The fiery power of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano captured in series of stunning images

These incredible pictures underscore that Hawaii truly is a hotspot tourist destination. 

The red-hot photo series showing glowing lava spurting out of the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island and into the sea was captured by San Francisco-based Michael Shainblum.

He told MailOnline Travel that it was ‘incredible’ being so close to such fiery power and likened it to ‘watching fireworks’ with ‘explosions happening every few minutes’. 

Michael Shainblum ventured to Hawaii’s Big Island to see the Kilauea volcano spewing lava into the sea. Quizzed on one of his favourite moments during the shoot, Shainblum replied: ‘There was this one moment where a double rainbow appeared over the lava [above] and I shot a wide-angle image of it. I was already stunned by witnessing this lava waterfall pouring off the cliff, and it’s a big waterfall too’

At one time, Kilauea ‘produced 250,000-650,00 cubic yards of lava per day – enough to resurface a 20-mile-long, two-lane road each day’

‘The sights and sounds, it’s hard to describe. You feel the power, the heat from the lava,’ Shainblum said. To get as close to the action as possible, Shainblum ventured to a nearby cliff and also took a boat trip so he could see the lava spewing from a different perspective

He said: ‘The sights and sounds, it’s hard to describe. It’s a combination of just… you feel the power, the heat from the lava. 

‘And what’s crazy is because you’re standing on the ocean you also feel that ocean breeze on the other side. It’s a combination of warm and cool hitting you at the same time… It was really crazy.’

To get as close to the action as possible, Shainblum ventured to a nearby cliff and also took a boat trip so he could see the lava spewing from a different perspective.

While the images make it look like the American was in the thick of things, he said he maintained a safe distance at all times and took the necessary precautions thanks to expert tips from a photographer friend of his. 

By using a telephoto lens, Shainblum was able to capture the explosions in glorious detail, with tiny shards of rock mixed among plumes of smoke coming into focus. 

He revealed that even when you’re some distance from the lava you still feel close because the molten rock is ‘so hot that it just fills the air with heat’.

When nightfall descended, Shainblum found the scene became even more spectacular with lava ‘glowing amongst the darkness’ and lighting up the sky ‘like a big lantern’.

Shainblum told MailOnline Travel that it was ‘incredible’ being so close to such fiery power and likened it to ‘watching fireworks’ with ‘explosions happening every few minutes’

LEFT: By using a telephoto lens, Shainblum was able to capture the explosions in glorious detail, with tiny shards of rock mixed among plumes of smoke coming into focus. RIGHT: When nightfall descended, Shainblum found the scene became even more spectacular with lava ‘glowing amongst the darkness’ and lighting up the sky ‘like a big lantern’

Quizzed on one of his favourite moments during the shoot, Shainblum replied: ‘There was this one moment where a double rainbow appeared over the lava and I shot a wide-angle image of it… I was already stunned by witnessing this lava waterfall pouring off the cliff, and it’s a big waterfall too. 

‘The lava waterfall, it was pouring I think close to 100ft off the cliff. It’s definitely not small. And then all of a sudden, a double rainbow appearing at sunrise – it feels like something that’s not even possible to witness. It feels like something out of a fairytale. That was my favourite moment.’ 

The Kilauea volcano is located in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park. It is famed for being one of the world’s most active volcanos. 

The tourism board notes that at one time, Kilauea ‘produced 250,000-650,00 cubic yards of lava per day – enough to resurface a 20-mile-long, two-lane road each day’.  

To see more of Michael’s work visit his website, www.shainblumphoto.com, his Instagram profile, www.instagram.com/shainblumphotography, and his YouTube channel. Volcano Tours is one of many local operators in Hawaii offering tours to volcanoes scattered among the islands.