Hey Kona paddlers, how's that vog treating you? Over there for a race last weekend and at the turn I could barely make out the shoreline, let alone Holualoa. My throat was scratchy and my eyes where itchy. Are you noticing any effect of the vog with training and racing? How is it affecting your health and well being? The vog is frickin' gnarly!
Submitted by King of Kailua on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 11:32pm
I was there in August. I was so excited to go back after my first time there two years ago. I was going to look for property to make it permanent. Not now brah, it looked like L.A. somg every day and your can't turn off mother nature. Who knows how long it can be this way!
#1 Tue, 11/11/2008 - 2:35pm
I went Kona twice and both times the vog was major. The key I was told was to drink around 1 liter of water or more an hour. It helped. My throat wasn't scratchy.
#2 Tue, 11/11/2008 - 4:33pm
And now that the trades have dropped off, it's going to get thick again. I used to live and work in Kona. I don't know if I could do that again the way Pele is shrouding the town in haze these days.
#3 Tue, 11/11/2008 - 6:08pm
I paddle at Kawaihae and it gets bad there, too. Burning eyes, scratchy throat, etc.. It was really bad in March and April.
#4 Tue, 11/11/2008 - 8:13pm
Then there's the "vog cough". I felt more fatigued than usual. Beer helps, though. I just don't think I drank enough.
#5 Tue, 11/11/2008 - 8:16pm
I would have thought Kawaihae would be far enough towards Kohala for the vog to dissipate with the trades but I guess not! From what I have heard, Hawaiians did not make a permanent community in the Kona area until the missionaries came. Smart buggahs.
#6 Tue, 11/11/2008 - 10:32pm
There are records of thriving commnuities in and around Honaunau, Kealakekua Bay, Keauhou , Kailua, Honokohau, Kaupulehu, and Kiholo pre discovery and pre missionary. All of these are west Hawaii areas exposed to trade wind blown vog. There was also a large community in Honuapo in Kau. This is directly down wind of the eruption areas.
Hawaiian's also had words for volcanic haze. Noeuahi and uauahi were two of them. Volcano's are what formed Hawaii,
the people who chose to live here found a way to live with it.
I also believe that's why Primo beer was invented. Drink plenty fluids!
#7 Wed, 11/12/2008 - 7:49am
Something else to consider about vog.
At this year's HCRA state championships, the winners of the A, AA, and AAA divisions were all West Hawaii canoe clubs.
These clubs train and live in areas exposed to the effects of the volcanic emissions.
Perhaps there's something beneficial?
#8 Wed, 11/12/2008 - 8:53am
Vitamin V.
#9 Wed, 11/12/2008 - 9:21am
There you go Jibofo, great idea!
You can buy fresh water taken from the depths of the sea off Kona. We can sell bottled Kona air with organic Vitamin V,
"Air of Champions"
#10 Wed, 11/12/2008 - 9:49am
Do you want some bottled tahitian air ? With Vitamin S !
#11 Wed, 11/12/2008 - 7:01pm
I was born in the village of Mountain View on the Big Island in 1944. I have owned property in Volcano Village and in Hilo. It saddens me to say that as much as I would like to move back to the Big Island, the current condition of the air quality, almost island wide at this point, prevents me from doing so. When the trade winds die the vog extends to Oahu and if they die for more than a week the vog extends to Kauai. I don't have the information to know how long volcanic eruptions occurred continuously in the historic past and how they affected population shifts but the real estate and land development people that I have spoken to indicate that there are serious questions being asked about future speculation on the Big Island.
#12 Wed, 11/12/2008 - 8:28pm
we have a similar problem in Hong Kong caused by the eruptions from all the factories in southern china! some days you can't even see 1 mile across the harbour ...
I think I would much prefer the Kona VOG than the Hong Kong SMOG!
#13 Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:38pm
Up here on the frozen , windswept coast of Maine all is pristine . No Earthquakes, Vog , Pollution, Pestilence , Staff infectioins, Sunamis , nothing of that sort.
Everyonce in a while though ALgore flies overhead in his private jet on his way to some global warming summit, spewing hyrdrocarbons into our stratosphere.
" All Truth All the Time"
Fuzerider
#14 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 2:40am
I don't know, maybe VOG is preferable to Republicans.
#15 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 3:36am
The trades are "off" right now and in Hilo, even with the rain, I can feel the difference. My eyes are itchy, my throat is dry, and I am thirsty for water. Those are my symptoms. I can't say I know much more than that about how the vog affects me. I am thankful I do not have any systemic respiratory problems like asthma to compound the issue. I am glad the rain is here to clear the air somewhat, otherwise I am sure there would be a haze rolling down to Kea'au for sure.
