Is it possible to see lava flowing into the sea from ship leaving Hilo??

I wonder if recent cruisers were ever able to see the lava flowing from the cruise ship? We are on Emerald Princess in October with first stop in Hilo and second is Maui with the itinerary showing the route around the southern end of the Big Island so theoretically the lava flow could be visible.

Guess you missed the very recent story about the tour boat being hit by a "lava bomb" where the lava is flowing into the ocean west of Hilo.

All depends on the activity that day...lava might be visible, might only be steam/smoke. Or it might not be flowing in on a given day.

And how close the Captain feels like getting.

Guess you missed the very recent story about the tour boat being hit by a "lava bomb" where the lava is flowing into the ocean west of Hilo.

The OP specifically asked about the cruise ship, not a tour boat. The tour boat in question was within 200 yards of shore, inside the 300-yard exclusion zone that the Coast Guard had established. The cruise ship would be waaaaay beyond that.

That said, I read a recent review where the cruise ship did get a nice view of the lava flow.

-- Kevin

The tour boat was specifically permitted to be inside the 300 yard line. But that exemption no longer exists.

Guess you missed the very recent story about the tour boat being hit by a "lava bomb" where the lava is flowing into the ocean west of Hilo.

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Ha! Bruce I DID see that story and had actually planned on taking that tour boat because lava is one of the draws for going to Hawaii... That's why I'm hoping it may be visible from the cruise ship as we leave Hilo - it would be great to see the glow in the darkness. Fingers crossed!

 

That said, I read a recent review where the cruise ship did get a nice view of the lava flow.

 

-- Kevin

Thanks Kevin. That's encouraging. I would love the once in a lifetime opportunity to see lava, but the small boat tours are scary.

A couple of weeks ago we departed Hilo around 6pm and it was nearly dark by the time we got around that side of the island. Only saw the glow, enhanced by low clouds) but didn't get close enough to see lava hitting the water.

Some cruises do The Kilaeua Volcano- Evening Sail

The Princess itinerary map for years has been showing the southern route to go from Hilo to Maui, but on our cruise on the Star last September it didn't happen. We were disappointed and asked onboard and were told that the map was just 'generic' and that wasn't the route they follow!. It's possible that the captain might decide to actually do it if conditions are right for lava viewing, but I wouldn't count on it - it's considerably longer that way which means extra fuel and time.

I hope the ships get to cruise close enough for passengers to see the lava at night but know it is not always possible. In a post on CC I learned that if the water circulates through the ship gets too hot because of the lava entering the ocean the ship has to retreat. That was something interesting that I had not thought of. Of course now there is the danger of lava bombs. Mother Nature can truly put on a spectacular show. Hope you get to see it. Cherie

I was on the POA 2 weeks ago and we had hours of magnificent viewing. The side did NOT keep going and continue south, it did turn around and go back the north route. I have done this sailing over 10 times, and the 3 times there was lava viewing, all returned via the north route. (there were people who claimed it went south, can't figure it out?? but, clearly the land was port side in all my cases, insisting the claim on my sailing actually)

We did on Radiance May 2017. Sorry the pictures are blurred, hard to get a night time long distance shot from a moving cruise ship. ;p

I was on the POA a few years ago when we cruised past the lava flows while they were really quite small and not as active. The red glow was highly visible at night but we were a long way away from the action.

Taking good photos was near impossible because most people, who know little about photography, would use their flash which was totally useless on objects a half mile away or further. There were so many flashes going off that the area by the ship was highly illuminated making correct exposures too bright to see the lava.

The lava flow should be much more intense now and more highly visible and I just wish that the ship would make announcements to tell people not to use their flash as it just ruins the photos instead of helping.

Here's the safest way to view the lava, etc., thanks to video taken from a USGS helicopter recently: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia_chronology.html [scroll down the page a bit to "Video"]. I don't think any ship would want to get too close to the area because of the toxic gases coming off the flow and sharp glass-like particles in the air. Finally, here's a recent map showing the extent of the current flow:

https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia_maps.htmlhttps://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia_maps.html

Anyone who's been in the area in the past can really appreciate what massive changes are taking place in that landscape. The map shows how much "land" has been created in the Kapoho area

Thanks all for the photos, links and information. We'll hope to see some evidence of the eruption, but will settle for whatever adventure presents itself.

Our son and his fiance just got back from a POA cruise. They did get a few photos of the lava flow at night, although from a far distance. Still, they were able to see it.