The Creative Adventures of Kawika Singson
By Sara Stover
Daredevil. Lava chaser. Photographer. Host of television series Everything Hawaii. While all are accurate descriptions of Kawika Singson, the moniker he prefers is “creative adventurer.”
“I don’t call myself a photographer. I just like to be creative,” he affirms. “And I am always learning something new about the camera!” It’s this passion for finding creative outlets that drives Kawika to head out to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park with his camera.
“Not before checking the park’s webcams first,” Kawika points out. Fans of his YouTube videos may know him as a free spirit who frequently drives off in his truck with no clear destination in mind, turning onto whatever road his na‘au (intuition) leads him down.
Kawika’s treks to Volcano, however, are much more calculated. “After years of visiting the lava flow, I can just look at the light in the webcam and know if I should make the drive from Kona for a three-hour hike.”
Treading Lightly
Despite all the precautions taken, the danger Kawika faces is undeniable. Hardened lava can be as sharp as razor blades or as fragile as paper. Lava tubes are deep.
The sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen halides, and hydrogen sulfide that can be emitted from Kīlauea Volcano are unsafe for humans in high concentrations. There are also risks of being hit by projectile molten rock known as “lava spatter” during intense eruptions like that of 2018.
There are safer alternatives to getting up close to the lava, including using a zoom lens or drone for photographs. In the case of shooting lava, Kawika eschews these, insisting on experiencing what he photographs rather than allowing technology to do the work. What Kawika senses as he gets within feet of molten lava comes through in his photos, giving them a palpable depth.
“Photographers have died out there,” he discloses. “So, it’s important to be careful, listen, and observe. I am attuned to the lava. It’s like rice paper, so I’ve learned to walk lightly. It’s all about foot placement and how you apply your weight.”
This approach keeps Kawika out of harm’s way and also results in some otherworldly shots. “My intention is always to create an artistic shot and bring a vision to life that has been rolling around in my head!” Kawika explains.
Respecting the Lava
Kawikaʻs dad, Keihanaikukauakahihulihe‘ekahaunaele, was the caretaker at Makalawena Beach for many years. He instilled in Kawika the value of mālama ‘āina (taking care of the land) and leaving no trace, a principle that was passed down from Kawika’s great-grandfather, Kapena Hulihe‘e. The only sign that Kawika has been where he has is his photos and videos.
“Thanks to my dad, I’m not afraid of fire. It’s the lava you have to respect. I learned that at an early age,” Kawika says, referring to his first exposure to active lava. “It was 1974. I was 11. My dad was kolohe kine [rascal-like] and went holoholo [for a ride] to the erupting volcano. I was terrified!”
“We also saw Mauna Loa erupt in 1983. We watched it coming down the road! They eventually closed Saddle [Road], but we saw it before they did.” It was these impressions of fire and lava that stuck with Kawika over the years.
The creativity that Pele’s canvas inspires is not lost on Kawika either. Shortly after Kīlauea began erupting again in 2020, he ventured up Mauna Loa, standing on the same volcano he once watched erupt. Kawika shot some photos of the stunning lava lake from four miles away, then headed home.
It wasn’t until later that he saw Pele’s face in the plume. “Faces in the lava are common for me to see. But this was unreal—I looked at it again and again!” he recounts. “The unexpected really makes the best photos!”
Kawika’s hikes up Mauna Loa rarely prove fruitless. In February 2019, he was traversing her slopes when he came across a 600-pound bomb.
“It was one of the demolition bombs that had been dropped on an erupting Mauna Loa in 1942 to see if it could redirect the lava that was flowing toward Hilo,” he says of the rusty object he found embedded in the lava. After discovering another unexploded bomb 50 feet away, he quickly left the area, notified the DLNR, and gave officials the GPS coordinates to the site. In total, there were 10 bombs found in a 100-yard radius.
Chasing the Astounding
Kawika doesn’t spend all his time in lava fields. Some of his most astounding images are taken underwater.
“For my fish ball photos, I sometimes dive down hundreds of times with my GoPro until I get the perfect shot from in the middle of the school,” Kawika says. Back on land, his photos range from spontaneous to intentional. “I try to get angles no one else does!” he says, pointing out a photo of lava flowing into the ocean.
“I climbed down a cliff because I wanted to get in the cave and take a photo from the inside looking out, as if I was behind a waterfall.” Kawika says, explaining how fragile the hot lava was in this instance.
“You have to ma‘a—you have to know what you’re doing!” he emphasizes. “I’ve stood in the ocean when it’s hot from the flowing lava, but I’ve never gotten burned. That’s where your akamai [smarts] comes in. You have to take into account the volume of lava going into the ocean.”
Kawika is always watchful, using his respirator when the wind changes direction. After years of experience traveling around Hawai‘i to document volcanoes, he knows how to traverse the lava and suggests, “Don’t try this at home!”
It’s the same phrase you may hear Kawika say on episodes of Everything Hawaii. His catchphrase, however, is “Alright, let’s go!”
With that, he takes viewers on a televised journey. Thanks to his adventurous spirit, athleticism, knowledge of geography and ecology, and passion for Hawaiian culture, viewers learn about, well, everything Hawai‘i!
From expeditions to Hawai‘i’s largest hōlua slide to the enchanting Arlene Falls, Kawika educates all who tune in. When the majority of the world was stuck inside in 2020, he provided his fans with a much-needed escape, using his camera and phone to take them along on his positivity-infused adventures.
Treasuring the Little Things
When it comes to adventures and capturing that once in a lifetime shot, Kawika has a well-earned reputation for going big. In his everyday life, however, it’s the little things that Kawika treasures.
“I was cruising Ali‘i Drive and saw this local guy sitting on the wall. He looks at me and all of a sudden, he gives me the shaka and I give him the shaka back,” says Kawika, chuckling. “A total stranger spreading aloha. I love it! Little things like that make my day.”
Moved by this simple gesture, Kawika turned around. “I wanted to aloha him back, so I gave him $20 from the Loose Change Fund,” he explains, referring to the money raised by fans of Everything Hawaii. Even the smallest donations go toward Kawika’s random acts of kindness island-wide.
“Being generous can mean giving 75 cents. It’s not about the dollar amount. It’s about giving from your heart.”
Finding the Courage to Be Creative
While Kawika doesn’t want others to “try this at home” he does hope to inspire us to find the courage to share our creativity with the world.
“Don’t worry that you don’t know enough. I was camera illiterate when I started out. I couldn’t even transfer files, but I just kept being me and sharing my experiences,” Kawika says, remembering a time when he had to sell his car to replace a camera that had been destroyed by volcanic gases, salt air, and heat.
When asked if it was worth it, his reply is: “Yes! You never know who you’re going to inspire or what doors it will open. You just can’t be afraid to be creative!”
Today, Kawika hosts Everything Hawaii weekly. Also, his photos can be found gracing the walls of the Marriott’s King Kamehameha Hotel. With more than 16,000 followers on Facebook, one million views on TikTok, and 61 million views on YouTube, a car seems a small price to pay. “When I put my art out there, I share aloha,” Kawika concludes. “Art is about being inspired and bringing your vision to life. And life is about spreading aloha!” ❖
All photos courtesy of Kawika Singson
For more information:
Instagram: @kveeks
Facebook.com/EverythingHawaiiTV
