Spouting Horn is a blowhole located on the southern coast of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

in the Koloa district. This area of Kauai is known for its crashing waves (nearby Poipu translates to "crashing"). These waves erode lava rocks on the coastline which can create narrow openings, as is the case with Spouting Horn. With every wave, water shoots upward when it is forced through an opening and creates a sound suggestive of hissing. The spray can shoot as high as 50 feet in the air. The original Hawaiian name was ''puhi,'' meaning blowhole. The Spouting Horn is a part of the Koloa Heritage Trail, a 10-mile trail in the Koloa district.

Legends

According to

Hawaiian folklore Folklore in Hawaii in modern times is a mixture of various aspects of Hawaiian mythology and various urban legends that have been passed on regarding various places in the Hawaiian islands. The following is a partial list of some of these legends. ...

, a giant lizard (“mo’o” in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

) once protected this area of the island. One day, a young man named Liko was swimming in a body of water, but the giant lizard saw Liko as danger, so she attacked him. Liko then jumped into the ocean, luring the lizard in the water. Liko then swam through a small lava tube in the rocks leading to the surface. The lizard followed Liko and got stuck in the lava tube, or blowhole. Today, you can hear the lizard's roar every time the Spouting Horn Blowhole blasts into the air.

References

External links

Landforms of Kauai Blowholes {{Hawaii-stub