Kaʻula Island, also called Kaʻula Rock, is a small, crescent-shaped island in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

Mythology

In the legend of Papa and

Wākea In the Hawaiian religion, Wākea, the Sky father weds Papahānaumoku, the earth mother. The two are considered the parent couple of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii. ''Wākea'' was the eldest son of Kahiko ("Ancient One"), who lived in Olalowaia. ...

, Kaula is the seventh-born child.

Geography

It is located west-southwest of Kawaihoa Point on

Niihau Niihau ( Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii. It is southwest of Kauaʻi across the Kaulakahi Channel. Its area is . Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland hab ...

, and about west of

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

. The island is the top of a volcanic

tuff cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

that rests on top of a larger, submerged

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

. At its highest point, the island reaches a height of . The ocean has carved large sea cliffs on the sides of the island. There is a large cave on the northwest side of the island called Kahalauaola (Shark Cave). The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

defines Kaula as Census Tract 411 of

Kauai County, Hawaii Kauai County ( haw, Kalana o Kauaʻi) (officially known as the County of Kauai) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Hawaii, Hawaii. It consists of the islands of Kauai, Kauai, Niʻihau, Niihau, Lehua, and Kaʻula, Kaula. As ...

. The 2000 census showed that the uninhabited island had a land area of . Because of

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

, the island is slowly shrinking. Kaʻula, which he spelled as "Tahoora", was one of the first five islands sighted by

Captain James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

in 1778.

Lighthouse

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

was completed on the island in 1932 by the

United States Lighthouse Service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of t ...

, which became part of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

in 1939. The lighthouse remained in operation through 1947.

Military use

The island has been used as a

bombing range A bombing range usually refers to a remote military aerial bombing and gunnery training range used by combat aircraft to attack ground targets (air-to-ground bombing), or a remote area reserved for researching, developing, testing and evaluatin ...

by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

since at least 1952. Inert ordnance is currently used, although live explosive ordnance has been used in the past. There is a risk of unexploded ordnance on the island. Permission from the U.S. Navy is required to land on the island. In 1978, over the objection of the U.S. Navy, the state of Hawaii claimed ownership of Kaula and named the island a State Seabird Sanctuary. A final determination of ownership has not yet been made, and the Navy still uses the southeast point of the island as an aerial bombing and strafing target.

Diving

Kaula is uninhabited, but fishermen and

scuba divers This is a list of underwater divers whose exploits have made them notable. Underwater divers are people who take part in underwater diving activities – Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where t ...

frequently visit the island. Five Fathom Pinnacle, west-northwest of Kaula, is also a noted dive spot.Underwater Photos from Five Fathom Pinnacle
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Notes

References

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External links

Offshore Islet Restoration Committee, KaulaKaula IslandNautical Chart Containing Kaula IslandKaula Rock Photos
Photographs of Kaula Island, May 2008 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaula Niihau Geography of Kauai County, Hawaii Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain Tuff cones Uninhabited islands of Hawaii Volcanoes of Hawaii Pliocene volcanoes Neogene Oceania Cenozoic Hawaii Islands of Hawaii