Big Island Lava Boats

Greg Nottingham doesn’t even deserve 1 star. We went big island Dec. 2013. There was no flow at that time. He called us back and offered a private tour to some beaches which only known by locals. We paid a sky high price. It was 3 hours shorter than he promised. There was nothing we couldn’t see on our own and we were promised photos and videos. I received 2 – 3 pictures afterwards and nothing more coming. I checked back with Greg, and he said those pictures and versions are large size and it gonna takes long time to upload. Well, till now we have been waiting for 8 months. I guess HONEST Greg must be still work hard on our pictures and video.

I originally wanted to go on a lava tour, but lava was not flowing during the time I was visiting Big Island, so Greg talked us into taking a whale watching/​coastline tour. The price was the same as the lava tour, which was pricey for my wallet, but he made the tour sound so exciting. Unfortunately it was anything but.
The only worthy part of the tour is that we got to see whales, but this excitement was ruined by the false advertising. Greg said we would see waterfalls; we saw one tiny waterfall off the coastline, and it was not impressive. We actually did not even sail far out of the harbor. Therefore, everything we saw, we could have seen from land. Also, having to sit in a boat with the most awkward captain (Dan) was really awful; the entire tour, I sat in silence because I felt so uncomfortable!
Therefore, if you really want to go on a sailing expedition, I would not recommend working with Greg. Greg, who seems to be the owner, is very unprofessional and unorganized. He tried to blame the captain for the horrible trip, but as his employer/​associate, he should have taken some of the blame. Also, before the trip, we were on the phone with him for at least an hour just to put down our reservation; even asking us of our email address when he had already sent something to us. Finally, the tour was way too expensive especially when we did not go far at all out of Hilo Harbor. I have friends who could take me out of the harbor for free to go see things on Oahu.

My mom and I had heard that a great way to see the lava was through a boat tour. After some internet research, I called Greg at Big Island Lava Boats and he very honestly informed us that the lava was not flowing right now but that instead we could go out on a whale watch and see some waterfalls. We agreed to do the whale watch and had a great time with Captain Eugene and the couple of other people on the tour. We saw tons of whales and some great waterfalls and beautiful scenery! The next time that we are on the Big Island and the lava is flowing, we will book again with Big Island Lava Boats!

We did the lava walk on 8÷11÷13 with Andy. The walk itself was absolutely amazing, but a tough walk. We were a party of 7 which included 3 kids, the youngest of which was 6. Andy was excellent, talking us on a slightly longer, but generally easier pathway through the lava field. He had band-​aids & first aid kit for when the 12-​year old fell, twice. When my headlamp died, he had back up flashlights. Overall I give Andy and the walk itself 5 stars. His contact number is 808−333−6266.
So why only 3 stars total? I found this company through a google search to do a lava boat tour. I spoke with Greg and later Maitreya who led me to their website,

I was informed by both Greg and Maitreya that for our party with the 3 kids including a 6-​year old that the lava walk would be better than the boat ride. Even elderly folks do it. It would be no problem. We could walk right up and poke a stick in the lava. Everyone is going and roasting marshmallows over the hot lava. I was told we would have a guide who grew up in the area, knew lots of the Hawaiian history and lore and would explain the geologic background of the area. They did tell us it would be a long walk, 4 to 4.5 hours total as the lava now flows in a location further than it was several years ago (hence the difference in price as reflected on their website). Not sure why they haven’t managed a website update, I think the shift in flow location occurred about 5 years ago. It now costs $ 100 per person. I had read on their website they do small tours and when speaking with Greg and Maitreya they indicated their groups were usually 5 or 6, so I requested a private tour and was told it would be.
When I finally spoke with Andy on the phone (he called to check in several times before the walk to ensure we were dressed appropriately, brought water, etc.) he was much more honest about the difficulty of the walk and the potential issues for a 6-​year old. In the end we decided to do it, knowing we’d likely have to carry our youngest out, so no surprises there. However Andy is from New York, moved to the lava field a year ago and was not a wealth of information with respect to Hawaiian or geologic history of the area. He was very knowledgeable about paths across the field so we felt safe.
He scoffed when we asked about roasting marshmallows… the lava is 2000 degrees, you do not get that close. And they’ll burn up pretty much instantly. It was not flowing in an area we could walk up to, although we did walk across some very warm lava. I understand sometimes you can walk up and get closer, but it would take a very long stick to poke into it safely. And even then you need to be careful to not be over the top of a thin lava tube.
So, basically, it was not at all as advertised, but the walk was fantastic. Andy indicated that Greg did try to add another group to ours, but the family never called back, which would have really upset me, as we had requested and been told it would be a private tour. In the end it all worked out and we were happy with our tour. The other tours I saw there that night had well over 10 people each in the groups, so we felt good about our tour. And the lava flow is truly amazing!!!
Interesting side note, this company must have refused to advertise on Unilocal,the 2 5-​star reviews are hidden… not the first time I’ve seen this Unilocal tactic.

