Wondering if the Big Island Is Dangerous? Here’s the Lowdown

Is the Big Island dangerous, you ask?

Short Answer: NO! The Big Island is NOT dangerous! At least, not any more dangerous than walking out your own front door.

Of course, living life is dangerous.

But let me help answer some of your questions and perhaps enlighten you before booking your trip to the largest Hawaiian Island so I can ease your concerns.

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Is the Big Island Dangerous?

So…is it? Is the Big Island dangerous? 

Well, yes and no. 

As with any destination there are risks involved. While traveling the Big Island you are exposed to the elements regularly as most of the sites you’ll be visiting are outside. But keep in mind, you run the risk of danger anytime you set foot out your door. 

I lived on the Big Island for a year. I do not consider the Big Island to be dangerous as there are no poisonous animals or predatory mammals, main roads are kept up well, and you aren’t ever too far from people.

But let’s go through some concerns that might intimidate some people and help clear up any misconceptions.

🚗 Roads 🚗

“Don’t drive on the Big Island at night.” – your mom or concerned friend

Have you heard of this warning? 

Main roads are maintained surprisingly well on the Big Island. As there is only one major highway that circumferences the island, it has potential to wear out fast. But they keep it up; probably because it IS the only road around the island.

The “dangerous” part comes from the darkness on the Big Island at night or during the curvy section through the Kona Coffee Belt. 

To keep light pollution to a minimum for the telescopes up on Mauna Kea, the Big Island has low wattage yellow street lights, but only in the highest populated sections. Most of the roads DO NOT have street lights. 

This makes for some very dark roads (but that’s what headlights are for!). However, to compensate for the lack of street lights, the traffic lanes are lined with extra bright reflector markers that can illuminate at least a quarter mile ahead.

With the street reflectors glowing in front of you, you almost forget about the lack of street lights. The hardest part comes when you are looking for the street you want to turn off to. Side streets do not have street lights so knowing where to turn can get tricky, but hopefully you have enough cell reception for Google maps to help you along.

The curviest section of road on the Big Island is arguably on Hwy 11 from about mile marker 90-110 or so. Head-on collisions are not uncommon in this section. 

Pedestrians will also walk along the narrow shoulders on the highway. Without street lights you often won’t see them until you are nearly on top of them. I always make it a rule to not ride the shoulders, especially around the curves.

While all of this sounds intimidating, most driving at night just requires common precautions.

What you can’t prepare for on the roads are the wild pigs… 

🦈🐷 Wildlife 🐷🦈

Pigs – feral pigs run rampant on the Big Island. You will undoubtedly see them grazing in the foliage or as a carcass along the highway. These are probably the scariest wildlife to deal with on the island, but again, not a huge deal.

While driving you will need to keep an eye out for hogs jutting across the road unexpectedly. But no matter your location in the world there is always some sort of wildlife threat on the road.

Pigs can also get aggressive on the trails, or even out surfing.  Not every pig is going to come out and try to gore you, but it can and does happen.

Locals do go pig hunting with their dogs and let me tell you, wild pig is some of the best meat I’ve had!

Centipedes – Hawaii doesn’t have any poisonous animals or insects but they do have centipedes. Resorts do a good job keeping pests away (though it’s never a guarantee), but if you are renting an Airbnb, nature can easily seep through the cracks.

Centipedes come in small to alarmingly large sizes and their bites can sting! While it won’t send you to the hospital, think of them as a massive bee sting. They mostly hang out under rocks, wood, and leaves but if they come inside they are looking for warm moisture like the bathroom or kitchen.

The best way to kill a centipede is to cut it up with scissors. Their bodies conform to your foot if you stomp them with your shoe, plus they have a strong exoskeleton. So they are resilient and practically immune to most endeavors, except the knife.

I made it a rule to never walk in the dark barefoot without using my phone’s flashlight, just in case.

If you do get bit by a centipede, the best thing to do is use a cold compress and take some aspirin.

