Yesterday, molten rock rained down on a tour boat near the ocean entry of the lava flow from the Kilauea volcano, injuring 23 people. The Lava Ocean Tours Boat, Hot Spot, was on an early morning cruise to view the Kilauea lava flow where it meets the ocean. After observing the flow of lava from shore to the ocean from about 500 yards the tour boat owner and operator, Shane Turpin, decided to move the boat closer to the lava flow as he had not seen any explosions or increased activity. Feeling confident in the lava conditions, he maneuvered his boat to within 250 yards from shore. When exiting the area, a large explosion occurred, showering the boat with hot lava bombs that caused burns, lacerations, and broke one woman’s femur.

Lava bombs happen when the cooling lava is thrown up in the air in an eruption or, in this case, when the lava meets and interacts with the water. The lava cools enough to solidify and rains out of the sky as hot, solid rock. Turpin was quoted in the Hawaii Tribune Herald as saying, “As we were exiting the zone, all of a sudden everything around us exploded.”

#LeilaniEstatesEruption #KilaueaVolcano UPDATE (July 16 at 9 AM): Unbelievable footage from @IkaikaMarzo’s crew on board the @KalapanaCulturalTours lava boat captures the lava explosion that sent lava bombs (lava rock and debris) flying into the air, which landed on a tour boat that was operated by Shane Turpin. The Hawaiʻi County Fire Department has just confirmed 12 passengers were injured. We are told three people were taken by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center. Two passengers (no details on gender or age) were in stable condition. One, a woman in her 20s, is in serious condition with a fractured femur. The remaining 9 passengers drove themselves to the hospital, and the Fire Department reported their injuries were not as serious. Hawaiʻi County Fire officials say a lava bomb punctured the roof of the boat, leaving a large hole. One of the railings of the boat was also damaged. The lava tour boat returned to Wailoa Harbor in Hilo and docked near Suisan around 7 AM. #HawaiiNewsNow has learned that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is taking the lead on this investigation, which will involve the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the county. It’s unclear how close Turpin’s tour boat was to the Kapoho lava ocean entry when the explosion happened, but eyewitnesses report the boat appeared to be “very close”. On July 11, the Coast Guard changed their mandatory safety perimeter zone around ocean entries (Kapoho and Kalea) from 100 meters to 50 meters for licensed lava tour boat operators. I spoke with #IkaikaMarzo, who says he was consulted about the change, but disagreed with it — saying he believed it was unnecessarily close. All other mariners, without explicit written permission from the Captain of the Port of Honolulu, are required to observe a mandatory 300 meter safety zone around all active lava entry point. Stay tuned to @HawaiiNewsNow for the very latest developments! As soon as I have more information, I’ll update you. #HInews #HawaiiNews #HNN #WeAreYourSource (Images courtesy @IkaikaMarzo)

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Janet Babb, spokeswoman and geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory told the Tribune Herald that Fissure 8 (the fissure that is currently erupting at the Kilauea volcano) is estimated to pump 50 to 100 cubic meters of material a second into the ocean. When lava interacts with water it flashes to steam and can cause the lava to explode into fragments. It can also produce toxic clouds of acid and glass.

Turpin explained that after the explosion the boat banded together to help each other out as he made a hasty retreat to the docks in Hilo where they were met by emergency personal. Four people were taken to the hospital by ambulance while others drove themselves there. The most serious injury was to a 20-year-old woman whose femur was broken.

Lava Ocean Tours has been permitted and operating a USCG inspected vessel to visit the Kilauea flow since 2006. In 2013 they launched two specifically designed catamarans for visiting the volcano, and a third one delivered in May of last year.

The Kilauea volcano has been erupting for the last 35 years but a new fissure (Fissure 8) opened up about two months ago creating increased lava flow that has enveloped neighborhoods and homes on the Big Island. Prior to this incident the only other significant injury over the past two months was a man who was struck by a lava bomb on his balcony.

The United States Coast Guard reported yesterday that it was sending a USCG investigator to look into the incident. In May of this year the Coast Guard instituted a safety zone 300 meters out from the lava flow. Although according to a USCG press release, “certain commercial and research vessels with licensed captains demonstrating experience operating in the region and carrying all required safety equipment were given special permission to approach up to 50 meters.”