Eruption 803291

David Leeking writes in The Geyser Gazer Sput, Vol. 9, No. 4:

"Bill Pulliam and I were the only geyser gazers waiting at Steamboat when it started the major eruption at 09:01 on 06 July 1984 (the morning Steamboat major Mary Beth Schwarz wrote about.) I think we were the only people on the staircase leading down Steamboat's steep hillside, because I was unimpeded as I rapidly leapt down to the base of the staircase screaming "Steamboat!!!", as soon as I was convinced that it was slowly climbing into a major eruption. I was heading for the far side of Tantalus Creek, which quickly became the Tantalus floodplain. I knew this was the best place to view a major eruption's water phase. This was especially true when I viewed Steamboat because the morning had not yet warmed sufficiently for the water columns to be clearly visible as they are in that classic photo. The backlighting by the morning sun helped to make the middle parts of the ascending columns of water clearly visible, but the sides of the columns were obscured by steam. It resembled Beehive, only about twice as high, with more volume, and with chevrons in the water column. I estimated the stunning height while viewing it as about 350 feet.

Very soon after I arrived at the lower platform. Perhaps one minute later, the water began to be mixed with steam. The transition of Steamboat from water to steam, is gradual, however, so it is difficult to pinpoint precisely when the water phase ends. As with most intensely emotional experiences, whether euphoric like seeing a Steamboat major or traumatic like an auto accident, time does subjectively seem to slow down. I know that those eight minutes seemed somewhat longer to me than an eight minute Grand first burst."