Sea urchins – while snorkeling or even tidepooling you will most definitely see sea urchins. These living spikey invertebrate are no Koosh balls. Their spikes can sting you and ruin a vacation if you aren’t careful.

They like to hide in coral and lava rock crevasses, not really out in the open sand where you typically walk. However, if you’re walking along the shallow lava tidepool and your foot slips you could easily hit one. Or if you’re snorkeling and step down on the coral (which you aren’t supposed to do!) a spine might protect itself.

When you get stung by a sea urchin, the spine will break off from the body of the creature. While there will be initial hurt from the sting, the real pain comes from the splintered pieces of barbed spine that are stuck under your skin with no way of getting them out except to wait it out, soak it, or surgery. 

Sharks – now I’m not trying to get all Jaws and Bethany Hamilton on you, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that sharks aren’t something to be cautious of. Some sharks are more docile than others like the reef tip shark, while tiger sharks are known to be more aggressive towards humans.

If you want a comforting statistic, you have a better chance of dying from a falling coconut that by a shark attack. About 150 people worldwide die by coconut a year while only about 10 people die by shark. Does that help, or just make you afraid of coconuts now?!

🏊 Swimming 🏊

Besides wildlife in the water that can harm you, the ocean itself can be dangerous. Waves and currents are no joke and should be taken seriously.

Lifeguarded beaches are good about keeping people safe from dangerous water conditions, but ultimately it’s up to YOU to make smart judgment choices when entering the wild water.

Waves crashing on sandy shores look enticing but can be harmful. Many people have been joyfully frollicking amongst the waves one minute and the next minute pulled under or slammed into the shore by “the big one”. Joint sprains, spinal injuries, or death can and do happen.  

They aren’t lying when they say:

“Never turn your back on the ocean.” – Duke Kahanamoku (sorta)

Rip currents can also be dangerous, pulling you out to sea with little you can do about it. A rip current is a narrow, strong, river-like current from shore that cuts through the surfzone and eventually deposits 200-2,500ft out into the ocean. 

The best advice for getting out/surviving rip currents is swimming parallel to the shore to get out of the current and/or ride the current out until it brings you to the end then swimming back to the beach at an angle away from the current. Most deaths by rip currents happen due to panicking, so staying calm is your best defense.

Again, these are extreme circumstances and don’t happen to everyone, but they do happen so just be aware and prepared.

🏃‍♂️🪜 Cliff Jumping 🪜🏃‍♂️

A famous pastime on the Big Island is cliff jumping at South Point. People from all over the world come to face their fear of heights and test their courage by jumping 40ft off a rock cliff into the clear aqua blue water below. 

While most people jump without any issues, some can smack the water and injure themselves. I can attest to jumping as straight as a pencil and still hit my tailbone so that it was painful for me to sit down for 3 weeks. I have also seen others belly flop and come up with the wind knocked out of them. 

People have died jumping at South Point, mostly from drowning. Signs warn you to jump at your own risk and you should heed that warning.

Elsewhere on the island are other places people jump into waters. Use common sense about how deep the water is, where the rocks are, and what the currents are doing. 

You can also avoid this danger by just not jumping at all…

☀️🥵 Heat Stroke/Dehydration 🥵☀️

Depending on how you measure, the Big Island has 8 of the 13 climate zones, two of them being Dry Semi-Arid and Dry Arid, so desert. Kona and all the way up north on the Kohala Coast can get extremely hot and dry (not what you’d expect on a tropical island).

Miles of lava fields with brown grass and dry kiawe trees create an Elephant Graveyard scenario. Very little shade, little rain, and lava rocks cooking in the sun make for oven-like circumstances.

Staying hydrated and cool when you can is extremely important. You can easily and quickly get heat stroke if you aren’t careful. Bring hats, water, and any other sun protection while traversing the desert landscape, being sure not to overexert yourself.

🌋 Lava 🌋

The Hawaiian islands are all made up of lava rock, but the Big Island has the most exposed amounts. Since the eruption of Kilauea in 1983, the island has grown by 600 acres with new lava and will continue to expand.

