Hawaii’s Famous 90-Foot Sea Arch Collapses Into the Pacific Ocean

Hawaii’s famous Hawley Sea Arch, a 90-foot-tall (27.4-meter) lava rock formation believed to have formed about 550 years ago, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean.

The exact time of the collapse is unknown. The arch was still visible from the shores of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Sept. 23, but it had disappeared by Sept. 27, according to the National Park Service (NPS).

Hawley Sea Arch Collapses After Years of Instability

The sea arch stood at the end of Chain of Craters Road on Hawaii’s Big Island, a popular and frequently photographed destination in the national park.

“The coastline adjacent to the Sea Arch has been showing signs of instability for many years,” the NPS warned in 2021, predicting that the formation would eventually collapse.

The arch is believed to have fallen while the park was temporarily closed because of Tropical Storm Noro last weekend. The cliffs near the formation had also been damaged by the 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption, including the earthquake and summit collapse, according to the park authority.

The collapse marks “the latest change to the park’s remote and rugged coastline.”

Viewing Area Was Moved Because of Cliff Cracks

In January 2020, the park closed the original viewing area after new cracks and instability appeared in the cliffs. Several months later, a new viewing area opened at a safer distance, the NPS said.

Later that year, waves from a tropical storm broke chunks of rock from the base of the arch.

“This formation is beautiful but temporary and has a limited lifespan,” the park service said in 2021. “Sea Arch will eventually collapse into the ocean. But as the cliff slowly moves inland, other arches will replace it.”

Visitors Share Memories of the Lost Hawaii Landmark

Thousands of people have liked and commented on NPS social media posts about the collapse, sharing memories and photos from visits to the sea arch.

“Nothing and no one will be here forever,” one Facebook user commented. “A few million years from now, the sun will be gone. Let’s be grateful for the good and beautiful things now.”