Capturing the Moment

Lava overlook SFX Crew   After seven months of working in the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Alaska, I am finally back in the Hawaiian Islands. I'll be running the expedition side of things again on the UnCruise boat Safari Explorer. The trips are one-way, week long, adventures from the Big Island to Molokai, or vice versa. I am excited to see alot of veteran crew back again this year as well as some fine new additions. Bowriding Spinner Dolphins Backflipping dolphins   We managed a few days of training before the boat showed up and again I took advantage of that time to get the crew over to the Hilo side of the Big Island to see the active volcano. The flow has moved a little from last year and is just trickling into the ocean now compared to the fire hose that caused a huge steam cloud last winter. We tried to walk uphill towards the fresh surface flows but were eventually turned around by the sheer distance across the treacherous terrain. ...

   How to see the Lava Ocean Entry on the Big Island of Hawaii    One of the best nature spectacles on Earth has just gotten a lot easier to see. Checking the USGS Kilauea Volcano eruption update page show the lava is still entering the ocean. This is something worth seeing. It used to be difficult, and at times illegal, to make your way out across the fresh lava fields to see the active flow cascading over the cliff into the sea. I went two years ago in March, and had to sneak out past the county guards who were there to make sure only those that went out with a tour group gained access (check out that story here ). Now it is a whole different story. Where did this come from!?    Guards are still at the end of the road, where the far reaches of the lava flowed across the town and beautiful black sand beach of Kalapana in the early 1980's. But now the guards are there to help you park, point you to the bike rentals, and remind you to sunscreen up ...

The Big Three Must-do Adventures on the Big Island of Hawaii Hiking on Lava   When on the Big Island of Hawaii there are three unique adventures that comprise the 'Big 3'. Hiking out to see the ocean entry where lava from Kilauea Volcano is dumping into the sea, Watching the sunset and then star gazing from the summit of the tallest mountain in the world Mauna Kea, and finally to go swimming on the famous manta ray night dive off the Kona coast. You will need 3 different nights and a pretty good rental car to complete all of these amazing and unique feats so good luck. Lava Pictures for Sale    1: Hiking to the Lava Ocean Entry : This can be the deal breaker because even though Kilauea Volcano has been actively erupting since Jan 3rd, 1983 it does not always flow into the ocean. Sometimes the escaping lava can flow back underground through cracks and tunnels, or towards towns like it did two years ago in Pahoa, or just bubble at the lava filled crater lake. ...

Lava flowing from Kilauea Volcano Pele Battles the Sea   It has been three years since lava has flowed into the ocean on the south shore of the Big Island. Kilauea Volcano has been active this entire time, and even came close to destroying the town of Puna. I always keep a close eye on the flow at the US Geological Survey website here: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php . This gives you daily updates on the crater lakes at the summit and the outbreaks of lava like the one entering the ocean right now. There are several families who run hiking tours out to see the lava, as well as some boat companies that will go in for great photo opportunities. Be prepared to use some long exposure to get good nighttime pictures. This natural phenomena is one of the coolest spectacles on earth. Stars over the lava lake at Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

For the past three and half years I have been sharing the Hawaiian island experience with visitors. One question I often get is what is my favorite thing to see and do here. It is a hard question to answer. We have world class surfing waves, great scuba diving, an annual migration of playful humpback whales, and some of the best waterfall hikes anywhere in the country. But as a photographer, a scientist, and an adventurer there is one thing that stands out above all the rest. Glowing Lava Meets the Ocean Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii has been erupting continuously since 1983. It sits on top of the hot spot in the earth's crust that has formed all the Hawaiian islands over the last 70,000,000 years. While the eruption is continuous, the amount of activity can rise and fall. Sometimes the only activity is churning lava inside the crater, creating a glowing smoke trail. But often on the slopes northeast of the crater breakouts happen. Lava will ooze out of undergro...

  As soon as I heard the lava flow on the Big Island was flowing back into the ocean I wanted to see it. I saw this phenomenon ten years ago but ever since moving back out to Hawaii the lava has been pooling up underground and not flowing into the ocean. This all changed a few days ago when the lava busted out of several tunnels and started flowing over the edge of a forty foot cliff down to the black sand beach and crashing waves below.  With the help of my friends Erica and Brent we worked our way out past the county guards with their walkie-talkies and out onto the flow. It is something that you just have to add to your list of must sees. An endless sea of pahoehoe lava rocks that have cooled into amazing formations. Some still look viscous while others bunched up into wire rope forms. As sunset got closer and as we got farther into the flow we started to see glowing red from up ahead. After an hour of rock hopping across the flow we slowly crept up to the active surfa...

At the end of the road past Kihei, Wailea, and even Makena you get to an impassable lava field. This lava flow is less than 1000 years old and it still very barren. While the rugged, uneven terrain stops all vehicles and most travelers, some people persist and step foot onto the ancient 'King's Highway.' This is an old coastal path that led completely around the island. Legend has it that warriors would patrol the coastline day and night to make sure they were never surprised by a war party from a neighboring island. Some people claim to see the spirits of these warriors still this day. These ghost-warriors are commonly called 'the Night Marchers.' It wasn't the night marchers that made me caution my spur of the moment decision to take this adventurous hike...it was the fact that I was wearing little rubber sandals! If you take a close look at the picture of the actual trail you can see how uneven the loose lava rock is that you tread upon, not to menti...