The Big Island has 4 active volcanoes residing on itself, so technically they could blow at any moment. Here is a look at the lava danger zones on the island:

Zone 1 has the highest risk of getting hit by lava while zone 9 has the lowest risk. Of course, no zone is immune, but based on the current active volcanoes, these are the most likely areas to be hit should they blow.

In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park you can view the magma coming up from the center of the earth. Currently the lava is contained in the crater lake and not flowing out of the caldera or anywhere else on the island.

Roped off fencing keeps you at a safe distance for viewing. The park rangers are not amused if you try accessing the lava from different points or in areas clearly not allowed.

People have fallen into the crater trying to “get a better look” and died.

Kilauea erupted in 2018 taking out about 700 homes in Leilani Estates, a neighborhood in the Puna district 20 miles from the crater source.

Anytime you are walking over hardened lava, especially in “unchartered territory”, you run the risk of breaking through and falling into a lava tube, underground fire, steam vent, or just plain cutting yourself on the sharp rocks.

Another surprising danger with lava rocks is infection….

🧠 Game Break! 🧠
Test your knowledge of Hawaii with these interactive Hawaii Trivia Questions!

🚑🩹 Infection 🩹🚑

Bacterial organisms live rampantly in a perfect environment of warmth and humidity on the Big Island. You can be exposed to them in lava rocks, ocean water, and river water. Staph infections in Hawaii happen twice as much as the rest of the country.

You might get lightly scraped by lava rock while hiking or in the water and the next day find an incredibly infected wound with goo everywhere. Best not to swim if you already have an open wound as well.

The best plan of attack if you do get a scrape, be proactive and put some antibacterial cream on it right away and continue to baby it until you are confident the wound is healing.

Getting leptospirosis is also a risk if you enter hot springs or other bodies of fresh water on the island. Again, don’t go in if you have an open wound. Antibiotics can be prescribed if needed.

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🏔️ Altitude Sickness 🏔️

Driving up to Mauna Kea for sunset and stargazing is a popular pastime for visitors. As soon as you turn onto Mauna Kea Access Road you’ll see a giant cautionary sign reading: 

“altitude sickness can be fatal
travel to summit at your own risk
no medical services on mountain”
– big yellow sign on Mauna Kea Access Rd

The Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Center is as high as you can go without 4WD and is at 9,300ft. If you continue on in your Jeep or 4WD you can reach the summit at 13,800ft.

If you’re coming from sea level and immediately reach those altitudes in just a couple of hours you may very realistically experience altitude sickness. 

I am a healthy, young individual and was not immune to the ailment. After 20min of being up at the 9,000ft area, I began to feel unexpectedly dizzy and nauseous. I was at least aware of what was causing my symptoms and made extra care to not exert myself. As soon as I got back down the mountain though, I was fine.

Going up to Mauna Kea is not recommended for people with heart problems or respiratory problems, children under 16yrs old, or pregnant women.

The other air quality scenario on the Big Island to be aware of is vog…

☁️ Vog ☁️

While big cities deal with smog, the Big Island deals with vog: volcanic smog. With Kilauea erupting, gaseous smoke made up of sulfuric dioxide (SO2) gets carried by tradewinds and creates a hazy blanket around the island, mostly on the Kona side.

You’ll know it’s vog when the ocean horizon is indistinguishable due to a brownish haze. You can track the vog forecast here.

Some people are extremely sensitive to the vog, especially those with asthma or heart conditions. Older people, children, and pregnant women could also be affected.  

Possible symptoms that could occur are:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Coughing
• Eye/nose/throat irritation

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has been known for restricting areas with a high concentration of volcanic emissions that are too dangerous. But in general, the air quality is safe for visiting the park.

Hospitalization from vog symptoms do occur, but not enough that it should scare you away.

🌊 Flash Floods 🌊

Rain rain, go away! A tropical island will undoubtedly experience tropical rainfalls, especially on the eastern side of the Big Island. Heavy rains can cause flash floods to occur in rivers and streams and dried waterbeds. 

