Lava Boat Operator Turpin fined $15,000

[Chunkster]

According to Hawaii News Now, Shane Turpin's lava boat tour company was fined $15,000 for operating two boats with only one launch permit on several occasions. It should be noted that these are not operational safety violations, but problems with ramp use permits. The story:

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/35633...t-a-permit

[Mac2017]

I know the guy is just trying to make a living, but I would have more sympathy if I had not been viewing the lava this week and the only pics I have were of his boat between the viewing area and the lava.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

these are not operational safety violations

Perhaps not.
But if he is operating / launching a boat without a permit and an accident were to occur, would his insurance company be willing to covered injured passengers?

[leilanidude]

quote:

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Originally posted by HereOnThePrimalEdge

these are not operational safety violations

Perhaps not.
But if he is operating / launching a boat without a permit and an accident were to occur, would his insurance company be willing to covered injured passengers?

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kinda like... not having a driver's license? [B)]

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

kinda like... not having a driver's license?

The Department of Motor Vehicles begins issuing them Monday, and officials say the new license could put up to 40,000 additional residents behind the wheel.

Act 172, which takes effect New Year's Day, creates the provision for the limited license, which requires proof of identity and Hawaii residency but not proof of legal presence in the United States or a Social Security card.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/30864...-the-wheel

[Kapoho Joe]

Given the fact that he has been sold out for over a year now I am confident the 15k will not be a hardship.

[Chunkster]

Kapoho Joe has a good point. Shane and his lawyer seemed more concerned about avoiding charges for the crew and staff than denying that there was a violation. I'm sure he has plenty of cash.

[randomq]

Is that the guy always filling his boats with water at the Pohoiki bathrooms? Bathrooms which have been otherwise closed for over a month...

He is probably already not covered by insurance if his passengers are injured riding in the boat while it is being trailered. Or violating the laws on viewing distance from the lava.

[seekir]

I used to fly the fixed wing tours out there in the Safari Aviation Maule (a small fixed wing airplane they offered when they couldn't fill their helicopter with the minimum to make a profit). I was out there flying with a Japanese couple a decade or so ago, and by sheer coincidence we were there at the moment the lava "bench" that forms at the shoreline lava entry collapsed and slid into the ocean. I believe I mentioned this experience here previously. When the "bench" began to break away and started to slide down (the apparently quite steep) rubble submarine slope, we could plainly see that its core, where it was breaking away at the base of the cliff, was still glowing red hot. There was a spectacular explosive reaction when seawater rushed into the expanding fracture below the cliff as the bench slid down the slope into the sea. Solid and molten rock flew up perhaps a hundred or so feet when the water rushed into the fracture and came into contact with the still molten core of the bench as it broke away.

When I see TV footage of these tour boats, they often seem way too close in light of what I saw that day, and well within the danger zone that exists during the moments the bench separates. It apparently does so routinely, I can remember arriving out there several times to see that the bench which had been visible on previous flights was gone, I just happened to be flying out there once with that Japanese couple to see the explosive event actually in progress. As I recall, one couple hiking on the shoreline that ventured too close in that era was found after a presumably similar event. They were both killed, and may have suffered a very painful death.

[Mac2017]

I read a article reference some kind of agreement with the coast guard about the viewing distance recently. Well the boat sure gave me a good laugh while the Mrs and I were watching from the viewing area. The lava boat was very, very, very close, at least from my estimation.