San Anselmo Man Missing in Maui Blowhole

A search and rescue team in Maui today continued to look for a 44-year-old San Anselmo man who has been missing since he fell into a blowhole near the ocean on Saturday afternoon, a spokesman said.

The Marin Independent Journal is reporting that the missing man is David Potts, who was visiting the island with his wife and child.

David Potts, 44, was last seen around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, when a wave struck him from behind and knocked him into the blowhole at Nakalele Point, according to the Maui County Fire Department.

Potts was visiting the Nakalele Blowhole on the north side of Maui when a rogue wave struck him from behind and pushed him through the opening in the rocky shoreline, Maui County spokesman Rod Antone said.

A blowhole is a natural formation that shoots water up through a hole in the rock as waves crash near shore. The water is then sucked back into the blowhole.

Potts was in the area with family members who saw him get knocked down and disappear, Antone said.

Teams from the Maui County Department of Fire and Safety searched
the ocean waters around Nakalele Point until sundown on Saturday and
continued the search effort during daylight hours Sunday and today, Antone said. Protocol dictates a 72-hour search.

- Bay City News contributed to this report.