On Aug. 26, 1997 a group comprised of some of the best sand sculptors on the planet started to gather on Fiesta Island, San Diego. Our purpose was to excavate the Lost City of Atlantis from a very large mountain of sand.

This mammoth project - 7 years in the planning - is the tangible result of Gerry Kirk's vision, and is absolutely the coolest thing I have ever been part of.

These are the people who really made it cool. I never did learn all of their names (shame on me) but they sure were a lot of fun not to mention extremely talented.

Looking back through my photos I keep thinking "WHY did I shoot this?" and "WHY didn't I get a picture of that?" so I'll apologize in advance to all the people who should show up in here and don't.

If you want even-handed full coverage documentary, hie thee to the official sandworld page. These pictures represent one sculptor's perspective - nothing more.