Today was an even nicer morning than yesterday, and yesterday was hard to beat.  Patchy clouds, mostly sunny, calm and a slight breeze blowing from the south were the prevailing conditions.  I headed out paddling north and ran into my first turtle just off of Charley Young Beach!  I paddled over to it, and it popped its head up out of the water twice and then dove down and disappeared.  I turned and headed south.  Suddenly I noticed something dark down under me and I stopped to take a closer look,  and it was a manta ray!   It was such an enjoyable time paddling down to the boat ramp!  As I neared my spot, I surveyed the area, and there was no one there.  I had the place to myself today!  I spotted a turtle over near the boat lane, so I paddled over.  It didn’t stay long, so I started looking around for other turtles.  It was so perfect down there that I was really hoping for some quality time with the turtles!  Suddenly, I spotted a turtle out farther, so I paddled out.  About the time I got to it, two more turtles surfaced on my sides creating a triangle…and I was in the triangle of turtles!  Then two more turtles joined us behind me, and I was completely surrounded by the five turtles.  I just sat back and enjoyed the show!  They all hung out with me for quite a while and then one by one, they disappeared.  Then I paddled more north, and two more turtles surfaced and I sat right between them!  Then I noticed a couple of turtles in closer, so I paddled in.  They were so friendly, floating right next to my board and then swimming under me!  Then I paddled out farther and another turtle surfaced.  This turtle was really little so it must have been a young one and it spooked and dove down.  Another turtle surfaced more north, so I paddled over.  It was friendly too!  I had counted twelve turtles so far and was contemplating heading back, and then turtle #13  surfaced and of course, I had to spend time with it too!  It seemed that the turtles had disappeared and I noticed a paddler heading into the area and two snorkelers…..so that was my cue to head back.  The conditions stayed nice all the way back and all the way through my swim too!  While I was swimming, three large Ulua fishes swam right past me!  Then when I was heading back, a school of eight to ten fish with black stripes, swam past me!  I turned and tried to swim with them, but they were moving pretty fast and they left me in the dust.  I don’t usually see the larger fish when I swim, and then to have two different fish encounters all in the same day?  ….well that was the icing on the ocean cake!!!!!