Big Island Lava Flow | FerrariChat

Big Island Lava Flow

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Glassman, Mar 9, 2008.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed Silver Subscribed

    My wife and I spent Friday night in Hilo and then drove up to the crater on Saturday. We wound up being about the 20th car into the site. A short 1/4 mile walk and we were just a few feet from the fresh flow. Hotter than hell and flowing very fast. It was pretty interesting watching the island grow as red hot lava dropped into the ocean in a haze of steam, and of course toxic fumes. It was moving so fast that one finger quickly cut off the ocean viewing platform, and a jungle area exploded into flames in seconds as the flow reached its edge.
    Anybody else on the Big Island for this dramatic show of nature?
     
  2. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

    Mar 16, 2002
    13,337
    Ex-Urbia
    Full Name:
    Jack
    Never been there, but any time I see footage on TV I'm dumbfounded. I think it's one of the coolest things to watch, especially when they get the underwater shots. That's great you were able to see it in person.
     
  3. rtking

    rtking Formula Junior

    Mar 5, 2006
    703
    Huntington Beach, CA
    Full Name:
    Bob King
    Sounds awesome. My wife and I spent our honeymoon on the Big Island in 2005 (on the Waikaloa, or leeward, side.) We couldn't get very close to the flow, maybe 1 mile away? The acidic cloud and glass that could come raining down were reasons why we were kept back. But we could walk on the older lava flows to get a better view. Have they allowed visitors to get closer?
     
  4. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 14, 2003
    60,788
    In front of you
    Full Name:
    BCHC
    Try flying over it.... :)
     
  5. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed Silver Subscribed

    At night.
     
  6. Rexcoltrain

    Rexcoltrain Formula Junior

    Nov 6, 2003
    671
    Oahu, Hawaii
    Leaving for Hilo in 6 days, can't wait!
     
  7. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 14, 2003
    60,788
    In front of you
    Full Name:
    BCHC
    That's cool! :)
     
  8. djui5

    djui5 F1 Veteran

    Aug 9, 2006
    5,418
    Phoenix, Arizona
    Anyone get pictures?
     
  9. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed Silver Subscribed

    I have a few. I just can't get them from the camera to the computer yet. I might need the manual
    The problem in the daylight is that the lava turns gray on the surface and kinda blends into the existing lava. Only the flowing end is bright red in the daylight. But you can see the whole gray mass moving very quickly. I have no night pictures, that would be awsome.
     
  10. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 14, 2003
    60,788
    In front of you
    Full Name:
    BCHC
    as long as your car is safely tucked away in the garage....... ;)
     
  11. robert_c

    robert_c F1 Rookie

    May 12, 2005
    3,417
    SoCal
    Full Name:
    Robert C
    Been there. We drove in from Pahoa in a Jeep and it was crazy. The road all of a sudden disappears into a lava flow. We drove onto the flow and went right to the hot stuff. The nice thing about coming in from the west is that the wind always blows away from us so there is no smoke in your eyes. When it hits the ocean a huge smoke plume is created. It was dangerous, so I have to add my disclaimer. Don't do what I did. After we left, we went the normal route and went to lava tubes higher up the volcano. They are huge caves where the lava flowed through, and left long empty tunnels after the lava cooled.
     
  12. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 14, 2003
    60,788
    In front of you
    Full Name:
    BCHC
    I did that once as well only it was raining. We had walked out there quite a ways when the wind happened to change direction, turning the steam plume in our direction. When my friend (local) saw this he just said RUN! When were about 100 yards from his car and the cloud got directly over us, the rain coming through it actually started to burn!!!! We all trashed our shirts and poured our drinking water over ourselves in the car.

    What an experience! :)
     
  13. Rexcoltrain

    Rexcoltrain Formula Junior

    Nov 6, 2003
    671
    Oahu, Hawaii
    #14 Rexcoltrain, Mar 20, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017

Share This Page