In 2013, Kawika Singson decided he needed a new cover photo for his Facebook page.
So the Honokaa native and extreme adventurer hiked to the active lava flow with his buddy to snap what he hoped would be a crowd-pleasing shot: a photo of his feet and tripod engulfed in flames.
“A lot of people thought it was fake,” the 54-year-old Singson told the Tribune-Herald. “But it’s real — I’m actually holding my breath in that shot. All I needed was two seconds, so I jumped on and then jumped off and got off.”
The photo quickly went viral. Singson has been posting online videos and photos of his island adventures ever since.
Starting April 1, Singson’s adventures will be featured in a new 52-week television series by Farish Media called “Everything Hawaii, Adventures with Kawika Singson.” The show premieres at 7:30 p.m. on Spectrum OC16. It also will be available on Facebook and Vimeo.
Episodes depict Singson free-diving with manta rays, trekking through molten lava, hiking to the summits of Maunakea and Mauna Loa and traversing from Waipio Valley to Waimanu Valley, to name a few.
Adventuring is “my natural high,” said Singson, who still owns the charred sneakers depicted in that 2013 lava photo. “Sometimes when I’m not feeling good I’ll go for a run because I know how it feels after — I want that high. I don’t drink alcohol or coffee because I don’t need to. My natural high is just getting out there and getting the endorphins.
“I have to get out there every weekend, it’s my drug,” he added. “When I don’t it just drives me absolutely nuts. I’ll run up a hill just to get a fix. I love running up hills, I’ve ran up every hill on this island just for the pure joy of it.”
Singson, who now lives in Kailua-Kona, said he’s a lifelong runner who began getting into more extreme adventures as a young adult. He’s completed two Ironmans, multiple Honolulu Marathons and several half-marathons and 10Ks.
He said he enjoys visiting places the average visitor doesn’t generally see such as hiking Mauna Loa and spending the night at the summit on bare rock to catch the sunrise “which is difficult because of the altitude.”
His photos and videos have garnered millions of views on social media and been shared by media outlets around the country. He also has thousands of followers on social media.
Singson said his work eventually caught the attention of an Everything Hawaii producer, who approached him about making a television show.
He said episodes will feature archived video mostly shot within the past couple of years.
He makes no money from his work — he is a carpenter by trade — but he’d eventually like to find a way to make a living by adventuring.
He said his favorite places on the island are the mountain summits.
“Because it’s so spiritual up there and quiet, you can find yourself up there,” he said.
“But I also love free diving to the bottom of the ocean. Especially during whale season, you dive down to the bottom and hear the whales singing.”
He hopes the new show inspires people to “step out of (their) comfort zone.”
“Even just taking small baby steps,” he said. “I wish they could experience what I experience. You don’t need drugs or alcohol, (Hawaii Island) is such a beautiful place to get that natural high. There’s such a variety of things to do and I hope more people will embrace it. That’s what I’d like to spread — there’s a lot out there and I hope people take advantage of it.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
I’m a photographer, and the photo of the burning shoes and tripod was obviously staged and/or digitally altered. There are no flames anyplace else in that photo.
On another post a while back the photog admitted it was Photoshopped. Nice work though.
This very irresponsible journalism by the Trib-Herald. Glamorizing “adventurism” is encouraging others to engage in similarly dangerous activities, which will likely end badly for some. Shame on you.
Correct Reality, Sean King, the well known and liked photographer, died doing the same thing not just a month ago at the Kalapana flow.
I didn’t know the photographer had mentioned that. Good for him. Anyone who has stood on hot lava understands that if the side and top of the shoe are on fire, then the bottom of the shoe (and the foot inside) would really be cooking :]