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Hōlei Sea Arch collapsed on September 27, 2026, according to reporting on confirmation by Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The roughly 90-foot landmark had been eroding for years. Although Hurricane Nolo passed near Hawaiʻi Island the prior weekend, the park has not said whether storm conditions contributed.
When did Hōlei Sea Arch collapse?
Hawaii News Now reported the collapse date as Sunday, September 27, 2026. Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported on October 1 that the park had confirmed the collapse in a Facebook post on September 30. The confirmation reporting establishes that the arch is gone; it does not establish the precise mechanics of its final failure.
Did Hurricane Nolo cause the collapse?
The storm passed near Hawaiʻi Island the weekend before the collapse, but the park did not say whether high surf or other storm conditions played a part. The timing alone does not prove a cause. The arch had a documented history of erosion and instability before Nolo.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhat was Hōlei Sea Arch?
The National Park Service described the natural formation as about 90 feet (27.4 meters) tall, extending from steep sea cliffs into the Pacific. It was cut into an ancient lava flow dating from about 550 years ago. Its name, Hōlei, comes from a small endemic plant in the milkweed family, Ochrosia. “Picturesque” describes the landmark’s scenic appeal; it is not a scientific classification.
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How do sea arches form and collapse?
When lava reaches the coast, it can form sea cliffs. Wind and water fracture and erode the rock; waves excavate caves, and reflected wave energy wears away a headland until an opening forms. Differences in the hardness of lava layers can make them erode at different rates, a process known as differential erosion.
Erosion continues after an arch forms. Over time, the connecting rock bridge can fail, leaving a pile of rocks called a sea stack. That is a normal stage in the changing life of a sea arch, though the available accounts do not detail exactly how Hōlei’s final collapse happened.
Why was the arch already considered unstable?
Earthquakes associated with the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse damaged nearby cliffs. Cracks and instability prompted the park to close the original viewing area in January 2020 and later establish a new viewing area in a more stable location. In 2020, large surf from Tropical Storm Darby broke off part of the arch’s lower section, after which the park warned that it could collapse at any time.
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Can you still visit Hōlei Sea Arch?
The arch itself no longer stands, but the area and coast remain. The sources available do not establish current post-collapse access to the former overlook or nearby paths. Check official Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park alerts before making the trip, and follow all closures: park officials have urged visitors to stay out of closed areas and away from unstable cliff edges, which can fail without warning.
The park’s older place page also warns that lava flow fields may have deep cracks, uneven and unstable ground, and razor-sharp lava. Because that page describes the arch as standing, treat it as background geology and historic safety context rather than a current access notice.
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