PHOTO CREDITS:
Grimsey photos, in order, all licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license, creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Michael Pollak, "basaltsäulen": www.flickr.com/photos/michael...
John Lester, "IMG_0546": www.flickr.com/photos/pathfin...
Brian Gratwicke, "Puffin on Grimsey": www.flickr.com/photos/briangr...
Michael Pollak, "marker": www.flickr.com/photos/michael...
All photos of Kolbeinsey in 1989 and 2001 are copyright Guðmundur St. Valdimarsson, and used with permission and thanks.
Photos from 2013 are copyright of Landhelgisgæsla Íslands (the Icelandic Coast Guard), and used with permission and thanks.
And the "so I chartered a plane" gag is very heavily inspired by Matt Parker's video about stroboscopic helicopter blades: • Can we film a strobosc...
SOURCES and FURTHER READING:
Sæmundsson and Hjartarson (1989), "Geology and Erosion of Kolbeinsey North of Iceland", wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/200...
Jacobsen, T., & Stone, I. (2006). Kolbeinsey: Iceland's Arctic island. Polar Record, 42(2), 167-169. doi: 10.1017/s0032247406215298
From Landhelgisgæsla Íslands (the Icelandic Coast Guard):
www.lhg.is/frettir-og-fjolmid...
www.lhg.is/frettir-og-fjolmid...
www.lhg.is/frettir-og-fjolmid...
www.lhg.is/frettir-og-fjolmid...
The Cod Wars, from the UK National Archives: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...
And of course, the Wikipedia article for Kolbeinsey, which will presumably be updated shortly after this video goes live. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolbeinsey
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
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👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

[@TomScottGo]

There are a lot of people to thank for helping this video come together; pull down the description to see them all!

[@MeloTheRogue]

yessir

[@HORlZON250]

Hey hows it going?

[@droko9]

Something tells me the wiki page for Kolbeinsey is going to be updated very shortly

[@mebamme]

wait, how did you manage to post this as far back as 27 seconds ago? are you a time wizard or something?

[@randomz5890]

I am simultaneously surprised and not surprised that you chartered a plane

[@ThcPatient]

I'm just imagining Tom chartering that plane: "Where do you want to go?" "A rock in the middle of the ocean." "Okay, and for what purpose?" "To see if it's there."

[@trippydrew8492]

"Why's that?" "Because Wikipedia said it might not be."

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

The guy probably muttered under his breath "fourth time so far this year".

[@Filipnalepa]

"Understandable, have a nice flight"

[@ZT1ST]

"You're good for the cash?"*

[@Dolthra]

"You know you still have to pay us even if we don't find it, right? I've been burned before."

[@joeym5243]

Shortly after the camera cuts, Tom adorns himself with his RAF uniform and opens the bay doors to release a payload onto the island, once and for all ending Iceland's hopes and dreams of winning the Cod War

[@elijahdage5523]

You know this means Iceland has to retaliate and send one of their KZbinrs to destroy Great Brittain.

[@BlitzerXYZ]

Iceland will just threaten to leave NATO and again the U.S will allow Iceland to grow.

[@christopherlee-hudson3283]

@@elijahdage5523 Are there any Icelandic KZbinrs?

[@sneakyinlane3773]

@Sassy The Sasquatch Thats like a third of iceland population

[@robertbutcher222]

Sassy The Sasquatch who are they?

[@TheJhtlag]

Update: Wiki reference is still there: " In August 2020, English KZbinr Tom Scott published a video confirming the continued existence of the island, with two skerries still visible at low tide.[13][14] In April 2021, the Icelandic Coast Guard visited the island and measured it as 20 meters wide from west to east and 14.5 meters long from north to south" Looks like he goaded Iceland into making their own confirmation visit ;^)

[@BoyProdigyX]

This update is awesome! Thx!

[@codnewbgamer]

2009 Tom Scott: So we threw drums off a cliff; 2020 Tom Scott: So I chartered a plane in the Arctic Circle

[@Monosekist]

2030 Tom Scott: So I downloaded someone else's mental state for a day.

[@sk8rdman]

ba-dum-ch

[@aloysiuskurnia7643]

@@Monosekist don't you dare reminding me of *that* video anymore

[@tristanmitchell1242]

@@Monosekist I have been playing CB2077 recently, and this hits a little close to home on that.

