(6) Those who argue that humans caused the Great Auk extinction point out that, in contrast to most birds, the Great Auk was confined to a limited habitat because they could not fly. (7) This kind of handicap can leave any species vulnerable to human exploitation. (8) It is easy to imagine that if the birds were consistently sought after as food, they might end up suffering a severe reduction in numbers or even become extinct.
(9) However, the rocky islands where Great Auks tended to swim to lay their eggs were so remote that even today it is difficult for humans to get to them except under ideal weather conditions. (10) Expeditions that sought out the birds as food sources would have been hindered by heavy fog and bad weather in many years. (11) That should have been enough to give the birds some successful breeding seasons.
Question
In context, which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 9 (reproduced below)?
However, the rocky islands where Great Auks tended to swim to lay their eggs were so remote that even today it is difficult for humans to get to them except under ideal weather conditions.
(as it is now)
way too tough
a hassle
really hard