He Snuck Onto a Forbidden Island for YouTube Footage-and He'd Do It Again

A YouTuber who illegally landed on one of the world's most restricted islands-home to an uncontacted Indigenous tribe-has said he would "probably still do it again," as he begins releasing footage from the journey that led to his arrest.

Mykhailo Polyakov, 25, from Arizona, traveled by dinghy to North Sentinel Island in March 2025, spending hours near the shore before briefly landing on the beach, where he attempted to spot members of the isolated Sentinelese tribe.

The island, part of India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, is protected by a strict exclusion zone designed to shield the tribe from outside contact, which could expose them to disease and threaten their survival.

Despite those restrictions-and a history of violent encounters with outsiders-Polyakov said he knowingly took the risk.

The Journey to a ‘Forbidden' Island

Polyakov described setting off in the early hours of March 29, 2025, traveling for around nine hours by motorized dinghy from South Andaman.

"I was in the area for around maybe two hours," he told Newsweek, before briefly landing on the island's beach.

While there, he said he tried to draw attention, including using a whistle and light, in the hope of seeing members of the tribe. In footage from the trip, he can be heard joking as he approached the island: "It's been a minute since anyone's been here but I'm gonna assess the state of affairs, check in, say what's up, give them a Diet Coke."

"I wanted to see them, get them on camera," he said, though explained that the goal was not to speak to or communicate with the tribe-despite what he said in the footage: "I don't know if you would describe that as making contact."

After leaving the island, he was arrested on his return journey.

‘I Knew It Was a Risk'

Polyakov acknowledged he was aware of the legal consequences before setting out.

"I went into this knowing that getting caught was definitely a risk," he said.

He said he weighed that risk and concluded the consequences were unlikely to be severe.

"I figured the consequences wouldn't be too severe-and I was right for the most part," he said.

Following Polyakov's arrest in 2025, human rights group Survival International spoke out against the visit. They told Newsweek: “Influencers, tourists and anyone else seeking to contact peoples like the Sentinelese risk wiping them out through diseases to which they have no immunity. Uncontacted peoples have made a choice to stay isolated and they don’t need self-obsessed influencers or anyone else exploiting them for private gain. Polyakov’s lack of remorse for trying to forcibly contact the Sentinelese exposes the selfishness in such idiotic actions.”

North Sentinel Island has a long history of resisting outside contact. In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was killed after attempting to land there, while two fishermen were killed in 2006 after drifting too close to shore.

Little is known about the tribe itself, whose population is estimated to be small and whose language and way of life remain largely undocumented.

No Regrets

Polyakov was fined 15,000 rupees ($158) and was held for three weeks after the arrest, but is now no longer restricted from travel.

More than a year on, as he begins to publish footage from the trip on his YouTube channel, Neo-Orientalist, he said he does not have any regrets about the visit.

"Would I still do it again? I would say yes," he said. "I wouldn't say I regret anything in particular."

Polyakov framed the journey as part of a broader effort to document places rarely seen by outsiders.

"I'm very motivated to document things that are difficult to find," he said. "I want to seek out things that they're not going to see anywhere else."

A Wider Debate Over ‘Danger Tourism'

Trips like Polyakov's have increasingly been linked to so-called "danger tourism"-a loosely defined trend in which travelers or content creators visit high-risk, restricted or politically sensitive locations, often in pursuit of unique or exclusive footage.

While the term has been used to describe travel to conflict zones or extreme environments, experts have warned that social media has expanded the phenomenon, with creators sometimes seeking out places that are legally or ethically off-limits.

Polyakov, however, disputed that framing.

"I wouldn't describe myself as a danger tourist," he said. "I think this is primarily documentary."

North Sentinel Island has long drawn global attention because of its isolation, but access remains strictly prohibited, and Indian authorities enforce a buffer zone to prevent any approach.

Polyakov's case has fueled renewed debate about whether the rise of social media creators is contributing to an increase in attempts to access such places-and where responsibility lies when those trips are filmed and shared online.

Asked whether releasing his footage could encourage others to attempt something similar, he said he did not see himself as responsible.

"I don't encourage anyone to repeat what I did," he said. "But I wouldn't say I'm responsible if someone does."

Polyakov said part of his decision to speak publicly and release the videos now was to present his own account of events, after what he described as largely negative coverage.

Despite the backlash, he said he plans to continue exploring remote and underreported places, including areas with limited outside contact.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 10:50 AM.