[@asheep7797]

@@aloysiuskurnia7643 well cum to life.

[@haydenweir6416]

“So I chartered a plane” is the most Tom Scott moment I’ve ever seen

[@KubikDezimeter]

Also reminds me of Mark Rober's last video about sharks and of CGP Grey who flew to the statue of liberty museum for one of his videos

[@Carewolf]

To me it sounded quintisential Icelandic.

[@mylesfrost335]

@@KubikDezimeter close it was actually inspired by standup maths as mentioned in the description

[@commenterjosh2428]

HOW RICH ARE YOU, TOM?!

[@edwardnygma8533]

Made me think of Nick Robinson tbh.

[@silvereaglexi3888]

Tom Scott using his KZbin channel as a cover for a top secret recon mission ordered by the Queen herself.

[@talalon4098]

😂😂😂😂 Exactly.... You exposed her majesty's servant- Tom Scott......😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@amandawilcox9638]

Darcelle XV?

[@anchovybushwack472]

This _must_ be a more widespread headcanon tbh

[@jongyon7192p]

as an agent for the SCP Foundation

[@McCarthyMomEater]

Lmao

[@lindybeige]

I thought that in order to be counted as an island, a piece of land had to be above the sea level all the time, and so a piece of land that is submerged at high tide would not count.

[@blegh9585]

Hey Lindybeige big fan here

[@TheIndogamer]

Iceland and the two rocks of Okinotorishima: "Tell that to Japan!"

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

Agreed. I don't see the difference between this and a bit of rock off any beach

[@Pangloss6413]

i guess this is a crossover episode

[@sys_tem_]

@@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer I think the difference is that it's really far from the shore? I'm really unsure. But I do agree it's such a puny rock collection!!

[@sk8rdman]

Tom Scott: "I couldn't risk being wrong on the internet, so I waited until 2020 and chartered a plane to prove whether a rock exists."

[@GeoQuag]

Tom casually visiting places that might not even exist

[@kwasichan722]

Michael shelley

[@batlrar]

Good thing it wasn't Brigadoon, or we might not have had another video for a looooong time!

[@SuperSmashDolls]

Given that this story was inspired by the guy who wrote the Antimemetics Division stories I wouldn't be surprised if I wind up forgetting about this island in... oh... uh... er, wait, what was I talking about?

[@bdf2718]

I always thought Grimsby was an uninviting place. Now I've seen it, I'm sure. They can't even spell their own name right.

[@Platitudinous9000]

Places You Might Not Have

[@voyager9957]

"Is there really ice on mars? To see if it's there, you would need to rent a rocket... So I rented rocket!" - Tom Scott, 2045

[@rixtedewolff8966]

@@sci_pain3409 How does a dyson sphere help you find aliens?

[@pgre]

how do you rent a rocket?

[@voyager9957]

@@pgre Well, you can not exactly rent one, but you can buy space in a rocket. That's how the cubesats work. I just said "rent" for simplicity

[@autohmae]

@@voyager9957 "you can not exactly rent one" My guess: not yet.

[@dubious_potat4587]

"Yo Elon can I borrow that very fine rocket of yours? I promise I'll return it"

[@Metawen]

"In August 2020, English KZbinr Tom Scott published a video confirming the continued existence of the island, with two skerries still visible at low tide.[13][14] In April 2021, the Icelandic Coast Guard visited the island and measured it as 20 meters wide from west to east and 14.5 meters long from north to south.[4][5]"

[@ovni2295]

Huzzah!

[@theskilllessgamer5795]

Small update: last time someone checked and published if teh ridge was still there was in April 2021. Thats two years ago, time for someone to check and tell, again. Also this video made it to the German wikipedia about Kolbeinsey as a source that officially documents its lasts years. Gratz Tom, you made history. :)

[@Dave-hn5tl]

The wikipedia article now says that it "was expected to disappear in the near future, probably around the year 2020, based upon rates of erosion data from 1994. Although, as of August 2020, a small part still remains visible during low tide." This video is listed as one of the sources. Edit: A week and a day later, the article now says "Erosion rate data from 1994 suggested that this would happen around 2020. However, as of August 2020, two small sections of the island remain visible during low tide." and "In August 2020, KZbinr Tom Scott uploaded a video which confirmed the continued-albeit further eroded-existence of the island at low tide."

