Surfing Near The Kilauea Volcano

Most of us are content to watch the Kilauea volcano eruption, from the safety of our homes, or if we happen to be in Hawaii, from a safe distance, with at least a few miles between us. Not professional surfer CJ Canuha though - He wanted to experience the thrill of being almost in-line with the erupting volcano!

24-year old CJ thought it would be cool to paddle surf in the ocean close to where the lava was flowing in. Accordingly, he teamed up with his photographer friend Kirk Lee Aeder, who planned to capture the event on his camera from a helicopter.

However, before embarking on their adventure, CJ and his friend left an offering for Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, that lives at the pit of the volcano (see Permalink for full story) - to obtain her blessings and good wishes.

CJ was eased into position with the help of a canoeist and a jet ski. He then paddle surfed as close as he could, but had to be very careful, because the water temperature in certain areas was over 200 degrees - hot enough to melt the wax off his board and scald his skin. After the event, both CJ and his friend said this was the most amazing thing they had ever done.