AMAZING!
First and foremost, thank you to George and Kyle for giving me the experience of a lifetime, and most importantly, thank you for your amazing availability. My group of 6 had booked a two night stay on the Big Island specifically to visit the volcano. We then found out only a few days before our trip that the only real way to see lava was via helicopter or boat. My 75 year old mother in law does not do heights so we began searching for a boat tour.
There are many boat companies that will charge you close to $ 200 a person to go on a boat tour with 25 other people. These however were all sold out for the only day we had available (a blessing in disguise). Through the power of google, I came across Big Island Lava Boats. The website did not have much information on it and there were maybe only around 5 reviews I could find on the company (which for me usually doesn’t fly); however, the reviews (although few) sounded genuine and we decided to take a chance and call.
Not only was George available 2 days before our planned trip, but he gave us great information on what route to take from Kona to make the most of our day and he gave us an excellent price ($ 145 p/​person which is the cheapest you will find). We booked our tour and two days later were on our way to Pahoa from Kona.
Side note: If you drive from Kona to Pahoa take the route George gives you. It is the longest route (3.5 hours) but on the way you see amazing fields of lava rock, Punalu’u Black Sand Beach (including sea turtles), and you can stop at Volcanoes National Park to see the crater and steam vents (aka: be on top of the volcano).
Once we arrived to Pahoa, we met up with George and Kyle (Other side note: Kyle grew up 5 minutes away from beachand has lived there his whole life), got on a 25 foot boat (seats exactly 6) and were on our way for our sunset lava tour. You sail out for about 30 minutes before you get to the lava but those 30 minutes are awesome! The ride is fun (not too crazy like other boat rides I’ve read about) and George is just FULL of cool information about the islands (he’s lived on the Big Island for 10 years and studies Marine Life). Then once you get to the lava, there are no words. To see lava flowing into the ocean live and in person… Nothing compares. Nothing. George so kindly took about 30 group pictures of us so that at least a few would show the lava in the background and then we eventually made our way back. By then the sun had set (gorgeous by the way) and night time started to fall and all the stars began to appear above the ocean. Again, amazing.
So long story short, the most amazing experience of my life thus far. If you plan on doing something like this, call this company (run by Greg Nottingham). Don’t even waste your time with the other companies. He is the real deal and you will hold on to those memories for as long as you live.

We had a wonderful trip with Captain George this week! After our 2:00 Blue Safari helicopter tour was grounded at the last minute, we decided to see if we could possibly find a boat tour to take us out to see the lava.
We really lucked out after talking with Greg. He had just had a cancellation a few minutes before I called and was able to call back his captain to come out for us. Our group of four had the boat all for ourselves! Greg was very nice and gave us excellent directions to the boating launch.
A few minutes later, Captain George called and made sure we were all set as well. He also offered to trawl a fishing line and give us some fillets to take back if we caught anything (unfortunately, we didn’t). He is extremely knowledgeable (working on a marine biology master’s degree) and was clearly excited about sharing his passion for the area. Above all, he is compassionate; an emergency stateside had developed before we went out and because I had very spotty service on my cell phone, he gave me his, which received service throughout the adventure.
The waters can be choppy; those of us who took anti nausea precautions had no problem at all, and those who did unanimously agreed the adventure was well worth the queasy stomach!
I strongly recommend booking with Big Island Lava Boat! This adventure was the highlight of our trip!

