Spouting Horn

As lava flows to the ocean, it begins to form channels which may become capped producing an insulated tube that facilitates the flow of lava to the sea. Once the volcanic eruption concludes, the lava will empty from the tube. In some cases, the lava tube will be at sea level and open to waves coming from certain directions. If such a lava tube has or develops a hole in its top, a blowhole has been formed. Waves entering the lava tube will compress the air ahead of the water then explode out of the hole in the tube.

Spouting Horn is one of most accessible blowholes in Hawai`i. Ancient Hawaiian legends tell of a giant lizard named Kaikapu that would eat anyone who tried to fish in this area. A young boy by the name of Liko lured Kaikapu into the lava tube but escaped through the blowhole — leaving the lizard stuck in the lava tube. The noise that the Spouting Horn makes is supposedly the lizard's roar and the spray is her breath.