The island upon which Stan's Leap takes place, Henderson Island, is real, as is  its reef, lagoon, the Point and beaches. It was settled more than five hundred years ago by Polynesians, and shortly afterward, it was abandoned, never again to be populated.  What happened to the Polynesians' short-lived civilization is, today, a matter of speculation. The only sign that it was ever inhabited are some scattered five-hundred-year-old bones in Lone Frigate Cave.

If one looks at a globe of the world, centered on Henderson Island, it's easy to see just how isolated it is, and why it often goes  years without visitors other than the occasional visit by Pitcairn islanders or a wayward private yacht. It is, very likely, the least visited bit of land on our planet.