Adam Griffiths died as he had lived — helping others. The 46-year-old San Francisco man dived into big waves off Kauai on Friday to try to rescue his friend; both drowned.
"It’s no surprise that he passed away from us doing something he often did in his professional life, selflessly helping someone in need," said Solomon Lichter in an email to the president of the San Francisco company where he and Griffiths worked. The president forwarded the email to the Star-Advertiser.
Griffiths, 46, project manager at 5th Finger, a mobile computing company in San Francisco, drowned Friday after he dived into the water at Kalihiwai Bay on Kauai to try to rescue friend Brian Baker, 47, who was swept into the ocean by high surf, Kauai County officials said.
The men were traveling with three others, including Griffiths’ fiancee, and had stopped at a remote, rocky area off South Kalihiwai Road where the waves struck, officials said.
A high-surf warning for the north and west shores was in effect at the time.
Gina Kaulukukui, executive director of Life’s Bridges, a Kauai organization that assists those who are dealing with the sudden death of a loved one, is providing support to Griffiths’ and Baker’s friends.
Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau, said the agency is on standby to assist the group.
"It’s just devastating," she said. "I feel for the family. Our hearts and prayers go out to them."
Kanoho described Kalihiwai Bay as a popular but potentially dangerous site. She urged the public to stay away from rocks near the water even during calm conditions.
"You cannot predict the ocean," she said, adding that a rogue wave can occur at any time.
The Kauai Fire Department recovered Griffiths’ body Saturday morning. The department’s Air One helicopter continued its search Monday but failed to turn up any sign of Baker, also of San Francisco. The department has yet to decide whether to keep searching.
Baker was a guitarist who studied music therapy, according to his father, Harold Baker of Michigan. Baker’s website, bkbaker.com, says he referred to himself as a "guitar-ssionist; a percussion on the guitar."
"Brian’s masterfully crafted lyrics, live-looping abilities, multi-instrumental approach, deep passion for music, and the ability to carry audiences from comical highs to intense emotional lows, make Brian’s performances unforgettable, and for many, cathartic," the website says.
In 1994 he founded Absolute Vibration, a nonprofit organization that involved performances and public service Baker did as a board-certified music therapist. A May 2002 San Francisco Chronicle article includes a photo of Baker working with an autistic child in his music therapy class at Yick Wo Elementary School.
Griffiths, a native of Sydney, worked as a project manager at 5th Finger, with approximately 40 employees who create website design, mobile applications and tablet services.
President Patrick Collins said Griffiths worked for the company for a year and led some of its most important work, which included creating mobile applications for retailers such as Safeway. He also was a big part of the Australian community in San Francisco, where he lived for about 10 years.
Collins, a fellow Australian, said he was driving home Sunday night from a family trip to Sacramento when a mutual friend called to inform him of Griffiths’ death. At first he didn’t believe her and thought she was joking until she told Collins to check the news on the Internet.
Everybody is shocked, he said.
"No one expects someone fit, young and healthy to die," he said.
The company shut down by noon Monday as co-workers mourned. They plan to hold a wake Friday to honor Griffiths.
Collins said he has been receiving a stream of phone calls from San Francisco’s Australian community and mutual friends. Griffiths had a great sense of humor, said Collins. He was always the jokester at company functions, he added.
In the email to Collins, co-worker Lichter described Griffiths as the "most good-natured, sunny, optimistic person I have ever known."
"Within days of meeting Adam, I developed a genuine affection for him as a friend and a heroic co-worker," he added. "He exemplified everything we are about as a company. He was cheery, technically brilliant with a stunning attention to detail."
Co-worker Christina Statescu said in an email to Collins that Griffiths was a spunky, quirky, fun-loving guy whom she could always count on.
"He always put others before him and was constantly smiling!" she said. "I considered him a great friend and a huge part of the 5th Finger family. I will always think of him not in sadness but in humor."
