{"id":13729,"date":"2020-11-10T07:56:23","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T14:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bucketlistjourney.net\/?p=13729"},"modified":"2025-04-08T01:39:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T08:39:03","slug":"a-warning-at-the-nakalele-blowhole-in-maui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bucketlistjourney.net\/a-warning-at-the-nakalele-blowhole-in-maui\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Nakalele Blowhole in Maui, Hawaii"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you hear the word ‘blowhole’<\/em>, your initial though may be of a whale spewing water out of the little round hole on its back. Though that is a type of blowhole, it’s not the only kind of blowhole the world has to offer\u2014geological blowholes can be found along rocky coastlines all over the globe. Just like seeing a whale in the sea, these marine geysers are a magical sight to behold. Hawaii has a handful of them to choose from, but one of the most popular is one in Maui called Nakalele Blowhole. Tourists, like ourselves, and natives visit this natural wonder to see the seawater blast up to 100 feet in the air! <\/strong><\/em>Seeing it, from a safe distance, is one of the best things to do in Maui<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Guide to Nakalele Blowhole in Maui, Hawaii<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What is a Blowhole<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A blowhole, also known as a marine geyser, is a tube-like hole that expels pressurized water into the air. They usually form along rocky coastlines and fault-lines, often on the windward side of the coast where the waves are stronger. Similar to how littoral caves are formed, sea-based blowholes are the result of marine erosion. The waves crash into the crevices of existing fault lines, lava tubes, and littoral caves. The water carves out tunnels by eroding the rock back towards the land and then it pushes up towards the surface. Eventually, an exit hole called the expelling port forms, allowing the trapped seawater to escape in a noisy, pressurized fountain. Cool, right?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All blowholes have three main features: a catchment entrance, a compression cavern, and an expelling port. The size and angle of these features, how they are arranged, and changing tides and swell are the factors that determine how explosively the air and water spew out of the expelling port. Water gets caught in the entrance and pushed into the cavern. The water can’t escape back the way it came in because of the pressure of the waves. That pressure, combined with strong bursts of wind, causes the trapped water to shoot up and out the port at powerful speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About Nakalele Blowhole<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nakalele Blowhole<\/strong> was created by waves crashing into lava tubes that were left by ancient lava flows. The area is surrounded by jagged, black lava rock that creates a raw and unique aesthetic to the experience. This blowhole in Maui shoots so high that, most of the time, you can see it from the road!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is recommended to visit Nakalele Blowhole in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the peak of the crowds. If you visit early enough you may get the chance to see how the morning sunshine forms a rainbow in the misty spray of the geyser. Many people report seeing whales jumping out of the water in the distance during their visit, creating an even more magical experience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On particularly calm days, where there is little wind and the swells are smaller, the geyser can be inactive. However, some days it blasts every few minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nakalele<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Along with the geyser, there are several other attractions on this side of the island to add to the Nakalele adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n