[@MagnusSkiptonLLC]

And the leading picture (as of me writing this) is a still from the video.

[@marsovac]

Tom writing history :)

[@SumNutOnU2b]

Alright, so which one of you lot just went and added that to Wikipedia just now?

[@infinitenex8165]

@@SumNutOnU2b Maybe Tom did it himself

[@hellelujahh]

@@infinitenex8165 Are we on the brink of finding his Wikipedia account, along with its edit history?

[@fuckthisshitNICH]

"SO I CHARTERED A PLANE!"- is the most predictable YET unpredictable thing I've heard from Tom in a while

[@alex0589]

For real, youtube has given him royal power

[@enginerd80]

Somehow, I would have expected more a boat. Mostly because of its speed a boat would have seemed more suitable for looking something possibly quite small.

[@manuelsoares4343]

@@enginerd80 except with waves in the mix having height is very important

[@cdigames]

Has very large Nick Robinson "so I booked a ticket to Japan" vibes

[@TheMrSark]

love this

[@RockGeek00]

Oh hey its a wild Sark, fancy meeting you here. Did you also come to partake of random historical tibits?

[@joeym5243]

Do you get notifications for comment replies?

[@stalbourne]

I would never have expected Sark to comment on a Tom Scott video

[@TheHDTheater]

Of course I'd find Sark here, of course.

[@gravitysilence]

Never did I ever imagine that I'd hear Tom Scott mention the SCP wiki, even if only indirectly when talking about someone who had inspired a video. Hearing the acronym title of one of my favourite internet community projects spoken by one of my favourite KZbinrs is a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.

[@woooooooooooooooooooooooo]

:D

[@ethribin4188]

Where is he mentioning it?

[@drizzle8309]

@@ethribin4188 4:38 When he talks about Sam Hughes, who inspired the video through some tweets.

[@Thrano]

Audience: Can we see the island? Tom: You'd have to charter a plane. Audience: Aww :( Tom: So I chartered a plane! Audience: Yay :D

[@JimPlaysGames]

Tom you magnificient bastard.

[@PKMartin]

Tom: you'd have to charter a plane. Me: you chartered a plane didn't y- Tom: so I chartered a plane! Me: called it

[@qwertyTRiG]

This is very much a Half as Interesting subject done in the Tom Scott style.

[@Serthys1]

Reminds me of CGP Grey's The Race to Win Staten Island.

[@marquizzo]

Haha! That part cracked me up. I was disappointed I wasn't going to see something I didn't even know existed a few seconds before.

[@zyaicob]

"SO I CHARTERED A PLANE" i was expecting this to be a story about managing expectations and how not everything makes a great story because not everything is feasible to confirm but this is way better

[@conanichigawa]

I was surprised too. But why am I surprise, this is Tom Scott.

[@revsnowfox5798]

Everything makes a great story if it's Tom Scott.

[@jmhastings0]

Reminds me of Nick Robinson's "so I booked a flight to Japan"

[@zyaicob]

@@jmhastings0 and CGP Grey flying to New York and then going to Staten Island

[@trainmaster997]

@@jmhastings0 wasn’t that the guy who was fired from polygon for sexual assault

[@willierants5880]

Two years later and we have to know. Is it still there? Damn it Tom, I didn't know about these lumps of volcanic rock and now I'm going to obsess about them.

[@thestral1676]

From wikipediea "In April 2021, the Icelandic Coast Guard visited the island and measured it as 20 meters wide from west to east and 14.5 meters long from north to south."

[@safcjcp]

@@thestral1676 that’s what they want you to think

[@thestral1676]

@@safcjcp I'm British so no it's not

[@baijokull]

*Update* The island has just been measured again by the Icelandic Coast Guard. It is now only 20 meters long and 14,5 meters wide. But it's still there! :D

[@StarshadowMelody]

Presently I want to know when it disappears. By the time I wake up tomorrow, I will have forgotten all about disappearing fishing rights rock.

[@oxybrightdark8765]

@@StarshadowMelody do you think it still exists?

[@BigCroca]

Wonder why they don’t do some land reclamation stuff to build it back up, make a tough sea wall around it and dump a bubch of soil on it

[@oxybrightdark8765]

@@BigCroca they gotta lug all that dirt there. Why bother?

[@kurtsnyder4752]

Looks like the Crab Monsters have had at it.

