LA Teen experiences a panic-inducing, claustrophobic, death after ignoring safety warnings and falling into blowhole

In 2002, rescue divers set out to recover the body of an 18-year-old boy who unfortunately got too close to the Halona blow hole in Hawaii. Rescuers already knew Daniel Dick would likely be dead due to the amount of time he had been trapped underwater, but how had this tragic incident even occurred in the first place?

Daniel had been on vacation with his family in Hawaii at the time. The young man ended up falling into the blowhole and was trapped in the dark, water-filled tunnels for 18 hours. He was completely at the mercy of the currents down there meaning he had absolutely no way of swimming back to the hole he had fallen into. Even if he had been able to do that, he would have had nothing to grip to pull himself back out.

How did Daniel Dick fall into the blowhole?

According to witnesses Daniel had passed by barriers and signs warning visitors not to get too close to the Halona Point Blowhole. The area was closed off but Daniel, hoping to get a closer look, had ignored the warnings and barriers. He then proceeded to straddle the blowhole as 100 people watched.

It was at this moment that a wave sent a jet of water shooting up and out of the hole, knocking Daniel into the air. Unfortunately for him, his body twisted upside-down and he fell head first straight into the watery hole which had just launched him.

The velocity of his fall sent him deep into the underground caverns where he would have been tossed around in the dark by the waves. He would have had no way to control where he was going and there would have been no air pockets for him to even catch a breath.

What about the rescue effort

Meanwhile, on the surface, the onlookers had already called for help, they knew that every second Daniel was down there would have been a second without air. However, rescue teams could not risk sending divers down after Daniel while the tide was in. Ultimately boats, helicopters, and scuba divers were sent out to search for the young man, but things weren’t looking good and by 8pm the search was called off for the day.

The search resumed early the next morning and within a few hours Daniel’s body was discovered, floating on his back, a mere 20 feet from the blowhole.

It was a tragic end for a teen that had so much ahead of him. Daniel had just graduated from the First Lutheran High School in Los Angeles and the trip to Hawaii was a graduation present. His story serves as a reminder to always take heed of warnings, they’re there for a reason.