Halona Beach and Blowhole

Halona Blowhole

The Halona Blowhole is a well-known and often visited tourist spot on Oahu's south shore, right next to Sandy's Beach and on the way to Makapu'u and Dragon's Nostrils along Hwy 72. A blowhole is a lava tube under the water and at the perfect height for waves to be driven into it.  The water is compressed as the lava tube becomes smaller and smaller causing the pressure to increase forcing a stream of water to shoot up to thirty-feet into the air.  It's always a good idea to not stick your head directly over the blowhole, which I did at Dragon's Nostrils.  Turns out it is really loud and sounds like the water will take your head off.

There is a scenic point with a big sign that says, "Halona Blowhole Scenic Point."  You can't miss it, particularly with the ass load of rental cars parked in the parking lot.  The scenic point is a couple hundred feet above the ocean and looks down onto Halona Beach, the blowhole, and Sandy's Beach.  As you look down on Halona Beach, you can see a lot of locals playing in the violent waves below.  Known as "The Peering Place," Halona Beach is really more of a cove and is situated to the right of the blowhole. The rocky cove has a small sandy beach and crowded water. This beach is probably best known as the site of the famous love scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the 1953 movie, From Here to Eternity.  If you've ever seen 50 First Dates with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, this is the spot where they first kiss.

View from the Scenic Point

You should also know that the beach has no facilities, no lifeguards, and you have to climb down some steep rocks to get there.  However, once you go down, you can climb on the rocks and mountains that are adjacent to the beach and look out over the water.  If the tide is up, these waves crash violently into the rocks and splash water a good 20-30 feet in the air.  It makes for some cool pictures.  If you're pressed for time on your way to seeing and doing other things, it's not necessary to climb down to the beach and up the other side.  However, if you're just having a leisurely day, then I say give it a try.

Halona Beach Cove From the Rocks Next to the Beach