Lava Roy's Mission
Captain Lava Roy Carvalho came to Hawai'i's Big Island with a love of the ocean and an unbridled thirst for adventure. As a United States Coast Guard Licensed Captain with decades of experience, he's shown visitors and locals alike the wonder and majesty of West Hawaii's Kohala Coast, but he always knew there was more to the island than the parched sage and cloudless skies of Kohala.
In 2005, Captain Lava Roy left behind the sixty-five foot sailing catamaran he'd piloted for three years to begin his journey beyond the towering dormant volcanoes of the Big Island. He knew that, just over those ancient mountains, Mother Nature was putting on a show of epic proportions as molten rock met the surging sea in an explosive ballet few dared to see. Undaunted by doubters, Lava Roy knew he wanted to show the world Nature's furious beauty. After an extensive search, he found the perfect boat to run tours to this rugged and amazing destination.
Captain Lava Roy's vessel is a 28 foot rigid hull inflatable - aptly named THE PROTECTOR. Manufactured in New Zealand to the highest nautical standards, THE PROTECTOR leaps through the blue waters of East Hawaii's Kalapana coastline, the youngest and most primal coast in the world. Her oceanic journey to the Big Island began a hundred miles away in Oahu. Captain Lava Roy brought her across two of the roughest ocean channels in the world in as many days, piloting her in waters where even giant cargo boats take precautions and proving THE PROTECTOR's ability to handle exposed seas in the Pacific. Rest assured that, next to those channels, there is nothing you will encounter on a Lava Roy excursion that your Captain cannot handle.
Today, Lava Roy has realized his dream of venturing to the newest lands in the world, and so have those who've been unable to resist the ocean's call and climbed aboard THE PROTECTOR. This is Hawaii's last frontier, and there's only one way to get there. Will you settle for the ordinary, or choose to be extraordinary? Lava Roy can show you the way.
Congratulations Roy and Kathy!
In addition to his Coast Guard Certification, Lava Roy also holds an FAA Pilot's License, but this airplane Pilot and rough water boat Captain's greatest adventure to date is marriage to his sweetheart Kathy. Kathy and Roy were wed at Hapuna Beach and were joined by friends and family from all over the world. It takes a pretty amazing woman to complete a man who's brought so much fun and excitement to others, but as a competitive long distance Outrigger Canoe Paddler, Lava Kathy is a perfect counterpart for our Lava loving friend.
Way to go Roy and Kathy. Ka piko ke aloha o ka aina!