[@joen0411]

I suspect if the island wasn’t there, the Icelandic pilots would have thrown him out the plane in order to protect their country’s fishing rights.

[@obsessivelyoli]

underrated comment

[@sirBrouwer]

they are Icelandic not the old Argentina government.

[@MsHjalli]

😂

[@Michaelonyoutub]

now I'm imagining the astronaut meme with Tom going "the island isn't there" and the icelandic pilots going "it never was" before shooting him and dumping his body

[@LaNiBlackLight]

@@Michaelonyoutub omg so good. Make it.

[@walterw8223]

News reporter: _"-The negotiation between governments were settled by a rando in a plane. Roll the clip...."_ 3:21

[@loscni]

Just for the sake of being "that guy" The person who sits at the desk during a newscast is the News Anchor and Tom would be the Reporter.

[@drawde_064]

Then cut back to the studio at 3:23

[@alisonhell84]

"Ah yes, the negotiator!"

[@luciachlys5041]

BEST. COMMENT. EVER

[@DavidLinn]

@@drawde_064 i watched it to the timestamp wondering why those two seconds were so important. i started laughing XD. news anchor: "we now have confirmation of the existence of the island by a highly qualified and experienced geological surveyor" 3:21 - 3:23

[@TheOfficialCzex]

"So I chartered a plane!" You don't know how big the grin on my face is.

[@jayleclerc1759]

Here to compare his voice to matt colbo’s... impressive.

[@OkamioftheRinnegan]

The sister series to Things You Might Not Know: Places That Might Not Exist

[@officialboomtish214]

Nobody upvote it. Please

@@officialboomtish214 Why not?

[@despacito4668]

@@officialboomtish214 shut hecc

[@cheese_wafflez533]

Nearly spat out my chocolate milk

[@jamesmatthews291]

Including the cliff that refuses to be a cliff? 😉

[@Spankypenguin1]

Me: I don't care about an uninhabitable bit of rock north of Iceland Tom: Starts talking about an uninhabitable bit of rock north of Iceland Me: Get out there Tom, I gotta know if it's still there!

[@taylormurphy2551]

^This, absolutely!

[@safe-keeper1042]

Tom can make anything interesting.

[@FreshGirl3000]

I really didn't wanna watch the video bc it sounded so random and barely interesting but after less than 1 minute I was already completely intriged lmao.

[@simontay4851]

Well it is inhabited by sea birds.

[@F-Lambda]

@@simontay4851 *A lot* of sea birds, by the looks of it.

[@zolacnomiko]

Tom's comedic delivery in "you'd have to charter a *plane.* ..SO I CHARTERED A PLANE" is *chef's kiss*

[@tsg_frank5829]

The fact that Tom was able to chart a plane to actually see the island with his own eyes is amazing. Amazing, is also, how he's now featured on the actual wikipedia article with sources to this video

[@sufferationist]

It probably would have disappeared by this year, but the ocean's efficiency was adversely effected by work-at-home requirements.

[@bhatkrishnakishor]

Brilliant comment on various levels. 😁

[@huntzkush]

@@bhatkrishnakishor Can you explain these levels?

[@alveolate]

*affected

[@miffedmeff7302]

@@huntzkush 2 layers only, really. One I presume is the witty reference to our current predicament and personifying the ocean to be affected similarily but a possibly more subtle interpretation could be how climate change is effectively halted by stay-at-home policies, thus stopping the ocean's rise (even though I'm sure that erosion still occurs, but I'm not a geologist)

[@huntzkush]

@@miffedmeff7302 word

[@Woopady115]

I’m 3m 51s into this video and I’m stressed. Why am I so invested in whether a rock north of Iceland is still there? 4 minutes ago I didn’t even know it ever existed.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Did it give you a sleepless night?

[@redfailhawk]

TheCimbrianBull it’s 2am and now I’m on Wikipedia so yes

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@redfailhawk You're welcome! 😀

[@AhsimNreiziev]

+[Woopady115] That's the Tom Scott magic, baby!

[@Werrf1]

I accidentally ruined the suspense for myself by going to the Wikipedia page for the island to verify what Tom said about it, and reading that "As of August 2020, two small sections of the island remain visible during low tide.[4]" with the citation "Scott, Tom (August 17, 2020). Is The Most Northern Part Of Iceland Still There?"

[@pascalzurek]

I just love that hanger dangling around in the background of the airplane. Distracts me in the most Tom Scottish fashion imaginable.

