Hawaii Caving Travelogue 2010

From the Desert of Kau and Beyond

The weekend of Feb. 13 & 14 featured continued small cave cleanup in the vicinity of Kula Kai Caverns. Several of these small sections ended up tied directly to the main survey. All will prove something of a headache for the final map. The goal is to continue detailing the complex connection between flow and tubes, and between tubes and their environment. This weekend we set aside images of yet more bloody squeezes for a short, relaxed weekend tour.

First up is the Saturday swap meet held every weekend in Ocean View. This event has grown into a full blown social affair. Fruit, vegetables and nearly every commodity you might associate with remote Hawaii are all on display. You could follow your imagination or follow your nose, either way you will be led to an interesting corner of the world. Best of all is the chance to greet friend and neighbor, catch up on news or gossip, and enjoy the sunny climate. We ran into a dozen people we knew, and are only here briefly. A very large familiar scene and a command appearance for those who are truly local.

And now for something completely different, we have Sunday and the Film Crew. Dave Bunnell is facilitating an entourage which is shooting caves around the world. This week it is Hawaii lava tubes. The crew spent a day at Kula Kai before moving to other areas of the island. No date for release yet. An authentic "caver type" model was hired for the live action shoot (with the pink hair). The scruffy vagabonds in ragged attire we normally associate with cavers are too much reality apparently for a project with a focused message that needs to be delivered without distractions. The camera rolled on a 7 foot track which allowed for infinite slow fly by. The end result is supposedly a newly employed 3D technique, although there is only one lense at work. Anyhow, CUT! on to gritty reality on Monday Morning.

Crew double checking for unnecessary distractions before heading into the cave. We're losing daylight! I only poke fun bccause they have Sten Lights and I don't. I will be interested to see the end product.