Nakalele Blowhole

The Nakalele Blowhole at Nakalele Point is a popular destination on Maui for tourist who want to see this unique performance by Mother Nature.

The Nakalele Blowhole is actually a lava tube that shoots water greater than forty feet into the Hawaiian sky when the conditions of the Pacific Ocean waves are ideal.

After many years of constant surf pounding, the waves created an undercut and eventually wore away a lava shelf. A several foot wide hole developed. This process creates an amazing spectacle as the waves crash in and shoot straight up through the opening, called the Nakalele Blowhole.

Every wave that rolls in pushes water and air through the hole, creating the blowhole eruption that is similar to a geyser, like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

Sadly, a California man recently drowned as he got too close to the Nakalele Blowhole. 44 year old David Potts of San Anselmo, California was killed Saturday when a large wave pushed the tourist into the hole opening.

Witnesses state that the man briefly surfaced from the hole when the next wave rolled in, but then disappeared and was not seen again. After an extensive search that lasted for several days that included divers and helicopters, the body of David Potts was not recovered.

Blowholes are very popular to watch and several can be found across the Hawaiian islands. On Oahu, the Halona Blowhole is another popular tourist attraction.

Back in 2002, a teenager from California – Daniel Dick, also drowned when he fell into Halona Blowhole near Sandy Beach on Oahu’s East side.

The jagged lava rocks off Nakalele Point are amazing to see but can be very dangerous. Be sure to keep a safe distance from the Nakalele Blowhole and the strong waves that pound this scenic area.

The easiest way to reach Nakalele Point and see the Nakalele Blowhole is to drive along the Honoapi’ilani Highway (Highway 30) until you reach a parking lot about a half mile past mile marker 38.
From the parking lot, proceed to walk toward the ocean. You’ll arrive at a magnificent lookout, offering a fantastic view of the Nakalele Blowhole.

To actually reach the Nakalele Blowhole, follow a path approximately 200 feet down the hill.

The Halona Blowhole is just a short drive from the center of Honolulu, on the east coast of Oahu. Every day, visitors gather here to see this amazing Hawaiian natural wonder.

Molten lava tubes from volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago formed the natural occurrence known as the blowhole. The lava tubes extend to the ocean, and when the surf is just right, the mighty blowhole can shoot water up to 30 feet in the air. It’s an incredible site.

You cannot actually get to the Halona  Blowhole itself, at least not easily. People can make it down there, but they worked their way across various lava ledges from nearby beaches.  Anyone wanting to try this must be extremely careful.  There have been numerous accidents because people get caught off guard by the very powerful waves near the blowhole.

The lookout off the Kalanianole Highway at Halona presents an exceptional vista of the coastline and outer islands. The location is also a wonderful spot to watch whales at play in the winter season.

Just to the right of the Halona Blowhole is Halona Beach Cove. This scenic location is best known for the renowned love scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the classic 1953 movie, From Here to Eternity.

While on the island of Kauai, be sure to take the time to see the famous Spouting Horn in Poipu. Many Hawaiian legends surround this coastal phenomenon.

The Legend of the Spouting Horn is about a lizard family, consisting of a brother and two sisters. When the mo’o (lizard) learned that his sister had died, he was blinded with tears and accidentally swam into the hole and was trapped forever. The geyser sound is supposed to the crying of this giant sea lizard.

The Spouting Horn is a lava tube, which forces salty surf water through an old volcanic lava tube and up to 50 feet in the air. The result is a majestic geyser like spray, causing strange groaning sounds.

Every wave produces another spray. This amazing phenomena is particularly wonderful at sunset when the spray becomes incandescent with the colors of the rainbow.

Back in the 1920′s, there used to be a much bigger blowhole called Kukuiula Seaplume which was near the Spouting Horn. It shot water as high as 200-feet in the air. Because the salt spray was damaging a nearby sugar cane field, the hole was blasted away.

To get to the Spouting Horn Blowhole, get off Lawai Road, which runs west from the south end of Poipu Road (part of Route 520).