[@rookiewrenching938]

I came down here to make a comment about "so I chartered a plane", but looks like we're covered there.

[@KaelusVonSestiaf]

I can't stop giggling like mad at the "You'd have to charter a plane..." joke and the sequence of cuts that followed it. Comedy genius.

[@magnum0121984]

I hope Tom makes enough off this video to cover the charter.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I don't think anyone could pull that off as well as Tom.

[@ClashixTV]

me and every other brit: riiiiiiiiight xD

[@arirostur7046]

As a native Icelandic person, i think i can say for all of us “ooh, that’s my country”

[@namewarvergeben]

And with all Icelandic people who appear in this video: "Hey, I know that guy!"

[@eliasviisson1273]

I was like that

[@eliasviisson1273]

*yes im from iceland*

[@siggitiggi]

Yarp

[@happysheep6097]

Ice gang 🧊😎✨💕

[@axxnub]

Rewatching this after MattColbo's parody video and boy did you two make my day

[@The.Norwegian]

I love all the work you put into these videos. You obviously don't mind spending several days traveling far away from home for a 5 minute video. i truly appreciate the amazing content you're putting out!

[@the_sad_wallet1553]

Iceland is soon gonna get a new score on the “how northern are you?” quiz if that island keeps eroding

[@elijahdage5523]

Why are you sad?

[@tortex1]

@@elijahdage5523 Cause he's a bit empty, you can't see a bulge.

[@nitehawk86]

@@elijahdage5523 Because the park bench ended.

[@rpgamedeveloper5034]

It's cool how you can do things like this, I also like how you get straight to the Point no annoying adverts in the Video and no explaining for 20 minutes. Thank you, I enjoy watching your videos.

[@rpgamedeveloper5034]

And I wonder to see what it looks like today.

[@markhadfield9917]

Watching this 2 years later i cant help but wonder is it gone now?

[@katieastrophe]

Same!

[@rubenlarochelle1881]

Plot twist: Iceland paid Tom to film several videos about that rock some years ago and told him to publish them gradually in 2020, 2022 and so on, while the island has secretly already disappeared.

[@ripster7]

That's why there's no masks being warn on the plane 🤔

[@arirostur7046]

RIPSTER we were actually more worried about swimming pools not being open for a while, until theey opened.

[@DueySR]

If this was true Tom predicted the pandemic.

[@rubenlarochelle1881]

@@DueySR What? Why?

[@CRT.v]

@@rubenlarochelle1881 He's wearing a face mask at 1:46

[@TheJttv]

"So I chartered a plane"

[@davinator_peepo2102]

Some rando chartered a plane to point out the island isn't there anymore.

[@r5LgxTbQ]

so I booked a flight to Japan...

[@lizardlegend42]

@@r5LgxTbQ A Nick Ribinson reference I presume?

[@joelspaulding5964]

I watched with anticipation the entire video. Great material!

[@nighthawk043]

Going to Kolbeinsey's wikipedia article in 2022, I love that the picture of it says: Tom Scott, 2020. I wonder if he's the last person to bother to photograph it and publish the photo.

[@Vok250]

"Constantly eroding away. Probably won't survive 2020." Ah yes. Just like my hopes and dreams.

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

Much like the island, still there is hope!

[@thomasneal9291]

my dreams only expose themselves at low tide. and smell of rotting seaweed and dead fish.

[@Rogther]

@@clockworkkirlia7475 But only for a short amount of time

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

@@Rogther See that's where it sort of falls apart, because I think things will get a lot MORE hopeful after 2020. We'll all have to take a good long look at the world we've made, for starters, and there's nothing for hope like hard work towards a better future.

[@jimtamim1708]

Typical 2020 things to do

[@derkach7907]

This video was totally not sponsored by the "British cod fishing corporation"

[@grandmastarflash]

Next years sponsored visit: it's gone!! Its bloody gone!! Fire up the trawlers lads!!!!! 😂😂

[@EllaGP22]

“To get there I’d have to charter a plane” *Awww* “SO I CHARTERED A PLANE” *OH YES*

[@Pyrozoid]

Tom ... You're better at this than all the information channels on TV that I used to watch. You inspire me with your dedication. Thanks

[@celinayishan1959]

“You would need a plane, so I chartered one” Wow Tom puts so much effort into his videos!!

