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Hawaii native Alison Teal has become the first woman to surf in close proximity to an active volcano, which may not sound like it's that dangerous or too big of a deal, but it actually was.
Teal, who starred in an episode of the Discovery Channel's reality series Naked and Afraid , paddled out near the base of Mt. Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island to watch the lava flow into the sea, and she was caught on camera by underwater photographer Perrin James. The volcano, which has been erupting since 1983, started spewing lava again in May 2016, and Alison had a front row seat as the molten rock finished the six-mile journey from whence it came and met the sea for the first time in three years.
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Alison, the daughter of a pair of adventurous photographers, is an avid surfer with a signature pink surfboard. She grew up on the island and says she "has always felt a connection with the earth".
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Instagram
Alison said that prior to jumping into the water she saw a double rainbow, which was a good sign and put her at ease, washing away "any lingering droplets of fear". Her parents shot the rainbow from land, while James shot it from the sea.
In Hawaiian lore the rainbow represents several things, one of them being the celestial path that the Hawaiian Gods used to come to the earth. Alison said that the rainbow appeared to emanate from Kilauea, which is one of five volcanoes on the island and the home of the goddess Pele in Hawaiian lore.
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"When I was a baby & building our handmade home, we would sleep under the stars on the lava & during the day I would learn to swim in the tide pools & lie on the sun-warmed lava rocks for hours asking everyone, be it local fisherman, wise Kahuna, or my parents to tell me a story about Pele, the goddess of the volcano & how she formed my 'playground,'" Alison wrote on Instagram. "As the years passed the ancient lava field in front of my house became the only Hawaii 'playground' I knew. With a life of constant travel for my papa's adventure photography, coming back to Hawaii & seeing lava made me feel at home - it was literally & figuratively the rock in my life.
"
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Instagram
"IMPORTANT: I do not recommend doing this nor encourage it EVER, the water is boiling, the fumes are lethal and the ocean conditions are beyond treacherous," she wrote on Instagram.
Alison runs her own company,
Alison's Adventures
, says she paid her respect to Pele before embarking on her adventure as getting this close to a lava flow was going to be more dangerous than anyone thinks.
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Alison was hit by a "splatter of hardening rock spray" during her adventure and was able to get under the water in time.
"I paddled for my life to get out of the danger zone,"
she said
. "Afterwards I was exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. It was absolute endorphin high, but also terrifying: anything could've happened."
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Instagram
Alison is a graduate of the University of Southern California's film school and spends her time spanning the globe to make short films which she posts for free
on her site
and on
her YouTube channel
.
During her trip to an island in the Maldives to film an episode of
Naked and Afraid
she discoverd that the island was overrun with trash, including lots of plastic bottles and styrofoam, and her goal was to bring some attention to this epidemic.
She's also produced films about the Grand Canyon, New Zealand and Israel.
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Instagram
"One of my biggest dreams was to paddle my pink surfboard in a volcanic area to feel a true connection to earth being formed. Today my dream came true. With the guidance, support, and prayer of the elders, and following cultural protocol, I paddled within feet of hot lava rivers pouring into the ocean. It was humbling and breathtaking. The rawness, the heat, the crackling & hissing sounds, the reality check that we live on a planet that is alive. Many people think that we have control over the earth and I assure you we are pretty small in the greater scheme of things. What I learned through this experience is that life is short, fragile, and not worth stressing about. Everything is always in a constant state of flux - especially our molten core.
"Nothing is permanent, nothing is owned, nothing is for certain. We are but a tiny, wild planet in a huge universe and as humans we have been put on this earth to pour lava onto everyone and erupt our greatness onto the world so that it flows into the lives of others and forms solid families, friends, religions, politicians, and hardens into peaceful long lasting structures for our futures generations to build on. I saw the Goddes of the lava Pele in many manifestations - her face in the molten flow and her voice in my head. She reminded me that as women on this earth we have a duty to inspire, to flow with grace, and to live as the wild child that first reached it's legs to the earth. Thus I post this not as a photo to get views or praise or critique, but to share one of the most powerful moments of my life magically caught on camera by photographer @perrinjames1 - grateful to the support team for this life changing experience. I lava you all!"
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