Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu and is known to Hawaiians as Lēʻahi. The Hawaiian name is most likely derived from lae (brow ridge, promontory) plus ʻahi (tuna) because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna’s dorsal fin. Its 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 Koʻolau Volcano that took place long after the volcano formed and had gone dormant. These eruptive events created many of Oʻahu’s well-known landmarks, including Punchbowl Crater, Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, and Mānana Island in addition to Diamond Head. Diamond Head, like the rest of the Honolulu, Hawaii‘s Volcanic Series, is much younger than the main mass of the Koʻolau Mountain Range. While the Koʻolau Range is about 2.6 million years old, Diamond Head is estimated to be about 400,000 to 500,000 years old.
Known as Lēʻahi in Hawaiian, the mountain in 1825 was given the name Diamond Hill by British sailors who discovered sparkling volcanic calcite crystals in the sand and mistook them for diamonds. This is reflected in another local name, Kaimana Hila. The name later became Diamond Head, with the head being shortened from the headland. The interior and adjacent exterior areas were the home to Fort Ruger, the first United States military reservation in Hawaii. Only Battery 407, a National Guard emergency operations center, and Birkhimer Tunnel, the Hawaii State Civil Defense Headquarters (HI-EMA), remain in use in the crater. An FAA air traffic control center was in operation from 1963 to 2002.
In 1968, Diamond Head has declared a National Natural Landmark. The crater, also called Diamond Head Lookout, was used as a strategic military lookout in the early 1900s. Spanning over 475 acres (190 ha) (including the crater’s interior and outer slopes), it served as an effective defensive lookout because it provides panoramic views of Waikīkī and the south shore of Oahu. The Diamond Head Lighthouse, a navigational lighthouse built-in 1917 is directly adjacent to the crater’s slopes. In addition, a few pillboxes are located on Diamond Head’s summit. A1 Bed Bug Exterminator Honolulu
Nearby Restaurants and Restaurants
- Yard House is located at 226 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI
- Mami’s Empanadas is located at 2525 Cartwright Rd, Honolulu, HI
- Suzie Wong’s Hideaway is located at 1913 Dudoit Ln, Honolulu, HI
- Arnold’s Beach Bar is located at 339 Saratoga Rd, Honolulu, HI
Check out other attractions like Hanauma Bay