[@anyGould]

That smash cut at 1:47 made me laugh out loud by how hard it pivoted from "oh, my story didn't work out" to "here's the new story". Very nicely done, Tom!

[@1schwererziehbar1]

Maybe the Queen paid for it.

[@nqkhanhskewb]

"You'd have to charter a plane... So I chartered a plane"

[@littlelawson06]

Khánh Nông Quốc that KZbin money must be good...

[@violeteclipse3912]

True Tom Scott style

[@haroldsen4238]

„You‘d have to die... so I died“

[@dee74raz]

I wonder how much it cost to charter it? 🧐

[@WhoBeSilly]

That's so fascinating! I really love your videos!

[@StizzyM1]

I love it, the effort put into these videos are great!

[@dr.firefetus5119]

I feel like tom is the god of one take video's

[@randomz5890]

Either that or his editor is God and makes it look like it's just one take

[@thatssofetch3481]

This isn’t one take

[@tmgamer514]

Dr. Fire Fetus forgot about lindybeige

[@geoffnet1]

*I feel like Tom is the god of one-take videos.

[@gibbonbasher8171]

Well... except for the fact this video isn’t one take

[@Jabrils]

You were in Akureyri, I love that cozy little town. 🤗

[@SpeedySpee]

ey its jabrils

[@ary2766]

yo it's you. the guy who can talk without moving your mouth. Nice.

[@johannjohannsson8255]

Ayy i live there

[@cormalan9894]

@@johannjohannsson8255 I like your name haha. Swede here hoping to go to Iceland at some point. Even though your mainland doesn’t enter the Arctic circle :)

[@johannjohannsson8255]

@@cormalan9894 thanks dude

[@Audreys_Cloud]

Just checked it on Wiki and the new picture for Kolbeinsey is from this video.

[@cubesquared2291]

I googled the tiny island before continuing your video, only to learn that the wikipedia uses images you took!! Fantastic. Thanks for the fascinating info.

[@route2070]

And just like that a tradition starts. Tom now will check once a year..... I hope or I'm just talking nonsense.

[@StaK_1980]

Oh boy, you started something now! :-)

[@BabyGirl-mh1tz]

Everyone mark the date in your calendars/diaries. In a year we’re asking 😂

[@treyslider6954]

Someone hasn't seen Tom's "This video has [x] views" video. He's got better things to do with his time than check up on old videos; he's got new videos to make.

[@fridtjofriibe5961]

Well, it’s probably gone by then, so a fairly short series..

[@bayu_bejo]

Remember the Goat from Sweden? By the time Tom got back, the island disappeared.

[@NekogamiKun127]

*Icelandic Official:* And what is the purpose of your visit, sir? *Tom:* I'm doing a KZbin video on how Kolbeinsey has eroded, thus opening up discussions of international fishing rights. *Icelandic Official, sliding over a stack of Krona:* Oh really?

[@arirostur7046]

GentlemanPenguin Icelandic króna to be excact

[@nullvoid564]

@@arirostur7046 Why Catch Corona when you can spend it on masks?

[@Gillsing]

Cod wars? I thought Call of Duty was always about war?

[@nullvoid564]

@@Gillsing Are you shore you don't mean Cod of Duty: Annette Warfare

[@antonmagnusson9202]

@@landkonnudur Minn maður bara með þetta!

[@harmenbreedeveld8026]

Thanks for another lovely video, I was genuinely looking ahead with you to see whether we could spot the island!

[@light487]

Love this type of exploring. Do more of this type of discovery.

[@retroforager]

"you'd have to charter a plane." "so.. i chartered a plane." god i love this man's dedication

[@guiorgy]

"There's no way for tourists to see" me: Well, guess we will just... "SO I WENT THERE ANYWAYS!" me: ... Of course you did...

[@nathanaelraynard2641]

Well did you expect less from him

[@guiorgy]

@@nathanaelraynard2641 I don't know what I was expecting...

[@WiresDawson]

this is without a doubt one of your best videos.

[@gooble69]

4:15 "Predictions were a little bit pessimistic" This sums up every expert prediction ever in all of history.

[@ValueNetwork]

Alternate title: KZbinr starts another cod war

[@bugsygoo]

J Webster Alternative.

