Kailua Kona and VOG (Hilo, Volcano: credit card, layoffs, living) - Big Island - Hawaii (HI) -The Island of Hawaii - City-Data Forum

elikapeka · 01-24-2010, 01:26 AM

I have read so much here about Kailua Kona and the VOG problem that I am quite worried about moving there since I am being considered for an ideal position (with lots of job security and potential!) in Kona! And it is my only job prospect in this tough economy!

I am very worried about the VOG problem should I move to Kona because of a bad reaction I had to it when I was living on Maui in 2008. The VOG was only really bad for a solid two weeks during the six months that I lived there. Yet during this time I really suffered from headaches and nausea. Plus the gray overcast sky and lack of sunshine effected my mood. I tend to have seasonal affective disorder also. Then, suddenly, the VOG blew over (like my friends said it would!) and I got feeling better immediately.

As I read about Kailua-Kona I worry that VOG may prohibit my being able to move there for health reasons. Can anyone relate to this?

Also, I read one blogger say that being at a lower elevation, 35', and that perhaps being closer to the water would make the VOG more bearable. What do you think?

Is it possible and/or realistic to commute from another area (that has less VOG) into Kona each day for work? Thanks very much for any and all of your thoughts!

Balad1 · 01-24-2010, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elikapeka

I have read so much here about Kailua Kona and the VOG problem that I am quite worried about moving there since I am being considered for an ideal position (with lots of job security and potential!) in Kona! And it is my only job prospect in this tough economy!

I am very worried about the VOG problem should I move to Kona because of a bad reaction I had to it when I was living on Maui in 2008. The VOG was only really bad for a solid two weeks during the six months that I lived there. Yet during this time I really suffered from headaches and nausea. Plus the gray overcast sky and lack of sunshine effected my mood. I tend to have seasonal affective disorder also. Then, suddenly, the VOG blew over (like my friends said it would!) and I got feeling better immediately.

As I read about Kailua-Kona I worry that VOG may prohibit my being able to move there for health reasons. Can anyone relate to this?

Also, I read one blogger say that being at a lower elevation, 35', and that perhaps being closer to the water would make the VOG more bearable. What do you think?

Is it possible and/or realistic to commute from another area (that has less VOG) into Kona each day for work? Thanks very much for any and all of your thoughts!

VOG affects everyone differently; the biggest thing I noticed in Kona was the haze when looking up at the mountains. The only way to tell for sure is to visit and see how you handle it. It normally doesn't bother most people unless you have a sensitivity to it. VOG of course is blown by the prevailing winds and some days there isn't any.

PS: I believe you would have to be as far north as Kohala to avoid the worst effects of the VOG and I don't think that is realistic to commute from.

nwcountrygal · 01-24-2010, 02:29 PM

Your not gonna know till you try. Like Balad1 said Kohala area usally you can get out of it. Closer to coast will help on some days. Good luck.

franklin42 · 01-24-2010, 03:17 PM

The vog has been really bad over here in Honoka'a. I guess it's been bad on the Kohala coast too. Does anyone live in Kohala? I would love to find a place to escape the vog!

nwcountrygal · 01-24-2010, 03:23 PM

It has been bad off and on here in Puna.Only bad on coast when no wind. On the coast normally ok. Today is amazing. Water glass, no vog, light breeze. Can't see Hilo from here this am not sure about Hilo. Ugh Why did playoffs have to be today! And I make the decision to watch them!

To OP I reason I say you will just have to try it is because I am very bothered by it. Then again my aunt that came over here twice now that has a progressed lung disese we were worried about her in the vog. Shezz as I am snezzing, sinus issues, headache eyes watering. She is totally fine and it doesn't bother her at all. Each person reacts differntly. Logic would say she would be affected, not me.

Koale · 01-24-2010, 03:58 PM

Aloha, we live in Waikoloa. VOG has been pretty nasty lately. We commute from Kailua Kona daily. Catch ourselves holding our breath. I know 'when the trades blow' it'll clear up...a bit. Haven't had many clear tropical skies in quite awhile.
Koale

KoaKine · 01-24-2010, 09:41 PM

Aloha all,
I understand the issues so don't get me wrong I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and smog is a norm to me now my wife lives in So. Cal. for 25 years and now is in Hilo and at it's worse she asks me is it bad here? so I look in the Hilo bay cam and say ya its bad I cant see the break water! s
So to my point its not as bat as a good day in So. Cal. !

I uerstand that the vog is different than the smog in Cali but in my wies case its not comparable.

elikapeka · 01-25-2010, 01:40 PM

Thanks everyone for your responses! Great information!

annabellepdx · 01-25-2010, 04:30 PM

We're worried about it too, but gonna try it. My husband has asthma but has so far been unaffected during his time there, and certainly felt better than here in pollen-ridden Oregon. I felt a bit of a headache during a particularly bad time last January right in the Volcano Park. And I did see the haze which at the time I mistook for bad weather rolling in. Overall, the skies were still more beautfiul than 9 months out of the year where we live now, so that was a factor in our decision. Everyone tells us that it affects each person differently, and we'd truly regret it if we didn't try. We'll keep the credit card open in case his asthma gets too bad we have to return to the mainland (noooooooo!!!), so maybe you could do something like that?

PacificFlights · 01-25-2010, 04:37 PM

The vog is a lot diffrent than LA smog. LA smog is like pouring chocolate syrup on a plate of milk. Its heavy where it was poured and gets lighter as it moves away. Hawaii Vog is like pouring chocolate syrup into cake batter. Heavy where it was poured and ribbons of chocolate in diffrent density as it is swirled around.

You may not see this from the ground and it does not show on the maps. In the air, you will see the ribbons and fingers of the Vog. Sometimes the area of Kona may have no vog but inland there is a ribbon and off shore there is a ribbon and they come together over the NW area of the island making that area bad. People in Kona area may wonder why they are compalining when there is no vog over them and that is because of the wind patterns moving the vog around them in two places and they come back together over another area.

I will say in the last few months the whole area of the big island has that light almost invisable haze that was not there a couple of years ago. On the ground it may look clear, but in the air, you can see that little difference over the big island where everything is just a bit dimmer.