Pandemic Diaries - Mediterranean Cruise - Stromboli Island!

27 October 2022 – Stromboli Island and Volcano!

 

Our captain announced this afternoon that we’d be making a little detour to cruise by Stromboli Island, which is an active volcano!  How thrilling!!!  We arrived about 4 PM, and all the front deck areas that are normally closed to guests were open so we could enjoy the views and watch the puffs of steam and gases rising from the craters.

 

Stromboli is nearly a perfectly symmetrical cone with steeply diagonal sides, spreading out to the base of the island.  Stromboli also continually emits steam and gases, as well as has a nearly permanent glow coming from the lava-filled crater.  This constant low-level emission of gases prevents Stromboli from having cataclysmic eruptions, although that does happen very occasionally.  So now, volcanoes that continually have low-level emissions that allow the gases to escape without major eruptions are referred to as Stromboli volcanoes, even if they don’t have the same perfectly conical shape.

 

I went out to the bow, on Deck 4, but it was so crowded I could barely see over people’s heads.  I looked back, and saw that the bow sections of the upper decks were all open as well, so I went up to Deck 5.  Someone left just as I came up to the railing, so I had a perfect spot to view the volcano.  The cruise director gave a running commentary about the volcano, its history of eruptions, the three small villages on the island, etc.

 

Of course, everyone was concerned about these villages, but apparently they are out of the potential lava flow areas.  Supposedly safe, at any rate.  Volcanoes really are not very predictable, even Stromboli which has been happily steaming away for years.  Things can and do change rapidly, and volcanoes do what they want, not what is expected.

We were told that, if a major eruption happens, the residents of Stromboli Island have roughly ten minutes to get to their boats and get off the island.  However, we didn't see very many boats in the water, at least from our views.  So, I don't know.  But I'm pretty sure I do not want to live on an active volcano!

 

Our captain steered us very slowly around the volcanic island, so everyone had a good view of about 75% of the island.  At least, everyone on the bow, stern, and starboard side of the ship.

 

We watched puffs of beige steam coming up from the vents on one side of the huge crater.  It almost seemed as if there had been a large crater or caldera from a previous eruption, and then a new cone built up to one side of the crater and that was where the steam and gasses were being constantly emitted.

 

As we came around the back side of the volcano, more and more steam clouds came puffing out, and then suddenly we could see an orange glow at base of one stream of steam, inside the vent!!!  Oooh, live lava!!!  It was just a faint glow, but definitely visible!  A few people I had been chatting with mentioned it, and I said I was glad it wasn’t just my imagination conjuring up this vision, if others could see it that meant it was real!

 

And then, there were occasional towers of smoke and steam, a peachy color as if they were glowing from the lava!  Or maybe just carrying enough dust and chemicals in there to give the smoke a rosy-peach color.  But very other-worldly!

 

Apparently cruise ships aren’t allowed to cruise round Stromboli very often, but somehow our captain and team were able to get permission to cruise within half a mile of the volcano.  It was exciting, and definitely worth the time to take this little side trip for a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

 

Later that evening, a few people said that they hung around after we sailed away, and at the very last minute, just before dark, there was a quick little spout of lava that shot out of Stromboli’s crater!  Oooh, so sorry to have missed that!  But still, it was pretty exciting to sail around an active volcano!