[@Varasalvi2]

It honestly doesn't look like that island has much of any influence over the current fishing rights. When Iceland won the cod war is basically won the right to ignore the standard rules of fishing area being determined by range from land. I could be wrong, but i looked up the current fishing range and it doesn't seem to be following the standard rules.

[@matthiashrafnkelsson2180]

@@Varasalvi2 the exclusive economic zone of Iceland is 200 nautical miles and therefore follows the UNCLOS treaty.

[@tuurehu3392]

Someone edited the wikipedia article to say "Although, as of August 2020, a small part still remains visible during low tide."

[@Mrunibro]

[citation needed]

[@warbler1984]

@@Mrunibro this video is the citation

[@twothreebravo]

@@Mrunibro Hey! I understood that reference

[@OneFatStatue]

@@warbler1984 Mind your head... Woossssh!

[@JochCool]

"Someone"? There have been 71 edits since the video was uploaded.

[@alannunhuck3974]

Another Great Video Tom, enjoy all of them so much - love obscure / little know stuff like you cover... I also thought on vieing this one, how much I like when you explain your thinking and logic... it's a great insight! keep em comin, thanks Alan (Norfolk, England)

[@TimeTravelinc]

Btw, I’m a little surprised that you mentioned qntm’s work of Anti-Memetic’s Division of the SCP Foundation. Came for the SCP Mention, Stayed for the unexpected mention of a tiny island. Hope to see more Tom, including playing a thought experiment of SCP Foundation Anomalies IRL and how the countries would handle it. Can’t wait to see more.

[@actuallyasriel]

But the mention was right at the end?? The tiny island is the thrust of the video?? ....Unless it got posted somewhere by the SCP folks?

[@quahntasy]

*"You'll have to charter a plane. So I chartered a plane"* Tom is best documentary on KZbin.

[@BlackOps2543x]

"He's also responsible for the Antimemetics Division over on the SCP Foundation's Wiki" Didn't expect SCP to come up in a video about a tiny little rock

[@mcfixer9503]

Kolbeinsey is an SCP

[@clayel1]

It was a good division tho 0-0

[@Meanslicer43]

Yah. Definitley unexpected for me as well

[@AnAverageItalian]

Exactly, I even left a comment about it before reading yours

[@NoNameAtAll2]

who's "he"?

[@Kai-K]

The antimeme arc on the SCP wiki is one of the best, really excited to (and surprised that I didn't) know qntm has books I can read.

[@vsolyomi]

Tom should sell T-Shirts with quotes of his. "So I charted a plane!" I'd buy.

[@normanboyd3418]

But PLEASE Tom if you do... "chartered"😉

[@gerdacoonan7250]

@@normanboyd3418 That's very funny !!!!, cheers.

[@roundel52]

Any colour, as long as it's red

[@Oxideacid]

Tom Scott chartering a plane to see a rock in the middle of the ocean is the most Tom Scott thing ever.

[@philaeew4866]

The lengths you go to for an informative video of under five minutes is once again astounding. Nice!

[@dwellspompano]

Wow now you are an oceanic explorer! I love your channel!! Keep up the great work!!

[@silvertube11]

Everyone: talks about Tom chartering a plane Me: wondering why is there a clothes hanger in the back of the plane

[@Dan-vb7lz]

To hang clothes

[@Alexrider02]

To hang your jacket if it's wet so it doesn't get the seat wet? And so you don't have to sit in a wet jacket the whole flight?

[@JamesJordanson]

for the times the pilot rents out for skydiving ;)

[@mrwalk6171]

Emergencies

[@darcygardner415]

Emergency clothes

[@colin8286]

Tom the kind of guy to charter a plane to see if a rock is still there.

[@tomatosauce4695]

Iconic!Great Video!!

[@xenorac]

These videos always teach me something that I never knew I was interested in!

[@James__123]

"so I chartered a plane" amazing

[@dross6206]

Never thought I would be on edge while waiting to find out if a rock that I’ve never heard of still exists

[@Zwodo]

I swear you have the most random, most interesting content. Every time I see an intriguing video that's completely unrelated to anything I'm watching, it's you.

[@etienneporras7252]

qntm is by far one of my favourite authors on the SCP Wiki. His work is masterfully written and he has such a way of presenting truly mind-bending concepts in comfortable ways.

[@keiyakins]

"I'd recommend his books ..." I've never heard of those. "He's also responsible for the Antimemetics Division stories over on the SCP Wiki." But hoo boy now I plan to check them out!

