Blowholes and a dragon’s nose

There is nothing better than when two of my favorite subjects collide. When I was scrolling #cryptidtok, I came across a video of a hole in the ground that aggressively releases air. The environment and shape of the hole make it appear as if it is the nostril of a dragon.

A man throws a light piece of cloth into the hole and in a few seconds, the cloth is expelled with force in a cloud of mist. It’s a pretty neat display. Is it real? Yes, probably. Is it a dragon’s breath? Naw. I sure hope the commenters on the video are just having fun, but I would not be surprised if many were that gullible.

The video, dated August of 2023, is cropped tightly so we can’t see the surroundings. The man to the right appears to be in clothing from Pakistan or Iran. (I’m guessing, but this is almost certainly not taken in the Western Hemisphere.)

I would bet that this is a cave opening that is connected to the sea at a lower elevation, creating a blowhole.

As the ocean tide rolls in, the water pushes the air through the cave passages and releases it through a chimney-like hole. In this video, it’s hard to say if the cloud expelled with the cloth is remnant water spray or just air at a different temperature and humidity. For example, if the air in the ground is moist and warm, the moisture expelled will condense in cooler, dry air.

If I’m guessing correctly, the video would have been easy to make on a cool morning when the tide is strong. The regular waves would have made the blowing air quite regular.

It could also be a dry blowhole created due to pressure differences. However, the air seems to be expelled in bursts here, lending more credence to the tidal explanation.

Other guesses in the TikTok comments include dragons, of course, but also jinns, and geysers. Not sure why a jinn would be so rude, but the characteristics are not like most geysers. It’s too short, and it better matches the tidal explanation for a blowhole.

Do you know the story of the real cave dragons? Olms.

Famous blowholes around the world are typically close enough to the ocean that the water sprays up out of them. Hawaii has a lot of them, related to lava caves. One of the largest blowholes is La Bufadora. The legend of this blowhole in Punta Banda, Mexico tells of a giant whale stranded on the rocks trying to signal its pod, only to eventually turn to stone.

I was able to find a few other sites around the world where small blowholes were also called dragon’s nostrils because it’s such a creative way to describe it.

I did spend a good bit of time trying to track down details on the TikTok video and a possible location. But I didn’t get anywhere. If anyone knows, please comment.