Tika Hick, Girlfriend Of Maui Blowhole Victim, Defends David Potts In Interview

HONOLULU — The fiancee of the Northern California man who was sucked into a blowhole to his apparent death said Friday there should have been signs warning people of the dangers of the geyser-like creation along a rugged stretch of the Maui coastline.

Tika Hick told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday from San Anselmo, Calif., that 44-year-old David Potts vanished into the ocean during a vacation to enjoy some time in the Maui sun before she undergoes a double mastectomy next week following a recent breast cancer diagnosis.

Eyewitness accounts from tourists who were there said Potts was dancing around inches from the hole's opening and playing in the sprays of water shooting high into the sky when he disappeared.

Hick disputed that description and took local officials to task for not posting warning signs at the site. She was not at the blowhole at the time, but said her brother and sister-in-law were there.

"He slipped because it was slippery," said a sobbing Hick.

The incident has served as another tragic reminder of the dangers lurking along undeveloped stretches of Hawaii's shoreline.

Online travel sites warn of the rocky cliffs near the blowhole and its unpredictable eruptions. The blowhole was created by pounding surf that undercut and wore away a lava shelf. Every wave pushes water and air through the hole, creating an eruption similar to a geyser. Then as the water retreats, it creates a strong vacuum-like effect.

Maui County officials said the blowhole appears to be on private land, according to property records, but were still in the process of verifying that. The county said people were continuing to visit the area, despite being told of what happened to Potts.

Previous injuries and deaths at other tourist spots on private land have raised questions of responsibility and liability when visitors are technically trespassing to get there. Landowners are not required to post warning signs.

The only signage at the Nakalele blowhole is a quarter-mile away – a handmade sign that cautions visitors, "Blowhole, park and walk at your own risk."

"We urge all visitors to the location to please use caution an as obvious danger exists at or near the blowhole," the county said in a statement, also noting that it and the Maui Visitors Bureau do not promote the area as a tourist spot.

There are still questions about who owns the land at the site of the blowhole – and who could be the target of a possible lawsuit over the episode.

The county said records indicate the property is owned by Maui Land & Pineapple Company.

Kalani Ho, the company's land and property manager, said the blowhole is on public property because it is on the shoreline. "The blowhole is below the high-water mark," she said. "State land is below the high-water mark and obviously that's in the water."

The state is researching the ownership of the blowhole, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority asked Maui Land & Pineapple for permission to post warning signs near the blowhole, which the company granted, Ho said.

She said publications that promote the blowhole as a destination present constant challenges for the company. "We don't have the resources to fence our entire property line and by state law we have to provide public access to the shoreline."

Maui Police Lt. Chad Viela, who is overseeing the investigation, said this is the first time he's heard of someone falling into the hole, which has an opening that's about 3-feet wide. It's a popular tourist destination, he said, among visitors wanting to explore the undeveloped, sparsely populated terrain of western Maui's northern tip.

"The ocean conditions are much more treacherous out that side of west Maui," he said. "Visitors just don't know the dangers."

The last time someone died at a blowhole in Hawaii was 2002 when an 18-year-old from Sylmar, Calif., fell into the Halona blowhole on Oahu and drowned.

In the latest case, Hick said she visited the site on Maui before leaving Hawaii and paid tribute to the man she was supposed to marry.

"We put flowers in the water to say goodbye and asked Hawaii to take care of him," she said, "and to take care of me and our son."

Comments

[lindamermaid]

12:48 AM on 07/28/2011

We have to pass common sense laws because many people don't have any common sense any more. "He slipped because the rocks were slippery". Duh!

[JTHC75]

03:17 PM on 07/25/2011

"one more thing, this could have easily been avoided with a simple grate built over the blowhole exit. It wouldn't have cost a thousand bucks to cover this 3' diameter mentioned in the article with a weighted mesh grate to keep larger objects from backwashin­g into this pit. My opinion is the public officials should have known this was a danger.. "

Ah yes, let's just make all of nature idiot-proof by putting ugly grates over it. Let's put a big mesh net over the Grand Canyon, maybe neon green for visibility. Yosemite? Dam up those waterfalls and lay styrofoam crash pads near every cliff. Cover up that ocean!

[Bianca S]

06:38 PM on 07/20/2011

"He slipped because it was slippery"

Oh, well in that case....

Let's use that logic when someone slips and fall into a hole on a frozen pond, in middle of unadultered landscape:

"Your Honor, Mother Nature didn't put a sign up to warn my client that ice is slippery. She should have put a sign up warning my client that "dancing around inches from the hole's opening" is prohibited."

Sad that she lost her fiancee, but really?

[Youdontgetit]

05:31 PM on 07/20/2011

I did something stupid....who can I sue?

[iLUVaGoodRead]

12:03 PM on 07/20/2011

How is it judging? I watched Tika's interview on TV. What I remarked on was straight from her mouth. She talked about the bankruptcy and losing their house and finding out she had cancer and quitting her job as a teacher to take care of her baby. She also raved about how there should have been signs and someone (ELSE) was to blame.

Granted, if the trip was a gift given to them, then fine--I'll give them credit. (Although, I know a trip to Hawaii isn't cheap...seems to me the money could have been allocated differently, given their predicament...gift or not.)

