HAWAI'I KAI — Joe Ruszkowski has been surfing at China Wall in Portlock for years and said he isn't surprised by Saturday's death of a 17-year-old tourist at the seemingly benign residential surf spot.

"It's a hairy place," he said. "Especially if you don't know what you're doing."

Three deaths have occurred in the Portlock area over the past four months — two at China Wall and one at Spitting Caves, less than a mile away. Emerald Abing, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo., drowned just five days after a 29-year-old visitor died at Spitting Caves.

China Wall resembles a staircase moving outward toward the water with at least a 5-foot drop down from the last "step."

Because of the position of the wall, the waves normally move alongside it rather than crashing against it, making for a drop that may appear harmless to the unsuspecting person, according to Ruszkowski, a 38-year old Waldorf School teacher.

Depending on the swell, a person could be launching themselves into water from 8 to 20 feet deep.

"It's deep, very deep, but you can see where the individual rocks stick up — that's what makes it hairy," he said.

But depending on the size of passing waves, the water frequently covers much of the most dangerous slabs of rock, Ruszkowski said.

"Either you have a nice cushion or you have just rock," he said.

Abing suffered head and neck injuries, and the cause of death was drowning, an official with the medical examiner's office said yesterday.

Early indications were that Abing apparently hit her head against rocks when she dove off the wall.

However, it's much more likely she was slammed against the wall by a passing wave, said Jim Howe, operations chief for the city's Ocean Safety Division.

Capt. Robert Thomas of the Hawai'i Kai fire station said part of the problem is that people must climb back up the wall after jumping off. That leaves them exposed to passing waves that can easily slam them against the wall or sweep them back into the water, he said.

"There is no easy way to get out of the water — climb the wall and you have to fight the waves," Thomas said.

He added that the danger increases in the summer because of more frequent south swells and more tourists and locals visiting the area.

China Wall isn't the only dangerous spot in the Portlock area.

A Louisiana man died at Spitting Caves on July 5. Officials said he panicked and drowned after jumping 100 feet from the rocky shelf into water that is 60 to 80 feet deep.

Spitting Caves has been the scene of numerous drownings over the years, since it is easy for inexperienced swimmers to panic once diving into the deep waters, Thomas said.

But Spitting Caves' seemingly benevolent counterpart — China Wall — has been the more deadly so far this year.

The wall has become an increasingly popular site for tourists unaware of its potential danger, according to Dylan Casuga, an 18-year-old surfer who frequents the area at least once a week.

"People think they can just swim, but the waves come out of nowhere," Casuga said.

Because the wall juts out at several points along its 200-yard path, surfers often get flung by a wave into those parts of the wall, said Howe, with the city's Ocean Safety Division.

"On a big day, when guys are surfing, usually they're never more than about 4 or 5 feet from the rocks," Ruszkowski said.

Even the most experienced of surfers say the area has given them a beating once or twice.

"I've cut my feet to shreds a few times," Ruszkowski said, adding he has even contemplated wearing a helmet when surfing near the wall.

Because both areas lack lifeguards, people unfamiliar with them are cautioned not to get into the water.

"They have to know and understand all of the hazards before they go in the water," Howe said.

Many visitors to China Wall may also be unaware of the water's ability to pull people in even as they stand near the edge of the shelf, said Howe. "People get knocked down or swept into the water all the time," he said.

People are cautioned to stay out of the area altogether if they are inexperienced.

"Why go someplace where you are putting yourself at risk?" he said.