Volcano Overflight: Kīlauea Lava and Rainbows
“What a fabulous overflight!” said Tropical Visions Video photographer and videographer Mick Kalber on the morning of Thursday, June 8, 2017, after a Paradise Helicopters’ overflight of lava from Kīlauea Volcano.
The crew witnessed “amazing rainbows over a very active lava lake, a variety of gorgeous pahoehoe flows oozing above and on the Pali, an ocean entry lava delta and quarter-mile long black sand beach, both growing rapidly!”
Puʻu ʻŌʻō was accessible but barely, that morning.
“Paradise Helicopters Pilot Sean Regehr was able to get us through the rain showers to Pele’s vigorously spattering lava lake,” explained Kalber.
The 61g surface flows are still breaking out above and on the Pali. Coastal surface flows appear to have abated.
“Pele’s molten lava continues to pour into the ocean at Kamokuna, her flows rapidly rebuilding the bench,” said Kalber. “Although it grows and subsides regularly, the black sand beach to the southwest is generally a quarter- to a half-mile long!”