[@tobybartels8426]

My reaction exactly!

[@SurnameName]

they're available for free on his website

[@AnAverageItalian]

@@SurnameName nice! Gonna check 'em out

[@skshms.1975]

@@SurnameName sauce?

[@pineappleudh6561]

@@skshms.1975 Mayonnaise

[@empath69]

Tom: "The trouble is, there's no way for a tourist to get out to Kolbeinsey. It's just a tiny bit of rock. To see if it's still there you'd have to charter a plane." Me: "Wait...you didn't-" Tom: *over sound of aircraft going brrrr* "SO I CHARTERED A PLANE!" Me: "You magnificent bastard, you."

[@artifex2.080]

Tom is the biggest chad

[@tanmaydeshpande]

1k likes and only 2 replies? What a travesty

[@amandawilcox9638]

@@tanmaydeshpande We're too busy being amazed and confused!

[@KonkeyDongkey]

So I booked a flight to Japan

[@kkmac7247]

@@KonkeyDongkey nick Robinson?

[@OpreanMircea]

I love your videos, you just hit us with facts! I didn't know I wanted to know. Thank you.

[@cappyjones]

My favorite of your many fantastic videos. 👍

[@anmoldureja4247]

I'm gonna jump into my Microsoft Flight simulator and start visiting every single amazing places video location 😍

[@obeserobloxian9857]

Same bud, got it pre ordered yesterday, cant wait.

[@DANNYonPC]

Dude casually charters a plane in order to see if a rock still exists

[@rvre]

As an Icelander, this was quite funny and interesting to see. Thanks for the awesome content, Tom

[@davidmarmota00p2]

This is an amazing tiny awesome video!

[@kezkai]

"so I chartered a plane!" actually audibly laughed, god you're good Tom

[@newworld435]

★★★★★

[@tehlaser]

"On the SCP wiki" Oh great. These eroding rocks are the only thing holding back an EK-class memetic erasure scenario, aren't they?

[@tehlaser]

Creamy Pasta: I mean, it's hard. Last time that sphere was in the wrong place on the night of the midnight sun they managed to work around the damaged helipad to get things under control before much of anything beyond the Iceland/Greenland mixup went truly viral.

[@thevortexcrafter7060]

Didn't you hear him? He's the Antimemetics Division author. These eroding rocks are the only place where the EK-class memetic erasure scenario hasn't happened yet.

[@georgewl]

@@tobybartels8426 you should read them. They're great. Meme: information or phenomena which spreads like a virus. Antimeme: information which no matter how you record it, disappears. Photos overexpose, writing turns into indecipherable gibberish, audio/video recordings become corrupted. And some of these antimemes are sapient. Some are malicious.

[@TheStartledNinja]

Would love to see a part 2 on this when the island is gone!

[@MoxiLabs]

Thanks for the update

[@ThomasPerkov]

Tom Scott could be the last person to ever see the most northern part of Iceland.

[@timothybarney7257]

Not counting the air crew of the chartered plane that got him there of course!

[@OryxTheMadGod3]

Well technically we can just watch the video to see it again

[@casparvoncampenhausen5249]

@@OryxTheMadGod3 and the technically I'm the queen of England

[@elementalsheep2672]

The Wikipedia article now reads: “A basalt landform, devoid of vegetation, it is subject to rapid wave erosion and is expected to disappear in the near future, probably around the year NOT 2020.”

[@JamesJordanson]

give or take a century ;)

[@joaovitormatos8147]

It's still around 2020, the way this year is going, I would check again by December

[@106640guy]

@@joaovitormatos8147 At least it's got 0 confirmed covid cases

[@zsin128]

i edited it, and added Tom as reference

[@GibusWearingMann]

That edit was reverted, and now it reads "...is expected to disappear in the near future, probably around the year 2020, based upon current[when?] rates of erosion. It's still there in 2020, proven by Tom Scott (entertainer)"

[@RyanWolfNZ]

Brilliant story Tom, thanks from NZ!

[@vexndcgaming837]

oh my, the dedication for such a simple yet so satisfying answer is very respectable.

[@Ompasikom]

There's a little bird that sharpens its beak on that island; when the island has been whetted off, that means an eternity has passed :-D

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

One hell of a bird!

[@arandomdaciasandero925]

Heaven Sent