Halona Blowhole

By Jonathan Howery

One of the stops along the way on the Hawaii Turtle Tour is to Halona Blowhole on the east side of the island of Oahu. The blowhole is a natural formation created from molten lava tubes during volcanic activity and eruptions. Thousands of years ago when Koko Crater was formed, lava poured into the sea where the blowhole is now located. The lava tubes run from a narrow opening in the surface to the ocean. When the waves and surf are right, the blowhole shoots out a water spray. The spray has been known to shoot up to 30 feet in the air. So the larger the waves, the larger the water spray.

To the right of the blowhole is Halona Cove. This little patch of sand is also known as Cockroach Cove or Eternity Beach. Access to the beach is difficult as the cliff has brittle rocks that tend to break easily. On calm days its great to swim in the cove but it can also be dangerous to swim there while the surf is rough. You must take this into consideration as there are no lifeguards on duty.

However, if it is a calm day you can see green sea turtles swimming and feeding in the cove from the top of the cliffs. Some interesting facts about Halona Cove is that it was the site of the famous love scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity. Most recently there was a scene filmed on location between Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in the movie 50 First Dates as well as scenes from the music video Starships by Nicki Minaj.

Enjoy your vacation here in the lovely Hawaiian Islands. If you have any questions about Hawaii Turtle Tours or about this blog, feel free to email at [email protected].