Note! The contents of this posting are obsolete, there is currently no surface lava accessible on the island. When it does reach the surface again I will most likely be there, look to see an update of this article in the future!
The 61G flow reached the ocean a month ago, but only this last weekend did I get a chance to go out and see it for myself. It is quite a bit further to go than previous visits, about four and a half miles, but is it also much easier. I realized that my Getting to the Lava post is a bit outdated and a serious update is in order.
The 61G lava flow ocean entry at KamokunaThe 61G flow began on May 24th, breaking out on the southeastern flank of Pu’u O’o. The flow moved fairly quickly, cutting the re-built Chain of Craters Road and entering the ocean on July 26th. The flow is quite vigorous with an ample supply of lava. There are currently multiple surface breakouts and multiple ocean entry points. The flow is building new land near Kamokuna, the lava delta has added around 11 acres to the Big Island in one month.
Map of the 61G lava flow as of July 2ndWith easier access and a dramatic ocean entry the 61G flow is drawing large crowds of visitors that have come to see the spectacle. In my opinion the trip is very much worth the effort. Still, there are inherent risks in experiencing raw nature like this. A little preparation is in order and may prevent a visit from becoming an emergency.
A helicopter ride over an active volcano… With no doors.
In mid-July deb and I took a helicopter flight over Kilauea with Paradise Helicopter. A lot of fun! I took all of the material we shot in our helicopter flight and assembled as a bit of video. A lot more view-able this way, more fun than a pile of images sitting on a disk.
On the other had I think I discovered all of the things that can go wrong when shooting from a helicopter with no doors! The wind and vibration is rough, making even the wide angle video of a GoPro jump about. Video shot on the DLSR’s was useless. I also discovered that helicopter blades passing in front of the Sun gives the GoPro Hero 4 Black exposure fits, with black ripples in the image. Thanks to image stabilization and fast shutter speeds the still photos are fairly good.
Seated in a steeply banking helicopter with nothing between me and the molten lava a couple hundred feet below is a thrill I will not soon forget. You can smell the sulfur and feel the heat. Hopefully a little of that comes through in the video.
I had promised Deb a helicopter ride months ago. It is about time to deliver on that promise. Just waiting for the volcano to do something interesting. Will a new lava flow work?
The currently active Puʻu Oʻo vent on KilaueaParadise Helicopter has a doors off Volcanoes and Waterfalls Extreme tour I really wanted to try. I have always been frustrated when shooting through a window on an aircraft, reflections or scuffed plastic windows always seem to spoil the shot. Not having a window, much less a door to shoot through was a huge incentive.
Processing photos of the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake presents quite the challenge. The very bright lava fountains are difficult to properly expose while showing anything of the surrounding scene. Yet another try is shown here. This version uses very heavy tonal editing to compress the dynamic range of the lava fountains while expanding the low end of the histogram to show detail in the rock walls. The result is interesting, but quite different than seen in person…
The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu sport several fountains of lava along the far rim, May 2, 2015.
Manning the Keck Observatory table at AstroDay had me in Hilo again this weekend. Already close, why not visit the volcano again?
The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu sport several fountains of lava along the far rim, May 2, 2015.This time I drug Deb along with me, not completely unwillingly I admit. A simple plan… Drive over the island early, do lunch at Hilo Burger Joint, off to the mall to do our thing at the table, breakdown the displays, and straight out to the volcano.
That “straight out” to the volcano part was a very good idea, I had made that clear in the plan. Arriving at the park we could see preparations and extra personnel ready for an onslaught of visitors. We got there just in time, parking in the Jagger Museum parking lot. A short time later we learned from the folks just arriving that they were parking at another lot further out. At least the Park Service had a shuttle bus running.
