The Pacific Ocean has been hiding something extraordinary for nearly a decade.
Buried on Oahu’s western coast, 500-year-old Hawaiian petroglyphs have been waiting for the perfect moment to deliver their ancient message.
And when nature finally revealed these incredible carvings, experts were left dumbfounded.
A buried treasure emerges after nine years
The massive sandstone carvings, known as kiʻi pōhaku to Native Hawaiians, have broken free from their sandy tomb at Pōkaʻī Bay on the Waianae Coast.¹
What archaeologists discovered wasn’t just ancient artwork – it was a complex story carved in stone.
The petroglyphs stretch an incredible 115 feet across the coastline, with individual figures towering more than eight feet tall and nearly eight feet wide.²
These aren’t simple scratches in rock.
Archaeologists have documented 26 separate petroglyphs in the panel, including 18 human-like stick figures that appear to tell a deliberate story.
The artwork was first discovered in 2016 by two travelers from Fort Worth, Texas – Lonnie Watson and Mark Louviere – who spotted the mysterious carvings while watching a sunset.³
But after that brief appearance, the ocean buried its secret once again under tons of sand.
Until now.
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Native “expert” weighs in
When Glen Kila, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, whatever that means, working with the Army to protect the petroglyphs, studied the newly exposed carvings, he says he realized what his ancestors were trying to say.⁴
The largest figure in the panel represents the rising and setting sun – a powerful symbol in Hawaiian spirituality.
But Kila believes the petroglyphs’ reappearance carries an urgent warning for the modern world.
"It’s telling the community that the ocean is rising," Kila explained.⁵
Think about that for a moment.
Ancient Hawaiians carved these figures at least 500 years ago, and now they’re emerging from the sand and waters to deliver a message about rising sea levels that’s only visible when the water rises then recedes to clear the sand off them.
Logically, if they’re only visible for a brief period when the sea-level temporarily rises then lowers to clear away sand every so often, like say after nine or ten years, then yeah they do signal the ocean is probably going to rise and cover them up again.
Nohea Stevens, who lives nearby, sees additional layers to the story carved in stone.
She believes the figures connect to agriculture and the relationship between the Hawaiian people and their land.
"They tend to tell a moʻolelo, or story of the place," Stevens noted.⁶
Rare details that make these carvings unique
Of the 18 human figures documented, eight appear to be male, but here’s what really caught the attention of archaeologists – two of the figures actually have carved fingers.
"The ones with the fingers, for me, are pretty unique," said Alton Exzabe, an archaeologist with the U.S. Army, when the petroglyphs were first documented in 2016.⁷
"I believe there are some elsewhere with fingers, but fingers and hands are pretty distinct, as well as the size of them."
That level of detail was incredibly rare in ancient Hawaiian rock art.
The fact that these ancient artists took the time to carve individual fingers suggests these weren’t casual doodles – they were important messages meant to last for centuries.
The sheer scale of the artwork also sets it apart from typical petroglyphs found elsewhere on the islands.
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Nature’s perfect timing reveals the ancient warning
The timing of this revelation seems almost supernatural.
In 2016, the petroglyphs were first exposed after a series of late spring and early summer storms produced powerful waves that washed away the protective sand.
This time, experts say seasonal changes to the beach caused by low-pressure weather systems coming from the eastern Pacific naturally cleared away the sand.⁸
"This is a natural process that uncovers, and eventually recovers, these glyphs and others located around the island," explained Nathan Wilkes, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii.⁹
But the cyclical nature of their appearance makes each revelation feel like the ancestors choosing exactly when to speak.
The petroglyphs are located in front of a cabin at a United States Army recreation center, creating an interesting challenge for officials trying to balance public access with preservation of these priceless cultural artifacts.
Members of the public can walk on the beach to see the petroglyphs, but parking at the Army recreation center requires a military ID.¹⁰
Army officials are wrestling with how much attention they should bring to these irreplaceable artifacts?
"How much attention do you want to bring to this area? You don’t really want people to go digging for them when they’re not exposed," said Laura Gilda, an archaeologist with U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii.¹¹
"But they’re certainly awesome to come and see on the public beachscape."
For now, nature has made the decision, giving everyone a rare opportunity to hear what was carved in stone half a millennium ago.
¹ Mahealani Richardson, "Centuries-old Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand for first time in 9 years," Hawaii News Now, August 1, 2025.
² Christine Hitt, "Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand on Oahu beach," SFGate, August 1, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, "Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand on Oahu beach," Associated Press, August 1, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Richardson, "Centuries-old Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand."
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Kelleher, "Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand."
⁹ Hitt, "Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand on Oahu beach."
¹⁰ Richardson, "Centuries-old Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand."
¹¹ Kelleher, "Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs emerge from sand."
