Latest drowning death highlights dangers of Spitting Caves

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    HAWAII KAI, Hawaii (KITV) — The death of a 28-year-old man on Saturday is the not the first drowning at Spitting Caves.

Because of its remote location and numerous hazards, many fear this will also NOT be the last.

Spitting Caves is a popular place to jump into the water, but some taking the plunge may not have the expertise or knowledge to do so safely.

Longtime Portlock resident Carole Maeda and her son-in-law Joseph Kacmarcik took a walk around their neighborhood to see some of the changes that have been taking place—one of which is more groups of people coming to Spitting Caves.

“Everybody is coming up here, to party. They are noisy,” said Maeda.

Some are attracted to this spot by social media clips that showcase many young adults, mostly men, leaping, flipping and diving into the swirling ocean below. But this particular jump comes with dangers.

“It is a 45-foot jump into the open ocean, and when the surf is high or currents are strong, they can whip you out or suck you into the cave,” said Oahu resident Parker Sullivan.

He and Jared Nunez have become experts at cliff jumping around Hawaii, and make it look easy.

They say they know the ocean conditions, depth and their own abilities before jumping in.

And they do so with safety people in the water—in case something goes wrong.

But not everyone does the same, especially visitors who may get in over their heads.

“They need to understand that from this height you could get injured and it could be easy to drown if you don’t have people down there,” added Nunez.

Several feet away from the spot where people leap, there are memorials to those who lost their lives at Spitting Caves. But that doesn’t deter many from jumping.

The spot is popular by outdoor adventure lovers, but also unguarded by Ocean Safety personnel.

Which means when something goes wrong, it can be 10 to 20 minutes before help arrives

That is what happened with the latest death, according to a post on Instagram, which shows lifeguards were able to find and retrieve the man who jumped and disappeared under water… but by that time they did, it was too late to save him.

The rescue and retrieval of the latest drowning victim, again shattered the quiet tranquility of this Portlock neighborhood.

“It is just awful. We never had this before—it was always quiet, nice and you were glad you lived here,” added Maeda.

The death is also a sobering reminder of the potential hazards of jumping into the ocean at Spitting Caves.

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