Hōlei Sea Arch on Hawaii’s Big Island collapses into the Pacific

The 90‑foot‑tall Hōlei Sea Arch, a lava rock formation that had stood for about 550 years, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean.

The National Park Service (NPS) said the arch was still visible on 23 September but had disappeared by 27 September. The exact moment of the collapse is unknown.

Located at the end of Chain of Craters Road in Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii, the arch was a popular tourist spot and heavily photographed. The NPS had warned in 2021 that the coastline surrounding the arch showed long‑term instability and that the structure would eventually crumble.

Authorities believe the arch fell while the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo last weekend. Earlier earthquakes linked to the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse had already damaged the cliffs near the arch.

The NPS noted that the arch’s collapse is part of the “latest transformation of the park’s remote and rugged coastline.” In January 2020, cracks and instability led to the closure of the original viewing area, and a safer viewing point was opened later that year.

Social media reactions to the NPS announcement included memories and photos from visitors, with comments reflecting on the temporary nature of such natural landmarks.

Source: BBC News. Photo: Begimai Nurmametova / Pexels.