Hōlei Sea Arch

Hōlei Sea Arch is a ninety-foot natural arch on the southern coast of Hawaii’s Big Island in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, south of Kīlauea. At the end of Chain of Craters Road, it marks a point where lava flows from Puʻu ʻŌʻō Crater have cut the route off from the coast since 1990. Pacific waves carved the arch from basalt lava cliffs through marine erosion, leaving a rock bridge above the sea. Named for Hōlei Pali higher on the volcano’s slopes, it is a popular stop reached from the Halemaʻumaʻu area, but the exposed cliff edge has caused several fatal falls in recent years.

Kalapana, Hawaii · United States