Nineteen turtles!

When I got up this morning it looked like it was already getting windy.  I could see the trees blowing outside so I took a look down to ocean with my trusty binoculars.  All I could see were white caps!  I had about decided not to paddle, when my husband came back from the beach and told me it was perfect down there.  I slapped my sunscreen on and grabbed my water and hurried down to the beach!  And it was perfect, calm conditions, clear water and some overcast skies.  It seemed like there were not too many people out paddling and I wondered if they saw the white caps too and didn’t go out.  I’m sure glad my husband kicked my butt down to the beach!  It was smooth paddling all the way down to the boat ramp and no one else was there, so I had the place to myself.  I knew those white caps were still out there, but it seemed like they weren’t moving in anytime soon.  Now…. if the turtles would just come out, I would be very happy!  And they did.  Three turtles surfaced around me and I had an instant turtle triangle!  Then one disappeared and two more turtles surfaced and I was surrounded by four turtles!  At one point, I was sitting next to a big turtle, and it dove under me.  Then I heard a “bump bump” and  my board shook.  The turtle had tried to surface under my board!!!!  Then it spooked and dove out from the side, making a big splash and dove under again.  It was so funny!  Before I knew it, I had counted fourteen turtles, and then a paddling friend paddled up from the south.  She had been down by Keawakapu Beach and told me she hadn’t seen any turtles.  We chatted for a few minutes and then two turtles surfaced to the right of us……. and then two more, one behind and one out farther out.  We were both surrounded!  That made the turtle count eighteen for the day!  My friend paddled in at Kam III and I started to paddle back.  The conditions stayed nice all the way back and the sun started to peek out from the clouds.  My swim was nice too and the water is really clear again, so I swam down to the reef.  The reef was teeming with fish and I think they were also glad the water visibility had cleared up!  I had started my swim back and was about halfway there, when a turtle appeared under me.  It was swimming south, so I turned around and swam with it back to the reef.  The turtle and I hung out at the reef for a few minutes and then it began to surface.  It was just inches from me and then it stopped right under me, so I gave it a rub on its shell.  It just floated there by me just under the surface!  I love those friendly turtles!  I hope it’s just as nice tomorrow!