Maui Sunsets!

When I arrived at the beach this morning…..the shark sighting signs were posted and the water was off limits.  Not what I wanted to see at my beach on a calm beautiful day!  I decided that I was paddling and swimming today no matter where I had to go, so I proceeded down South Kihei Rd. to check on all the beaches.  Kam II and Kam III were also closed, so I continued down to the Mana Kai Resort.  I parked in the gravel public parking lot and walked down to the water to check it out.  IT WAS OPEN!!!!  There was even an event taking place there, a “swim-paddle-run event”, so there were plenty of people out in the water!  I paddled out and turned north towards the boat ramp (yup, there are more ways than one to get to my favorite turtle spot!) and no one else was there except an outrigger canoe with four people on it.  I asked them if the boat ramp was open and they said yes it was on the south side of the buoy.  Wonderful!  I was careful to stay just on the south side of the buoy so I wouldn’t get yelled at by the lifeguards.  My first turtle seemed to be just waiting for me right as I passed the point.  I stopped to visit with it and it was just lazing on the surface.  Then I headed farther north and came across three turtles and I cruised up into a turtle triangle!  Then two turtles surfaced out farther so I paddled out and sat between them.  The conditions were so perfect and peaceful with no one else out there.  At two different times I was surrounded by four turtles and I just sat in the middle and totally soaked it up!  I don’t know how long I stayed there but I counted fifteen turtles in all, including the turtle that I ran across on my way back to the Mana Kai.  It was so beautiful out on the water so I continued to paddle south along Keawakapu. The water was so clear that I could see the bottom and I even saw four scuba divers down there!  I paddled in and by that time, a lot of the people who had participated in the event had left and the beach was much more quiet.  I hurried to grab my snorkeling gear because I wanted to get out for my swim (since I begrudgingly missed it yesterday!)  It was a surprisingly nice swim and good snorkeling along the reef.  There is coral there too which I didn’t realize.  I thoroughly enjoyed my swim/snorkel and the only thing missing was a decent shower to rinse off in!  I used my drinking water to splash my face and then just relaxed in my beach chair for a few minutes to dry off.  The trek to my car is longer at this spot, but it’s kind of nice since there are also lots of shade and grass areas.  I stopped by Kam I to use the shower and one of the lifeguards came out and told me that they hoped to open the beach in an hour.  I was glad I acted quickly in the morning and found a plan B, and it ended up being quite enjoyable!  I hope my beach is open for business tomorrow morning!