Hawaii’s Iconic Hōlei Sea Arch Collapses Into the Pacific After 500 Years

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has confirmed the collapse of the Hōlei Sea Arch, a 90-foot landmark that had stood on the Big Island’s rugged southern coastline for roughly 550 years.

The arch was still standing on Wednesday, September 23, when the park temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo, according to the park service. When the park reopened days later, the arch was gone. The exact moment of the collapse is not known, but officials believe it may have fallen while the park was shut to visitors.

Before-and-after photographs shared by the park on social media show stark empty ocean where the formation once jutted into the Pacific. “Yes, it’s true. RIP Hōlei Sea Arch,” park officials wrote. “Hōlei Sea Arch was a very special place to so many of our visitors.”

The arch formed about five centuries ago when ancient lava flows met the cliff edges and carved the vault, creating a natural marvel that drew visitors for generations, the National Park Service said. Park officials noted the transformation had long been expected: the formation’s lifespan was governed by differential erosion, the process by which softer rock wears away faster than harder rock.

Officials warned visitors to stay back from the unstable coastal cliff edges, which drop vertically into the ocean and can collapse without warning, saying photos on social media show people entering the closed area near where the arch once stood, putting themselves and first responders at risk of falling and drowning.

Sources

• CNN: “Hawaii’s famed Hōlei Sea Arch has collapsed”
• People: “550-Year-Old Hawaii Landmark Collapses into Ocean Due to Rough Storms”
• Fox Weather: “Hawaii’s iconic, centuries-old Hōlei Sea Arch collapses after Hurricane Nolo”