wild wahine paddler!
It was a beautiful day with hazy sun, and the conditions on the ocean were glassy! I paddled down to the boat ramp, and as I headed in closer, a turtle popped up right in front of me! Just as I got to it, the turtle dove down, but a second turtle then popped up beyond that one. Then two turtles surfaced right behind me and I was surrounded! I paddled more north, and four turtles surfaced at the same time and I was surrounded again! I paddled out a bit farther and spotted a turtle floating on the surface. When I got to that one, two more turtles popped up, one on my right and one on my left! I don’t remember how many times I was surrounded, but I counted fifteen turtles today!!! It was great and the water was so clear, I could see them just swimming around under me too. After having such a good day with the turtles, I decided to paddle back. The conditions stayed perfect all the way back. I came in and rinsed my board off, and a beach friend asked me if I saw the dolphins. I said “what dolphins?” She told me that dolphins had passed by Kam I and some paddlers were following them. Another paddling friend had just been swimming and she confirmed that there were dolphins out there! Then she said, “Look, they are coming back this way!” and she was right, they were headed back past Kam I! I hadn’t put my board on my car yet so I grabbed it and ran down to the water. I could see the dolphins and the paddlers behind them coming up fast! I jumped on my board and paddled like crazy, hoping to get out there just as they were passing Kam I. When I got out there, I was just in time, and the pod of dolphins surrounded me! There were at least twenty of them and I paddled like crazy to keep up with them. They were clearly playing because they were diving down and changing directions, first one way and then the other! I kept up with them and I could see them all swimming under me, so I knew when they surfaced I would be in the middle of them. Suddenly they all surfaced and I was surrounded by dolphins! Then one of them flew out of the water, made noises and spun around, and then fell into the water making a big splash that got me wet! I have never witnessed something like this before, and being so close to hear it and see it do its jump and spin, well, it was spectacular! I paddled around with them for at least forty-five minutes to an hour, and was in the middle of them several times hooting and cheering! I was so tired that when they went under and disappeared for a few minutes, I paddled in. What an amazing experience! Some tourists ran to me on the beach saying, “I saw you right in the middle of those dolphins!” Gee, I felt like a celebrity! My paddling friend who was on the beach took my board out and a camera, hoping to get some photos. I would not have had the time to take a photo…no way….it was all happening so fast and it was so exciting! My friend did see the dolphins out there, but it was getting windy and she didn’t know if she got a photo or not. When I went swimming, I barely had the strength to do it! I swam down to the reef and rocks and saw lots of fish too, so I had a well-rounded day…..Dolphins, and turtles, and fish, OH MY!!!!!!!!!!