Do not go swimming in rivers after a heavy rainfall. Flash floods can come unexpectedly downstream and carry you away, drowning or slamming you into boulders. You’ll notice that after a rainstorm, waterfalls will gush brown water 2-3times their normal size, not a force to be trifled with.

Also, do not be surprised to find road closures during heavy rainfall due to the roads being flooded.

🌎 Natural Disasters 🌎 

Earthquakes – the Big Island is ranked as one of the highest earthquake hazard locations in the US; not surprising due to the afore mentioned fact that there are four active volcanoes here.

Hawaii gets hit from earthquakes thousands of times a year. The island has three classes of earthquake:

• Volcanic (from magma moving underneath the surface)
• Tectonic (slippages of the plates along the earth’s fault lines)
• Mantle (the bending of the earth’s crust and upper mantle due to the crushing weight of the island)

While multiple earthquakes happen a day on the Big Island, most are not felt. The largest recorded earthquake on the Big Island was back in 1868 at 7.9. 

Tsunamis – islands are always susceptible to tsunamis as they could get hit from any side by earthquakes either from themselves or from surrounding countries. 

There have been over 160 tsunamis (9 of them fatal) in Hawaii state since 1812, with 86% of the fatalities on the Big Island. The most destructive tsunami was the one from the Aleutian Chain’s earthquake on April Fool’s Day in 1946 causing waves to reach 50ft high, killing about 159 people and resulting in $26 million (1946 dollars) of damage.

But even small tsunamis can cause some damage, like when the Tonga volcano erupted in January 2022. As a 3ft wave crashed into Kona, damages ranged from thousands of dollars worth at Sea Quest’s retail store to a slight hosing down of a flooded floor at Kai Eats. 

Tsunami evacuation route signs are everywhere along coastal communities and beaches have regular tsunami warning siren testings.

If you see the tide begin to go out rapidly and further than expected for low tide, that’s a sign a tsunami is probably coming and you should head to higher ground ASAP.

Learn more about tsunamis and their history at the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo. A marker on the front doors indicates how high the waters came up from the 1946 tsunami.

🚨 Car Crime 🚨

Car crimes do happen on the Big Island. 

Every guidebook will tell you to leave your car unlocked with no valuables left inside. This is with the mindset that the thieves will test the car door first before breaking a window. If there’s nothing to steal inside, they’ll move on. 

I understand that this can get tricky when you are sightseeing with luggage in the car. It’s just a risk you’ll have to take. Park in heavier trafficked, well-lit areas when you can.

One suggestion was to make your car look like a local with rolled down windows, puka shells on the rearview window, and a decoration car magnet.

Besides break-ins, gas siphoning is also a known car crime. If you are parking in an area that locals deem they “own”, especially at hidden beaches, they have been known to take advantage of unsuspecting visitors.

Again, these are things that can happen but not every visitor is a victim. 

You’ll notice broken down vehicles along the road that have been stripped for parts. As a resident, you do not want to abandon a car if it breaks down as these thefts happen fast; usually by the next day a car will be missing some, if not all, of its major pieces.

☕ Coffee Snob ☕

Last, but not least, a serious danger you may encounter on the Big Island is becoming a coffee snob! A common Big Island activity is to tour Kona coffee farms and try numerous roasts with beans grown right there on the island. And if you get really involved, you’ll be trying Ka’u coffee as well. 

You might soon become addicted to the sweet and fruity-noted caffeinated drink that when you arrive back home to your normal coffee, you might find that it tastes like dirt and will have to start importing your coffee from Hawaii. (guilty!)

Other Hawaii Factoids:
Is Hawaii a Country or a State?
Does Everyone Get a Lei Greeting in Hawaii?
Is There a Ferry From Oahu to the Big Island?
What NOT to do in Hawaii

So, Is the Big Island Safe?

So what do you think? Is the Big Island safe or dangerous?

I say, the Big Island has the potential for dangerous scenarios, but all in all, nothing is any more extreme than anywhere else in the world be it weather, nature, or criminals.