Hawaii

The rare underwater phenomenon found in Hawaii’s waters

Published

1 year ago

July 30, 2023

The rare underwater phenomenon found in Hawaii’s waters

Right off the coast of Lanai, the First Cathedral site takes divers to a large lava tube where sunlight beams down through tiny openings in the cave.

Kristin Belew

The caves that exist in the Hawaiian Islands don’t stop at the surface. Underwater, there are lava tubes, or caves that formed when magma flowed beneath the surface of the earth. Some of these sites have turned into a playground for scuba divers, with tunnels, chambers and arches.

A few of them, such as two dive sites off the island of Lanai, feature a rare phenomenon. A dive down into the large underwater lava tubes known as First Cathedral and Second Cathedral sees rays of sunlight streaming through holes, resulting in a lighting effect reminiscent of a cathedral.

“Lava tubes are not rare. Finding a lava tube underwater that is within scuba diving depths that has the ceiling broken out in a couple places to create windows for sunlight to come in, there just aren’t that many that are known of in Hawaii,” Chip Fletcher, interim dean for the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii, told SFGATE.

First Cathedral is about 100 feet tall and features a central rock that divers have come to call the “altar.”
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Kristin Belew

Fletcher has been on both Cathedral dives and says he knows of just two others like them on Oahu.

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First Cathedral is a five-minute boat ride from Manele Bay, near Puu Pehe (aka Sweetheart Rock), and at a depth of 55 to 70 feet. Kristin Belew, a scuba instructor for Lanai Ocean Sports, estimates First Cathedral to be very large, at about 100 feet long, 70 feet wide and 20 feet tall.

“It is more like one big chamber or room,” Belew told SFGATE. “You enter through this really beautiful archway. When you’re inside, the back wall has lots of little holes, and the light comes through these holes, giving it a stained-glass effect.”

Belew moved to Lanai in 2011 but got certified to scuba when she was 14 years old in 1994. She’s racked up over 1,000 dives at each Cathedral site. “The diving off of Lanai is some of the best diving in the state,” Belew says. “We’ve got really clear water, really healthy reefs and not very many people, too.”

Menpachi are seen swimming together at the First Cathedral dive site off the island of Lanai.

Kristin Belew

At the center of First Cathedral is a large rock that has been nicknamed the “altar.” Depending on the time of day, light shines on this rock from the ceiling, illuminating it and the surrounding area. Belew says weddings do happen here, though not very often. Proposals are easier. Kneeling is possible, and the person proposing can use underwater slates for messaging.

When surf breaks over the rocks above, divers shoot out of the lava tube to exit the dive. “It generally gives you a little burst of speed as you pass through the smaller exit hole,” Belew says of what divers call the “shotgun.”

Second Cathedral is also at a depth of around 55 to 65 feet, and its lava cave is massive, at 80 feet in diameter. This dive site is farther down the southern Lanai coastline, closer to Kaunolu.

Belew describes it as a “big Swiss cheese” because there are about seven different ways to enter and exit. A rare black coral hangs from the ceiling, which divers refer to as the “chandelier.”

Scuba divers swim at the large Second Cathedral dive site off the coast of Lanai.
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Kristin Belew

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Nocturnal fish are often found inside this lava tube, while the exterior is home to a large school of bluestripe snappers that swim together in a ball. “I think it’s really awesome to be down there,” Belew says. “You’re never going to see the same exact fish or eels. Sometimes we see an octopus now and then, a reef shark or a turtle. It’s always different.”

From a scientific point of view, Fletcher doesn’t believe these lava tubes were formed by lava falling into the ocean but rather that they were formed at a time it was on dry land. “Lava tubes that are underwater like this had to form when sea level was lower, and since they form from lava flows, they require that the volcano be active at the time,” Fletcher says. That means they’re very old.

Scuba divers at an opening in Second Cathedral off the coast of Lanai.

Kristin Belew

The Cathedral lava tubes were created by the Lanai volcano. “The lavas are between 1.3 and 1 million years old,” Scott Rowland, undergraduate chair and specialist for the Department of Earth Science at the University of Hawaii, told SFGATE in an email. The island was created by the one volcano, with Lanaihale being the highest point.

For Belew, even after diving into the Cathedral sites many times, she says it never gets old. “To me, they’re absolutely gorgeous,” she says. “It’s always a different experience.”

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Hawaii

Hawaii surfer Landon McNamara wins the 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational

Published

2 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Hawaii surfer Landon McNamara wins the 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational

WAIMEA BAY (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s official: Landon McNamara has won the 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.

He received 135.8 points as well as the highest-scoring wave of the competition — a perfect score of 15 — which earned him the Best Wave Award.

“This is a childhood dream of mine, something I’ve been working at since being a little kid on the beach here, watching these events go down,” he said. “I don’t know what to feel right now. I’ve already cried 10 times.

