Get a Front Row “Hot” SeatBig Island
This year, Madam Pele, the legendary volcano goddess, decided it was time for a little housekeeping and shifted the flow from her favorite volcano, Kilauea, in a new direction. Since then – and things may have changed by the time you read this – lava is flowing from a vent in the volcano’s East Rift Zone, cutting a fresh path to the ocean.
When it breaks, boat companies like Lava Ocean Adventures and Lava Roy will be ready to ferry passengers to a front-row seat. Meanwhile, alternate tours are available. Lava flow updates are posted on tour company web sites and also can be found on the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park site and at hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/images.html.
Lava boat tours have become a popular attraction, grabbing the attention of national media as well as curious visitors. The tours provide, from a safe distance and with experienced drivers, an untouched view of the fury and raw beauty of an explosive natural phenomenon that can be seen only rarely in other parts of the world.
When fiery-hot lava, sometimes boiling at 2,100 degrees, collides with cool sea water, the impact is staggering. Picture a powerful grenade that explodes into a fountain of steam and hurls volcanic debris every which way. Yet a lava boat isn’t the only way to experience the blistering effect of a lava flow. Safe viewing is possible via several options, including hiking, biking and nocturnal helicopter flights.
A 15.5-mile bike ride will get you to the show. BikeVolcano.com has designed a tour that provides sunset views of lava hitting thesea and includes a stop in Kalapana, a village ravaged by earlier lava flows. Take to the sky for a panoramic view of molten lava burning and oozing over black lava fields. Big Island Air conducts night flights and Paradise Helicopters flies over the volcano in a chopper without doors.
Roar into volcano land on a Hot Rod Harley and steal the show. Outfitted with loud pipes, “lumpy” cams and jetted-out carbs, these super-beasts have enough raw power to stop molten lava in its tracks. Well, not really – but these supercharged bikes flex muscle like the lava-pumping volcano exhales force. Sinful Cycleworks, in Kailua-Kona, rents these machines for the 2-hour ride to the volcano.
By land, it’s possible to see lava flows from a coastline viewing area at the end of Highway 130 in Puna. The Kalapana site is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. To allow time to hike to the viewing site, no visitors will be admitted after 8 p.m. Admission is free. Though lava flows can be viewed during daylight hours, they are more spectacular after dark. For current information about the site, call (808) 961-8093.
The restless volcano has left its mark on the Big Island’s air quality. Volcanic smog, or vog, alerts have increased. Pick up a brochure or visit http://co.hawaii.hi.us for more information.
• Big Island Air (808) 329-4868
• BikeVolcano.com (808) 934-9199
• Blue Hawaiian Helicopters (808) 961-5600
• Lava Ocean Adventures (808) 966-4200
• Paradise Helicopters (808) 969-7392
• Safari Helicopters (808) 969-1259
