Tourists injured after flying lava rock wrecks Hawaii tour boat
An investigation in Hawaii is underway after up to 23 tourists were injured on a lava boat tour off the Big Island.
A flying ‘lava bomb’ crashed into the roof of the boat as it cruised near the Pohoiki lava entry site.
A dozen people were treated at hospital suffering mostly minor injuries and burns but one suffered a broken leg.
Hot lava rocks were hurled out to sea after an explosion, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department.
Passengers said the boat was outside of safety no-go zone designated by the U.S. Coast Guard but DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers are investigating.
The lava boat captain reported that the boat got as near as 600 feet to the entry point.
The boat, which was seen in images with a huge hole in its roof, is operated by Lava Ocean Tours.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Have your say Cancel reply
Subscribe/Login to Travel Mole Newsletter
Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. If you are receiving this message, simply enter your email address to sign in or register if you are not. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. ITR is free to our subscribers.
































Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025