The Lizard Who Roars at Spouting Horn
On the south shore of Kauaʻi, seawater bursts out of a lava tube with a deep groan and hiss. Hawaiian legend says it's a giant lizard, trapped inside.
What was reported
Spouting Horn, near Poʻipū on Kauaʻi, is a blowhole in the black lava rock of the shore. When waves rush in, water shoots high into the air, followed by a loud moaning, hissing sound from a second, smaller hole.
A Hawaiian legend tells of a giant moʻo, a lizard spirit, who guarded the coast and attacked anyone who came to fish or swim. A young man tricked it into chasing him into the lava tube, where it became stuck. The groaning sound is the moʻo, still trying to get out.
Explanations offered
The water spout and sound are caused by waves forcing water and air through a lava tube under the shore. The hiss comes from air escaping through a smaller hole. The legend gives a powerful story to a familiar natural wonder.
- When
- Told for generations
- Where
- Poʻipū, Kauaʻi, Hawaii, USA
- Witnesses
- Hawaiian tradition and visitors
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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