Doesn't mean anyone DESERVED that tragic result. I just don't think they deserve bleeding someone else dry or blaming someone else because of it.

Plainly, the situation is sad, tragic, and unfortunate. The fact that she has cancer and a new baby makes it even more sad. I don't wish her ill will in the slightest. In fact, if they had a fundraiser to pay for treatments, I'd be more than willing to give for her and the baby. I feel for her--human-to-human.

Empathizing doesn't mean ignoring poor choices, however; I just don't think any of these factors should translate into a payday via suing, or making it about someone ELSE's negligence.

[Rocktopus]

01:10 AM on 07/20/2011

Sad for the loss, but now it looks like the cashing in will start. Tourists want to come hereand tramp over the Aina carefree. The Moana and the Aina are to be respected. This guy would jave eventually grabbed a power line or put bleach on his cereal.

[Lee Donowitz]

11:56 PM on 07/19/2011

Ive actually been to this blowhole on Maui, and while the surf/sea was quite calm, no one should be near it. Regular waves were shooting up 40 feet +. Common sense took the day off.

[SaltyWench]

08:05 PM on 07/19/2011

Really? Warning signs would have done it? Come on. You need a sign to tell you that wet rocks are slippery? That its not a good idea to stand next to a blow hole?
Darwin's calling...

[Bianca S]

06:13 PM on 07/20/2011

Funny, sad & true.

[skymuffin]

01:47 PM on 07/18/2011

We were at Hanauma Bay and rescuers with a helicoper were trying to pull out yet another tourist who decided to disregard numerous signs and climb over guardrails. Apparently, this happens frequently.

[iLUVaGoodRead]

01:46 AM on 07/18/2011

WHY do people NEED SIGNS?!?! What ever happened to common sense? What did people do before warning signs? Fall off the cliff like sheep?

I mean I get it--what happened was tragic and literally, a freak of nature. But still...looking for someone to blame (aka SUE) is not the answer.

You know what I find increasingly frustrating about this article and couple? They went on vacation to Hawaii after declaring bankruptcy and losing their house in March. The reason was to take a break before Tika (the girlfriend) underwent cancer surgery. (Again, more unfortunate sadness.)

But how do you get enough money to go to HAWAII if you lost your house and filed for bankruptcy? And if your family is supposedly out to be together to celebrate this precious time, then why are you out trespassing on private property and playing so close to a dangerous situation? Shouldn't you be relaxing together with your sick girlfriend? After all, the trip was for HER...

Seems to me this family was full of bad choices.

Even if it was "slippery" as she said, that's all the more reason to be careful. that;s even more of a reason not to look for someone to blame. After all, these are weathered rocks that get sprayed with WATER....you would expect them to be just as she said--slippery. No one to blame, but to mourn the tragedy outright.

[Laura Greenfield]

01:53 PM on 07/18/2011

How DARE you judge Dave and Tika. You have no idea how they got that trip and their background. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[asta1968]

04:07 PM on 07/18/2011

It's ridiculous that a 44 year old man couldn't deduce that if it's wet, it's most likely slippery.

jesus christ!

[lindamermaid]

12:59 AM on 07/28/2011

I suppose you think she should be entitled (how I hate that word!) to a huge amount of money because her boyfriend slipped on slippery rocks, while going where he should never have been in the first place.

I hope you're smarter than that.

[Rocktopus]

02:38 AM on 07/20/2011

It looks like she's going for a payday now, though. Maybe she'll break even.

[keezze]

02:17 AM on 07/17/2011

Hawaii is very dangerous the sun causes cancers, currents drown, sharks bite, sunamis visit, earth quakes quake, cocanuts fall, pigs run astray and bite. the dust from the volcanos choke, the lava burns. adafinium...travelers beware its a war zone out their

[dubbleplusgood]

11:45 PM on 07/16/2011

No matter how tragic this particular circumstance clearly is, some people need to learn to take responsibility for their actions. The ocean is a dangerous place and if a shark or a jellyfish doesn't get you, a big wave or a blowhole might. It's really not hard to err on the side of caution and be more careful.

[MaxPowerXP]

11:25 PM on 07/16/2011

"The Maui Blowhole" is perhaps the greatest porn name ever.

[Rothay]

09:36 PM on 07/16/2011

The authorities should have known this was a danger? They did. This was private property and while one owner near a blowhole said the area was too large to fence, and too expensive. Question: Why don't you think that people venturing near a blowhole shouldn't recognize that it is dangerous? There was a powerful force of water coming out of this one (so much for your grate idea), and, lo and behold, the rough Pacific nearby. This victim underestimated both.

[Rothay]

09:29 PM on 07/16/2011

Played safely at a blowhole, in the spray, and with young children? You jest! You don't play ata blowhole. You keep your distance, you pay attention, and damn, you keep a tight hold of the kids. It was not the blowhole that was the cause of the man disappearing into it, it was a sudden large wave that came crashing over the rocks towards it and swept the man into the hole. That could have happened to your kids and while you were telling them to put their attention in the wrong place, the blowhole. I lived near the beautiful Pacific for many years and went on the water often with my husband who was a yacht skipper. I listened to his advice: treat the sea with respect, it is unpredictable and can change in the blink of an eye. Amen.