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‘Fire hose’ lava flow continues its spectacular show

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COURTESY HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY

The “fire hose” flow from Kilauea Volcano’s Kamokuna ocean entry is seen today through a telephoto lens from the public lava viewing area, one-half mile east of the ocean entry.

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COURTESY HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY

The “fire hose” flow from Kilauea Volcano’s Kamokuna ocean entry is seen today from the public lava viewing area, one-half mile east of the ocean entry.

The “fire hose flow” of lava entering the ocean at Kamokuna on Hawaii island is now visible again.

“It’s quite robust,” said Janet Babb, spokeswoman for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. She said the lava gushing into the ocean had been obscured by fumes and steam as it entered the water.

The best estimate of the volume of lava flowing is between one and two cubic meters per second, or roughly 1 million to 2 million gallons of lava per hour, Babb said.

Visitors to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park can see the ocean entry from the lava viewing site, located on a point about half a mile east on the Kalapana side.

The Coast Guard is warning visitors to check that their hired boat operators are licensed, which ensures they are experienced and trained to get passengers to and from the lava viewing area safely, Capt. David McClellan said in a news release.

“Safety is always our top priority,” he said.

According to the USGS, the ocean surface temperature is 130 degrees at the lava entry site.

There has been a perceived increase in the number of illegal lava tour boat operators, so the Coast Guard has ramped up enforcement. The Coast Guard identified two boats operating illegally out of Pohoiki Boat Ramp.

Any commercial operator of a vessel carrying seven or more passengers for hire less than 100 gross tons must possess a master of self-propelled vessel license issued by the Coast Guard to operate on near coastal waters.

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