Diving the Kona Coast: magma

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Lava Activity at Kilauea

During late April and early May, the volcanic activity at Kilauea really picked up. The lava lake inside Halema'uma'u crater overflowed its banks and spilled out onto the caldera floor resulting in a spectacular show! Betty and I spent two weekends in the rain, wind and cold to view this amazing sight and it was definitely worth it! The lava has receded underground for now, but could surface again at any time.

If you ever get an opportunity to see flowing lava, by all means take it!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

A Visit to Where the Lava Meets the Sea

This weekend was our 23rd wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to travel to the other side of the island to do a little lava viewing. We chartered a boat to take us close to the lava where we could see it flowing into the sea.

Due to "technical difficulties" with the boat, our sunset charter didn't start until after sundown. We also had a bit of rain on the trip. Nevertheless, these small hardships were worth enduring as our boat got really close to the lava entry. The glowing magma, the billowing steam, and the hissing and popping sounds were all very spectacular and astonishing. We've seen lava flowing in the past, but seeing it enter the sea from the vantage point of a
boat was really special.

If you visit the Big Island, this is something you really need to put on your "must do" list. We had a great great time and will remember this short trip forever.

A lava entry into the sea is one of those things that could end at any instant and possibly not recur in a lifetime. Also, there may come a time when authorities shut down trips like this due to the multiple hazards involved. We felt very fortunate to have had this great experience.

All the way back, we were treated to the sight of marine bioluminescence flying in the prop wash behind our boat. A bonus for having started late. We then went back to our room at Volcano House, a hotel that sits on the rim of the active Kilauea caldera called Halemaumau. Our stay there will be the subject of a future post!