Lava Sea Entry

Lava Sea-Entry Viewing
The main Puna attraction is the lava sea-entry at the west end of highway 130. This was actively running when I visited in December 2001 although it had apparently slowed in January. I arrived a half-hour before sunset to see the sea entry both during daylight and at night. The more relaxed County staff and not the National Park Service run the viewing road and car park. It’s well organized; five dollars allows you to drive in and park your car. There are no problems driving over the track in a rental sedan. It’s a short walk to the viewing area. It’s necessary to bring a torch to stay and view the lava after dark.


The lava heats the seawater as high at 80 degrees Celsius and the salt and water react producing a plume of hydrochloric acid that blows downwind from the sea-entry (and away from the viewing area.) The plume also contains small glass particles from the lava shattering when it hits the water. Larger fragments of lava wash up along the south coast forming black sand beaches.








The crowd of ~80 people was hushed at the site; most people stayed for 1-2 hours. Not sure that words or even photos do justice to the experience. I felt it was a beautiful and humbling experience to see fire meeting water and see the new land being created only 300 meters away. Thirty miles over the water to the south the next Hawaiian Island Lo’ihi has been steadily forming under the sea. Already a mountain with only 3000 feet to go before breaking the water in about 10,000 years time.
If you do only one thing on Hawaii Island, see the lava sea-entry, and not just from a helicopter.

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