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Puna Lava Reconnaissance Surveys On May 3rd, 2018 the Kīlauea Volcano erupted in the Lower Puna district of Hawaiʻi and on the night of June 3rd lava began entering the ocean at Kapoho Bay, an area known for its snorkeling and resident turtles. During the nearly four month course of the lava flow from Fissure 8 and the three months (May 28th - August 29th) of active lava ocean entry, it was brought to Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund’s attention that reports were being made of large numbers of stranded and trapped sea turtles. With support from an anonymous donor, an initial survey flight was completed by helicopter on the morning of September 4th, 2018 to track sea turtle presence both inside and outside of the previously active lava ocean entry areas along the Puna coastline and the follow up survey was conducted on November 16th. During the first flight, 16 turtles were spotted outside of the lava impacted coastline in surrounding coastal areas and 2 were observed adjacent to the lava flows. On the second flight, all 32 turtles spotted were observed outside the lava impacted coastline. While it is impossible to say how many turtles may have been negatively affected by the lava flow, but presence of turtles in surrounding areas is promising for recovery into the future. Photo credit: Joshua Lambus Photography / The Maka Project
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