This is actually a review for a tour not taken and I will tell you why. It was not because we did not want to take the tour but we ran out of time. This is a review of the customer service that I received from Greg Nottingham, owner of the tour company.
If you have ever thought that good customer service was dead then you have never had a dealing with Greg Nottingham. Greg was very proactive from the moment I first contacted him about booking a tour.
Greg worked to try to get us on one of the evening tours but we had already made commitments for other functions on the days there was space available on the boats. We had even gone as far as to look at chartering Captain Eugene’s boat during mid day in order to go see the lava flow in to the ocean.
The next time I go to the Big Island the first call I will make will be to Greg at Big Island Lava Boats as 1. I want to meet this man that worked so hard on my behalf and 2. I want to see the lava flow in to the ocean from close range.
For great customer service I cannot give a better recommendation!

Finding this tour group happened by luck and purely by accident and procrastination. Thursday and Friday before the tour of this past Saturday, I called a number of different companies trying to establish a tour for my 2 friends, fiancée, and I. I stumbled across
and found this company. I spoke to the founder, Greg.
On the phone, he gave me details of how the payments work per person: $ 45 deposit before the boat ride and $ 100 after the boat ride to the fishermen. Also, he gave me directions to Isaac Hale Park for the boat launch meeting point. Finally, he said if there were any problems, to contact him at any time and the Captain of the boat. They sounded very accommodating and helpful.
In the morning of the tour, the four of us left Volcano (city) around 345am to get to the Park by 445am. Fortunately, we brewed coffee to keep me awake on the drive. When we got there, I forgot the last details of the meeting point and we waited in the wrong area. Whoops. So PAY attention as phone reception is spotty at the park.
Since we could not find him, we talked to another lava boat organizer and said that he had never heard of this company in a pompous manner. He had a flat affect, boring mood, lame personality, and did not seem to care. Anyway, I thought for a second that Big Island Lava Boat was not legit. Glad that Greg and the boat captain proved us wrong.
We finally met Greg and the captain of the boat and his buddy. We gave Greg the $ 45 deposit and jumped on the small white fishing boat with blue trim. From the boat launch, we went on a 40 minute journey to the lava flow. The captain kept the ride as smooth as possible even with some of the 3 – 4 foot Hawaiian waves crashing on the side of the boat. Sadly, hard to find a great place to catch waves. On another note, he had no padded chairs if you have a sensitive butt.
At the lava flows, the captain remained at the site for approximately 30 minutes allowing us to make a number of pictures and videos of the lava flow. Also, he and his buddy took our group shots for that personal lava background! And since it is a boat, if you have to use the restroom, try to go before, or you could use the bucket in the boat. We witnessed a female passenger squatting over the bucket and later the male passenger kneeling over the bucket with some rocking of the boat due to the waves. We decided not to shake the couples hands for the rest of the trip.
The captain also drove in proximity of the lava but kept a respective distance of 10 yards for safety and made sure that we were not inhaling the smoke. If you want to have the full affects of the lava smoke with sulfurs and many other chemicals, check out the other tour groups and enjoying developing bronchitis or possibly asthma.
On the way back to the boat launch, the captain maintained a steady course reducing the number of bumpy waves. In addition, he gave us some personal stories of how his family lost their home due to lava flows. Then, he told us about the former surf and hang out spots and how they brought in money for the communities. Also, he pointed out a flying fish and a huge catch from another fishing boat. At one point, he stopped to show us a lava tube, which had been used for a hideout for women and children during wars. Adding his personal life-​stories really made the trip.
By the way, the other boat company was zooming by and hitting the waves at faster speeds. The captain told us that he had no injuries while the other company has had a number of injuries.
To recap, the trip only cost $ 145 per person (cheapest of all tours). You have locals touring you and telling your stories of Hawaii’s past. Finally, he does not rush back and you have a 2.5 hour trip. Go with these guys!