Diver dies near Spitting Caves
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser Staff Writer
A 47-year-old man died yesterday while scuba diving with a group off Portlock, officials said.
The man, who was a visitor traveling alone, got into trouble while diving near Spitting Caves and was found by another diver about 9 a.m.
The company operating the dive tour brought him to shore, where paramedics and other emergency personnel tried unsuccessfully to revive him, fire Capt. Terry Seelig said.
"There have been a lot of incidents in this area in the past," Seelig said. "It's pretty dangerous and was particularly so today because of the south swell."
Yesterday's swell brought in choppy 4-foot waves.
"It was probably a little rough to be diving in that area," Seelig said, but he added that the conditions alone would not necessarily cause a dive to go wrong.
No other divers experienced any problems, although three surfaced and started waving when their dive boat started moving away after retrieving the victim, Seelig said. The boat picked them up without incident, he said.
Police were looking into the incident; an initial investigation showed no signs of foul play.
The area is also where Zachary Johnson, 21, vanished in March after jumping into the ocean at Spitting Caves. Firefighters and Coast Guard crews searched for four days, but the Navy sailor was never found.
Advertiser staff writer Treena Shapiro contributed to this report. Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.
