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Diamond Headlight by verygreen –

Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about Diamond Head in Hawaii

Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of O驶ahu and is known to Hawaiians as L膿驶补丑颈. The Hawaiian name is most likely derived from lae (browridge, promontory) plus 驶补丑颈 (tuna) because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna’s dorsal fin. ts English name was given by British sailors in the 19th century, who named it for the calcite crystals on the adjacent beach.

Diamond Head is part of the system of cones, vents, and their associated eruption flows that are collectively known to geologists as the Honolulu Volcanic Series, eruptions from the Ko驶olau Volcano that took place long after the volcano formed and had gone dormant. These eruptive events created many of O驶ahu’s well-known landmarks, including Punchbowl Crater, Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, and M膩nana Island in addition to Diamond Head.

In this article, we look at the top 10 unbelievable facts about Diamond Head in Hawaii.

1. Diamond Head Used to be a Military Installation

In 1905, the federal government bought 720 acres, which included Diamond Head Crater, for $3,300. Right away work began on building Fort Ruger and then a total of 5 cannon batteries over the next few decades. In addition to the battery posts, there were bunkers and pillboxes stationed next to them.

This along with Fort DeRussy helped to make up the U.S. Army Coastal Artillery Defense System for a number of years. During the 1940s and 1950s, the guns were taken down and scrapped, since they were outdated. It wasn鈥檛 until 1968 that Diamond Head State Monument was created.

2. Diamond Head was once a site of human sacrifice

A staircase along the Diamond Head Trail by Famartin –

Several sacred alters once graced the hillside of Diamond Head, and at least one was used for human sacrifice.  

The most famous human sacrifice temple was known as Papa鈥檈na鈥檈na. Here, religious ceremonies and human sacrifices were held to appease and gain favor with the Gods. There are no ruins of Papa鈥檈na鈥檈na to speak of today due to the rapid and voracious development of Waikiki.

3. After the overthrow of the Monarchy, Diamond Head was the site of an epic battle between activists and the new government

In 1895, two years after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy by the United States, a three-day skirmish took place on the hillsides of Diamond Head. 

Royalists, armed with rifles and pistols, took the high ground and fired down on troops of the new government, who returned fire with cannons. The government troops were able to hold off the resistance and eventually imprisoned most of the uprising鈥檚 leaders.

4. The U.S. military took over Diamond Head in the years leading up to World War I

Diamond Head Lighthouse by Nesnad –

Wary of a Japanese invasion during World War I, the U.S. military turned Diamond Head into a giant watchtower, stationing more than 1,000 men in its crater.

The army also built a series of tunnels and armed its slopes with turret guns. To date, the guns are gone. However, the tunnels remain but are closed to the public.

5. Diamond Head is not a volcano all on its own

The unique formation is a vent of the larger Ko鈥檕lau Volcano that makes up O鈥檃hu鈥檚 east side. It was formed approximately 800,000 years ago as part of the Honolulu Volcanic Series.

The Ko鈥檕lau Volcano erupted for the final time, producing several well-known formations, including Diamond Head, Punchbowl, Koko Head, and Hanauma Bay.

6. There used to be live concerts inside Diamond Head Crater

Aerial view of Diamond Head tuff cone by Steve Jurvetson –

The first commercial concert to take place inside Diamond Head was the Diamond Head Crater Festival in 1969. 

Later in the years, many more followed throughout the 1970s and beyond. The last concert to take place inside the Crater was in 2006.

7. Diamond Head Mountain is 300,000 Years Old

About 300,000 years ago, there were small volcanic eruptions on the island of Oahu creating 3 significant craters in the area: Punchbowl, Diamond Head, and Koko Head. To the Southeast of Diamond Head is an area called Blackpoint, created by the lava flow from the eruptions.

It鈥檚 interesting to note that the eruptions in some places covered coral reefs that now are over 100 feet above sea level, meaning the sea level was at least that much higher than it is now. It was an active volcano at one time, over 150,000 years ago, but has been dormant since and there鈥檚 no lava in the crater.

8. Diamond Head got its name from the belief that it had diamonds

Panorama of Honolulu-Waikiki-Diamond Head by Daniel Ramirez –

The name Diamond Head became famous in the 1820s when crews from British ships discovered calcite crystals on the crater.

The British sailors believed they were diamonds, they named the famous volcano what it鈥檚 currently known as. Later, the British found that the crystals were, in fact, not diamonds.

To the locals in Hawaii, Diamond Head Crater is actually called Le鈥橝hi. Le鈥橝hi means 鈥渂row of the tuna fish鈥�. Hawaiians believe the legend that Pele鈥檚 sister, Hi鈥檌aka gave it the name because, from a distance, the crater looks like the back and fin of a tuna fish.

9. Diamond Head was purchased by the federal government in 1904 for $3,300

In the 1930s, a couple of gun emplacements for coast artillery defenses were built. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, further gun emplacements, pillboxes, and foxholes were built on Diamond Head to be able to better defend Oahu in the future. 

Many of them still remain on the crater rim and one underground facility, the Birkheimer Tunnel, houses the headquarters for the State Civil Defense Agency. Today, the entire mountain and crater is a state park known as Diamond Head State Monument.

10. Diamond Head has two stairs, one has 99 steps and a second one has 76 steps

Diamond Head Crater measures 3,520 feet (1,073 m) across and 760 feet (232 m) in height. A hiking trail leads from the crater up to a lookout point. there are two stairs, one has 99 steps and a second one has 76 steps. There鈥檚 also a 225-foot (69 m) hardly lit tunnel through which you鈥檒l have to go. 

The tunnel is a remnant of the former military use of the crater. Once you reach the top, the view is spectacular, especially on a clear and sunny day.