We had to get up very early to get to the boat dock at 4:30 AM (it was about an hour from our hotel). It was SO worth it! No question about it, to see lava flowing into the sea, going by boat is the absolute best way to do it! We went with Lava Ocean Tours (www.lavaocean.com or www.seelava.com) and feel they are the best to go with! They get there the fastest and stay there longer than others. The sunrise tour we went on gives great lighting and is typically less choppy water than later in the day. We also walked through Lava Tree State Park after the boat tour, and then I rented a bike from the Kalapana Viewpoint to ride/hike out to the lave (just over 4 miles each way on a hilly gravel road).

Images up, now need to caption them!