Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii
Alison Teal claims to be the first woman to surf near an erupting volcano
Surfboard inches away from the exploding Kilauea Volcano
Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii
Swimming with sharks and selfies on skyscrapers have nothing on adventure enthusiast Alison Teal, who claims to be the first woman to ever surf right next to an erupting, lava-spewing volcano.
Described as the 'Female Indiana Jones', Ms Teal was photographed riding the waves on her pink surfboard inches away from the exploding Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. Underwater photographer Perrin James has taken some stunning shots and a video of Ms Teal's 'humbling and breathtaking' experience.
In a Facebook post on August 4, Ms Teal wrote about her incredible feat in detail. "With the guidance, support, and prayer of the elders, and following cultural protocol, I paddled within feet of hot lava rivers pouring into the ocean. It was humbling and breathtaking. The rawness, the heat, the crackling and hissing sounds, the reality check that we live on a planet that is alive," she says on Facebook.
And while that sounds fantastic, Ms Teal also does not encourage people to try this - "the water is boiling, the fumes are lethal and the ocean conditions are beyond treacherous."
Kilauea volcano eruption is flowing into the sea. Since I was a 3 year old naked wahine dancing hula on the lava rocks in front of my home, I always felt a connection with the earth, or the Aina as Hawaiians call it. One of my biggest dreams was to paddle my pink surfboard in a volcanic area to feel a true connection to earth being formed. Today my dream came true. With the guidance, support, and prayer of the elders, and following cultural protocol, I paddled within feet of hot lava rivers pouring into the ocean. It was humbling and breathtaking. The rawness, the heat, the crackling & hissing sounds, the reality check that we live on a planet that is alive. Many people think that we have control over the earth and I assure you we are pretty small in the greater scheme of things. What I learned through this experience is that life is short, fragile, and not worth stressing about. Everything is always in a constant state of flux - especially our molten core. Nothing is permanent, nothing is owned, nothing is for certain. We are but a tiny, wild planet in a huge universe and as humans we have been put on this earth to pour lava onto everyone and erupt our greatness onto the world so that it flows into the lives of others and forms solid families, friends, religions, politicians, and hardens into peaceful long lasting structures for our futures generations to build on. I saw the Goddes of the lava Pele in many manifestations - her face in the molten flow and her voice in my head. She reminded me that as women on this earth we have a duty to inspire, to flow with grace, and to live as the wild child that first reached it's legs to the earth. Thus I post this not as a photo to get views or praise or critique, but to share one of the most powerful moments of my life magically caught on camera by photographer Perrin James Franta - grateful to the support team for this life changing experience. I lava you all 🌋
IMPORTANT: I do not recommend doing this nor encourage it EVER, the water is boiling, the fumes are lethal and the ocean conditions are beyond treacherous. #lava #volcano #alisonsadventures
Think the picture is impressive? Wait till you watch Ms Teal in action in the video below:
