NewZealandGuide,
That amounted to pure luck. The volcano was in a phase lasting for quite a while in which lava reached the sea. I just happened to be on the Big Island at the correct time in late January 1993.
If you watch the film carefully, there are idiots right on top of where the danger is. They can be seen running away from plumes of hot ash.
I am actually much further back, and quite safe from the lava. But putting the video camera on the ground, with an attachment that doubled it's power to zoom in, gave me a picture that was entirely steady and, after much practice, aimed exactly where the action was.
Hours went by as I waited for semi-darkness to produce those stunning colors of the lava plume.
The actual danger was that I needed some light to avoid breaking a leg on the rugged ground, full of holes, which stood between my perch and the road where I had left the rental car. After that final shot, I evacuated the area very carefully before it was pitch dark. The bed and breakfast place in Volcano had given me a small flashlight, which was useless. I felt fortunate to reach the road.
The Intrepid Berkeley Explorer
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