Battle of the Extremophiles — Craig Marley

KAUAI ISLAND NEWS

Mystery surrounds divers' death

“It's a complete mystery to me.” Those are the words of Dr. George Hiakawa, Chief Medical Examiner for the Kauai Coroner's Office when asked how a popular shell diver, Tiki Kalani, had died.

   “Whomever or whatever killed him, left only his skeleton. All the soft tissues, his brain, eyes, internal organs, muscles, tendons - everything was gone. I don't know of any marine animal that could do that. It must have been some kind of monster.”

   Tiki Kalani was an avid shell diver. Many of his rare shells were used in island jewelry. His brother, Danny found his body off the west coast of Ni'ihau.

   “I was shocked when I found his skull and arms sticking out of the sand,” recalled Danny. “The Kailua Fire Department divers dug his bleached bones out of the bottom. It was a gruesome sight. I couldn't stop crying.”

   When asked about his forensic investigation, Dr. Hiakawa replied, “I gave a preserved sample of bone fragments to Doctor Willow Parker. She's a marine biologist in Oahu with an extensive background in DNA analysis. You should talk to her.”