Visiting Kona in August, how is the vog in Kona?

by Melanie
(San Diego)




We will be visiting the Big Island (staying in Kona) in August. I was wondering how the 'vog' situation is. I haven't heard anything about it recently (here in San Diego) and had hoped that it was getting better. It sounded like it had gotten quite bad and unhealthful. No more blue skies and sunshine for the Kona coast!

Please give me an update or direct me to where I might obtain this information.

Thanks so much!
Melanie

Good Question!

I have lived here 20 years, and the vog has never been this bad. People that have lived here their whole life are experiencing health problems. The vog is made up of some very dangerous substances.

For more info, and useful links to sites with real time info on the vog, check out our Big Island Vog Blog




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Visiting Kona in August, how is the vog in Kona?

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Jul 19, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		VOG NEW
by: Anonymous

I've been coming here for years. My cousin has lived here for over 25 years. He used to live in Kona and moved up north (more towards Kohala estates).
He moved specifically to get out of the vog, but it still seems to creep up that way. I am here once a month for business, and I stay in the Palisades area, which has amazing views, but now you can hardly see the ocean the vog is so bad. It's very sad. If I was planning a vacation, unfortunately, I would not be coming to this island. I love it here, but while I am here, I definitely do have breathing issues.
Aug 29, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Dark and Dreary
by: Anonymous

We just visited Kona and were there for 2 days. Mostly, it was dark and dreary, except for the early morning sunshine. It was a real disappointment. Didn't feel at all like the sunshine of Hawaii that I was expecting. Also, we didn't feel well for a while (we did eventually) and our hotel told us to drink lots of water b/c some people had to go to the hospital (!). It was really an disappointment in our vacation to Hawaii, which overall was quite wonderful.
Oct 05, 2008
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		kona the big island
by: irei

Hi everyone i am a local ,living on the island for 22 years now and true the vogs has been the worst i have ever seen it !! i will say i took my family to disneyland in august in california and the sky looked just like that the same as kona soooo its not as bad as people like to say if you know what i mean its still wonderful in kona and all the aloha that we love to offer to everyone from the mainland so if you get a chance come see us on the big island aloha and mahalo
Sep 08, 2008
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starstarstarstarstar 		Aloha Island of Death
by: Shane Horan

Oh my god, It's horrible on the big island, especially Kona. Vog is killing plants and I'm sure it's people too. The views are beyond anything I've ever seen ,terrible. You can't see the horizon or the upper tropical slopes on Mauna Loa. Stay away from the big island at all costs, unless you like sucking in sulphur on a daily basis. It's should be called the Big "choke" Island, or Island of Death.
The real estate market is getting pummeled because of the vog. Bad investment if your not used to the bad air. Old people, kids should avoid this horrific island nightmare.
The locals and tourists are dying a slow volcanic death.
The quality of living is sickning.
Stay on one of the other pleasent islands in Hawaiian chain, plus the beaches are much better on the other islands and no vog!
Kauai, Oahu & Molokai/Maui are all nice.
Aug 14, 2008
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		vog is still thick
by: david

This is in response to the question from the people from Seattle.

The vog is still pretty much as thick as before, we did have one clear day last week, and it was a relief. The rain has slowed down, and this has led to brighter days, so the greyness isn't as bad as it was. All in all I would probably stay up north, at least Waikaloa, if I was just visiting.

2 scoops aloha David

P.S. more info about the weather can be found in our monthly free e-zine. The first issue comes out August 15th. Click here to check it out
Aug 12, 2008
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Visiting Kona for 2 weeks in mid Sept
by: Anonymous

Hi there, i'm wondering the same thing, we have a trip in mid-sept and we just love Kona, but if it's going to be gray/cloudy all the time, not sure if that will be the vacation we want. We live in Seattle, so have lots of cloudy/gray days here. It sounds like the Kohala Coast is better, so we could try staying there. I saw posts in July that weren't good, but i wonder if things are clearing up at all now? Can anyone let me know if it's getting better? I can't really tell from the links provided, not sure how to interpret them. Thanks!!!!
Aug 03, 2008
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		vog affecting health
by: Anonymous

the vog hasn't gotten better since it started back in March. I haven't seen the clear blue sky for almost five months. I have a 4 years old son who has been sick often with a fever of 102 or more every 2-3 weeks since the vog started. I have to keep him indoor most of the time and with ac on.
as for husband and I, we constantly having coughing and eye irritation. we are not sure how long this will last....very bad.for everyone's health......
Jun 30, 2008
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Vog still seems bad
by: Anonymous

We were in Kona in March, just after the "explosion" in the volcano. The air was like bad smog in the San Francisco Bay Area, only with the slight smell of sulphur, and grey instead of brown. Some days it looked like fog - never really saw actual sun, and we only saw 2 good sunsets.
It seems as though the vent is still spewing gas, so I'm assuming it's still about the same. If you have any lung problems, it's not great...

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