Volcano Overflight: Black Sand Beach Continues to Grow

Jake Shimabukuro’s 6-8 from the album Nashville Sessions.

“A marvelously active lava lake, a variety of gorgeous pahoehoe flows oozing above, on, and below the Pali, an ever-expanding ocean entry lava delta and a black sand beach growing rapidly!” exclaimed Tropical Visions Video photographer and videographer Mick Kalber at 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, after a Paradise Helicopters’ overflight of lava from Kīlauea Volcano.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō was accessible, but barely, Kalber said.

“Pilot Robert Mitchell was able to get us through the rain showers to Pele’s vigorously spattering lava lake—but only for a few minutes—then the sulphurs and rain chased us away!”

The 61g surface flows are still creeping over the Pali and have now traveled about a half-mile toward the Pacific Ocean.

“Pele’s molten lava continues to pour into the ocean at Kamokuna,” said Kalber, “her flows rapidly rebuilding the bench.”

The black sand beach to the southwest is now about a half mile long, said Kalber.