Visitors to the end of Chain of Craters Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park now face a changed view: Hōlei Sea Arch has fallen into the Pacific.

The National Park Service confirmed that the roughly 90-foot landmark was still standing on September 23, 2026, but had disappeared by the evening of September 27. Officials have not established precisely when it collapsed. It may have fallen during the park’s temporary closure for Tropical Storm Nolo, although a direct connection to the storm remains unconfirmed.

The arch was a striking example of how the ocean transforms volcanic landscapes. Waves gradually carved the formation from a lava flow dating back approximately 550 years, wearing away rock along the island’s southern coast. Long before its disappearance, the park described the arch as a temporary feature that would eventually be claimed by the sea.

Warning signs had accumulated around the site. Earthquakes associated with Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption and summit collapse damaged nearby cliffs. Further cracking led officials to shut the original viewing area in January 2020, with a replacement opening farther from the edge that March.

In July 2022, powerful surf tore away part of the arch’s lower section, providing another visible reminder of the formation’s vulnerability.

Following the collapse, park officials renewed warnings about the surrounding cliffs. Social media images showed people entering the closed area near the former landmark. Authorities cautioned that unstable edges can fail suddenly, putting visitors and potential rescuers in danger. Visitors must respect closures and keep away from cliff edges.

Hōlei’s disappearance is part of the continuing evolution of this volcanic shoreline. The same erosion that sculpted the arch will keep reshaping the coast, and the National Park Service notes that new arches may eventually emerge as the cliffs change.