Hōlei Sea Arch in Hawaiʻi Collapses After 550 Years

What changed

Hōlei Sea Arch, a 90-foot lava formation in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, collapsed into the Pacific Ocean between 23 and 27 September 2026.

The arch formed about 550 years ago and disappeared while the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo. The National Park Service had warned in 2021 that it would eventually crumble.

Why it matters

This was not a sudden surprise so much as a long-running coastal transformation reaching its visible endpoint. The cliffs had been unstable for years, damaged in part by earthquakes linked to the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse.

The park had already closed the original viewing area in January 2020 after new cracks appeared, then opened a safer viewpoint farther back. That decision now reads less like a precaution and more like a record of the arch’s final years.

The immediate trigger remains uncertain: the storm, waves, earthquake damage or accumulated instability may each have played a role. What is clearer is the pattern. The coastline is moving inland, and the landmark that drew tourists and photographers was always temporary. The National Park Service says other formations may eventually replace it.