“I’m grateful to Eddie,” McNamara said. “Both my heats, I had a turtle I was following. For real. … They say Eddie picks the winner, and I’m so grateful he picked me.”

The accomplishment is even more fitting considering his father, Liam McNamara, is the contest director.

The top nine finishers were:

Landon McNamara (HI, 2024 WINNER)
Mason Ho (HI)
Billy Kemper (HI)
Jamie O’Brien (HI)
Nic Lamb (CA)
Luke Shepardson (HI, 2023 WINNER)
Nathan Florence (HI)
Kai Lenny (HI)
Koa Rothman (HI)

Competitor Greg Long received the Aloha Spirit Award. “Participating in this event has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life,” he said.

THE EDDIE IS ON: View our complete coverage

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Oahu’s North Shore to witness the historic event Sunday.

Waves were 50 feet in face height, according to Liam McNamara.

“The conditions are amazing. There’s a strong offshore breeze right now,” McNamara told Hawaii News Now early Sunday morning. “We’re looking for an amazing day of competition. This is a historic day. We want to make sure we start it with a bang and we end with a bang.”

This is the 11th time “The Eddie” has run in the last 40 years, and participation is by invitation only.

Previous Coverage:

For more information:

Rip Curl The Eddie Big Wave Invitational
TheEddieAikau.com

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Hawaii

Hawaii surfing competition 'The Eddie' braces for 50-foot waves Sunday | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather

Published

10 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Hawaii surfing competition ‘The Eddie’ braces for 50-foot waves Sunday

The forecast for massive 50-foot waves in Hawaii prompted the organizers of The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, the premier surfing event in the world, to schedule the event for Sunday. “The Eddie” competition requires consistent 40-foot or higher surf. If Sunday’s event goes on as planned, it’ll be only the 11th time it has happened since 1984.

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Hawaii

This Popular Hawaii Resort Has A New 3-Story Penthouse And Renovated Pools With Local Amenities

Published

18 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

This Popular Hawaii Resort Has A New 3-Story Penthouse And Renovated Pools With Local Amenities

The family-friendly Resort Pool at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach

Photo: Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach

When it comes to Waikiki’s luxury hotels, the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach, is one of the most beloved properties for frequent visitors to this popular corner of Hawaii. With all its spacious rooms boasting balconies with ocean views and kitchens to ensure a comfortable stay no matter how long your trip may be, it’s a true home away from home, with the added magic that comes with the brand’s phenomenal customer service. To make things better, the resort recently unveiled a collection of new suites and reimagined pools, providing guests an even more elevated experience than before.

Dubbed the Sky Suites, these sumptuous, multi-bedroom accommodations have become the pinnacle of luxury living in Waikiki. Encased in floor-to-ceiling windows, delivering sweeping panoramas of the neighborhood’s namesake beach and the beautiful blue Pacific at every turn, the vistas alone are worth every penny. But once you add in the modern furnishings, full kitchens with Miele appliances, the formal dining spaces, and pristine white marble bathrooms, you’ll never want to look back. To top it all off, they also come with exclusive perks, including roundtrip airport transfers, a dedicated VIP concierge, and a pre-stocked refrigerator with preferred beverages and snacks.

The three-bedroom Sky Suite

Photo: Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach

Guests have the option between three- or four-bedroom Sky Suites. The former is a coveted corner unit that features what is arguably the resort’s best view of Diamond Head, along with a sleek, marble kitchen island that’s great for entertaining. The latter is the property’s largest, spanning nearly 3,000 square feet across two floors, and is the only four-bedroom suite in all of Waikiki. It also sports the resort’s biggest kitchen, making it particularly great for private chef dinners, and the double-height living room allows for plenty of natural light to filter in.

The Sky Penthouse rooftop deck

Photo: Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach

But the Ritz-Carlton’s crowning jewel, quite literally, is the Sky Penthouse. Occupying the top floors of the resort’s Diamond Head Tower, this three-story, two-bedroom suite soars 350 feet above Waikiki. The first level houses the living spaces, a kitchen with a wine fridge, one bedroom, and a small media room that also doubles as a great private reading nook. The second floor is entirely dedicated to the master bedroom, but it’s the rooftop that’s the real selling point. Touting one of the neighborhood’s highest infinity plunge pools, the furnished deck also features a hot tub and grill, and is particularly ideal for sundowners.

You won’t need to book the Sky Penthouse for an incredible pool experience, though. The property offers its guests two infinity pools, one of which is an adults-only oasis. Both offer private cabanas, with the options at the family-friendly pool being larger, that come with a mini refrigerator stocked with local beverages and snacks. All guests can also expect a variety of thoughtful pool amenities, including sunscreen service and hourly snacks that pay homage to local favorites, like fresh pineapple dipped in li hing mui. The resort’s popular daily afternoon ritual of complimentary ice cream and sorbet is still available, and now includes an adult version with the addition of sparkling wine float. Quite frankly, there’s enough to keep you at the pool that you may never want to leave.

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