The Hōlei Sea Arch, a 90-foot volcanic rock arch on Hawaiʻi Island, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, according to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the National Park Service (NPS). The landmark stood along Chain of Craters Road inside the park, on the southeastern coast of the Big Island.
What happened and when
According to the NPS and Hawaii News Now, the arch was still intact on September 23, 2026. The park closed most areas ahead of Tropical Storm Nolo, which passed near Hawaiʻi Island, and reopened on September 28. Visitors who returned found the arch gone; by then it "had collapsed by Sunday night," September 27, park officials said, though they have not determined the exact time of the collapse.
The NPS said it has not confirmed whether high surf or other conditions tied to Tropical Storm Nolo directly caused the collapse.
Why it collapsed
Park officials attributed the collapse to differential erosion, a process in which softer layers within a lava flow wear away faster than harder rock, gradually undermining a formation's structure, according to the NPS and Hawaii News Now. The arch formed when lava from an eruption roughly 550 years ago met the ocean; over centuries, waves carved a sea cave through the hardened rock that eventually became the arch, the NPS said.
Years of warning signs
The surrounding cliffs had shown instability for years before the final collapse. The NPS said earthquakes during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse damaged the cliffs near the arch. In January 2020, new cracks prompted the park to close the original viewing area; a new, more stable viewing spot opened in March 2020. Later that year, large surf generated by Tropical Storm Darby broke off a chunk of rock from the lower part of the arch, after which the park warned that the structure could collapse entirely at any time, Hawaii News Now reported.
Safety concerns at the site
The park has reiterated that visitors must stay out of closed areas and away from cliff edges, which remain unstable and can give way without warning, according to the NPS statement. Hawaii News Now reported that social media images showed some visitors entering the closed area near the former arch site despite the restrictions, a situation officials said endangers both visitors and first responders.
- Arch height: approximately 90 feet (about 27 meters)
- Location: Chain of Craters Road, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawaiʻi Island
- Formed: roughly 550 years ago, from a lava flow meeting the ocean
- Last confirmed standing: September 23, 2026
- Confirmed collapsed: by the night of September 27, 2026
- Cause: differential erosion of softer and harder rock layers, compounded by prior earthquake damage and storm surf
Questions
- When did the Hōlei Sea Arch collapse?
- The National Park Service says the arch was still standing on September 23, 2026, and had collapsed by the night of September 27, 2026, while the park was closed for Tropical Storm Nolo. The exact time of collapse is unknown.
- Where was the Hōlei Sea Arch?
- It was located along Chain of Craters Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, on the southeastern coast of Hawaiʻi Island.
- Why did the arch collapse?
- Park officials cite differential erosion, where softer rock layers in the lava flow eroded faster than harder ones, weakening the structure over centuries. Earlier damage from 2018 Kīlauea earthquakes and 2020 storm surf had already destabilized the surrounding cliffs.
- Did a storm cause the collapse?
- The National Park Service has not confirmed whether Tropical Storm Nolo directly caused the collapse, only that the arch was gone when the park reopened after the storm passed.
- How old was the Hōlei Sea Arch?
- The National Park Service says it formed roughly 550 years ago, when lava from an eruption met the ocean and was later carved into an arch by wave action.
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