Alison Teal: she went surfing around the Kilauea Volcano | Photos: Perrin James

The "Female Indiana Jones" became the first surfer to ride waves near flowing lava.

Alison Teal has gone surfing around an erupting volcano on the island of Hawaii. The fearless 30-year-old world traveler and adventurer caught Kilauea Volcano's first eruption in five years.

But before embarking on the life-threatening challenge, Alison met with the Hawaiian leaders, elders, and kahunas to make sure her team followed the cultural protocol with grace and respect.

"Pele, the goddess of the Volcano, is a highly respected and often feared force in Hawaii, and very specific traditions must be followed to avoid certain death - if she does not want you there, you will know," explained Alison Teal.

"I share my experience to express the importance of nature not only in our survival but in inspiration. Many ask me, 'How are you so high on life? Where do you get your inspiration?' And my answer is nature."

Teal says she felt Pele's power, and she plans to share her experience with "children across the globe to stand as a fiery source of confidence against injustice, bullying, terrorism, gender inequality, religious warfare, and planetary pollution."

The surfing session around the Kilauea Volcano was captured by Perrin James, an underwater photographer. Alison, who lives in Kailua-Kona and always rides a pink surfboard, has completed another lifelong dream.

Don't surf around erupting volcanoes. Molten lava kills in just a few seconds, and the volcano's fumes are extremely poisonous.

Top Stories

The most successful competitive surfer of all time, Kelly Slater, rode what may have been the last heat of his 24-year professional career.

Jack Robinson and Gabriela Bryan have taken out the 2024 Margaret River Pro.

Big wave surfing is an industry with an industry.

The exponential growth in the number of surfing participants is undeniable, but the industry failed to accompany and capitalize on this opportunity. Here's why the sport lacks undergraduate and postgraduate courses and programs and how to draft a simple surf industry MBA program.