#16 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 6:57am
Aloha Hiro,
Is that vitamin S for speed or Shell?
#17 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 7:26am
tommy, out of curiosity, what questions are real estate people and development people asking?
#18 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 7:56am
I have been in the construction industry in Hawaii for many years, during most of the economic downturns (with the exception of the one that spanned nearly 10 yrs. in the 80s) we have seen foreign investments increase when domestic investments in Hawaii were declining. This last period saw solid domestic investment on all 4 major islands. With the advent of the VOG issue on the Big Island I have had two very large projects with mid-level and affordable level homes be shelved, this would probably be more attributable to the economy since most of these homes would be destined for local residents. Unfortunate given the need for affordable housing on all the islands. The added insult of the bad air may be the demise of the luxury market on the Kona Coast. I have actually seen several owners walk away from their Kukio & Hualalai sites after investing millions in the dirt and hundreds of thousands in site (lava is not easy) work. While some of these projects have been put on hold others have been abandoned.
As an asthma sufferer I can tell you that the SW wind conditions affect the whole state, we have 3 days of VOG predicted on Oahu this week and so my medication and fluid intake is on the rise. This could go on for 1000 years! On the other hand humans are adaptable and this could result in us locals having lungs like sherpas....look out Tahiti!!
#19 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 10:51am
Its the new ( June 07? ) vent too that is juuuust pumping.
Something like a ton of solids everyday i believe ... + its in a spot where it is even easier for the stuff to get picked up and blown over.
The drive from Mtn. View to Kona around South Point on even a clear day reminds me of how one would say .." here we go." as you plunge into L.A. smog.
King, are you in Hilo or up the Hill a bit ?
We have watched the value of our property plummet over the past year but would not attribute all of it to the VOG.
#20 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 11:12am
"King, are you in Hilo or up the Hill a bit ?"
I'm in Paradise Park renting a home that the owner has been trying to sell for some time. The market is staying depressed though so I'll probably be able to rent it for a year or more from now. Rainy day today in the park, but I hear there are rays of sun over Hilo Bay today so I am heading out soon for a green buoy-Papa'ikou-bridge run after lunch.
My gf has some asthma and these voggy conditions get to her a lot more than me. If this rain helps her symptoms out, I'm happy for that.
#21 Sun, 11/16/2008 - 9:17pm
Funny this came up, right now we're studying climate change and we just came upon a resource that said the current eruption rates on the BI is enough to have a global climate impact. Pretty interesting stuff.
#22 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 2:00pm
Just did a lap of Kealakekua Bay to get my daily Vitamin V!
Actually here at sea level in Napo'o po'o, it's not as bad
as just 500' up mauka.
Last week the VOG was coming out at 500 tons per day!
This time last year it was just 125 tons per day...
Choke smoke
#23 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 2:53pm
Mike A, you got it wrong, S stands for SuperSexy !
#24 Thu, 11/13/2008 - 4:34pm
Hiro C.
You are absolutely right. What was I thinking?
Tahitian vahines definitely have vitamin S, Can we put them in bottles?
Sea you later.
#25 Fri, 11/14/2008 - 7:57am
You guys are right, the Big Island sucks.
#26 Sat, 11/15/2008 - 5:46pm
I paddle too. The weather is bad here like burning eyes, scratchy throat, etc...
Hilo Bay Helicopter Tours
#27 Thu, 12/11/2008 - 6:28pm
I live on the Big Island and I can tell you my wife and I are looking at moving back to Oahu. The vog sucks. I have concerns about what it is doing to my kids long term.
#28 Sat, 12/13/2008 - 1:37pm
Isn't it working its way to Oahu??
#29 Sat, 12/13/2008 - 2:13pm
Yes, it does reach out to the rest of the islands, but at least it's not as concentrated as being right there on the Big Island. Plus depending on the wind direction/weather, it can be non-existant on the other islands.
#30 Sun, 12/14/2008 - 12:21am
I love The Big Island but alas, I'm considering a move back to O'ahu as well simply because of vog issues (((sigh))).
#31 Sun, 12/14/2008 - 11:06am
Hang in there King ... just get past this month.
Take a drive up to Waipio.
Aloha,
pog
#32 Sun, 12/14/2008 - 11:27am
lmao, tell me that this last one is a joke.
#33 Tue, 07/28/2009 - 6:24am
Actually, as of now (late summer '09) the vog seems a lot better than it used to. Granted I haven't been spending much time in Kona, but the Hilo air quality seems improved. With the Liliuokalani race coming up are there any reports from Kona? Is the situation improving?
#34 Wed, 07/29/2009 - 7:42am