Hanauma Bay

How to Get There

From Honolulu, HI (12 mi): Take H-1 E to HI-72/Kalanianaole Hwy, continue for about 12 miles, and turn right into the preserve entrance at the top of the hill.

Overview

Hanauma is a marine embayment formed within a tuff ring and located along the southeast coast of the Island of O'ahu in the Hawaii Kai neighborhood of East Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands. Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Island.

Geology

The Hanauma Crater was created about 32,000 years ago during the Honolulu volcanic series, the latest round of volcanic activity to occur on O'ahu. Tens of thousands of years ago, a series of volcanic vents opened along the southeast shoreline of O'ahu. Unlike the gentle lava flows currently building the island of Hawai'i, the late-stage eruptions on O'ahu were most often short-lived violent explosions. The volcanic vents that formed Hanauma Crater opened on the sea floor. Upwelling magma vaporized the ocean water and steam explosions blew the magma into fine ash. The explosions built cones or rings of ash, which solidified into tuff. The eruptions shattered the sea floor—coral reef and basalt—and scattered pieces that are now embedded in the tuff. Wave erosion eventually cut through the low, southeast wall of the crater, forming the current bay.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hanauma Bay", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0