Glimpse of Makena Big Beach

This is a photo I took climbing up the rocks at Makena.  Makena is beautiful, but the shore break can be deadly.  Makena has some of the best snorkeling and is one of my most favorite spots to snorkel or take walks along the road which runs down the middle of the lava fields.  It’s like another world down there!   Today was another beautiful day on Maui, with the wind blowing from the north.  I paddled south with the wind at my back and before I knew it I was almost past the boat ramp!  There were two paddlers and a kayak already there when I arrived.  I stayed north of them and waited for the turtles.  It took awhile, but finally three turtles surfaced but they didn’t stick around.  I decided to wait it out.  I can usually wait longer than most people, so the others eventually left the area.  Then the turtle show began!  I spotted two turtles so I cruised up right between them.  The turtle on my left disappeared, but the turtle on my right was very friendly!  Then we were joined by two more turtles and I was in a turtle triangle!  Then I was off to sit between two more turtles.  While I was sitting there enjoying the turtle show, I noticed a big turtle swimming in my direction.  I watched it coming closer and closer to the side of my board and expected it to dive under at the last moment, but instead, at about two inches from my board, it pushed its head up and opened its mouth so wide I could see right into it!  It was only taking a big breath of air…..but my reflex was to move away from that big mouth…. since turtles can bite!  I lurched to the right of my board and almost fell in!  It was so funny to be the one startled today.  I have never had a turtle act aggressive towards me or act like it might bite, but it’s funny how your reflexes take over before you even have a few seconds to process what is happening at the moment.  Maybe I have been reading too many shark stories lately!  Anyway, the turtle then dove under my board and popped up on the other side of me.  I was having a great time with the turtles and had just counted twelve for the day, when I decided to head back.  Just outside of Kam III, I ran into three paddling friends.  We chatted for a few minutes.  They had paddled north first and then paddled down towards the boat ramp.  Suddenly a turtle surfaced and was swimming right towards me again!  Just as it got to me, it dove down and swam directly under me and then popped its head out of the water.  That made it thirteen turtles for the day!  The wind had died back and the conditions were really perfect…so I knew it was going to be hard to go in.  It was nice all the way through my swim too.  I had three blue and silver fish visit me and then I watched the fish at the reef.  Then as I headed back, I ran into a turtle so of course I turned around and swam with it down almost to Kam II!  The grand total of turtles today ended up being fourteen!  On my swim back, I noticed something moving in the sand on the bottom, so I stopped to investigate.  It was a crab trying desperately to move a rock!  It was so funny.  I watched it try every side of the rock, but the rock wasn’t budging!  I’m not sure, but I think it wanted to hide under the rock and that wasn’t going to happen!  The things I see while paddling and swimming can be pretty funny sometimes.  The conditions ended up staying nice and the beach was still nice when I left.  Great day!