Two days of ocean clean up!

The last two days have been spectacular!  Apparently the trade winds are off their usual pattern and it might stay this way for a few more days.  I won’t complain…..it has been perfect for paddling, swimming, whale watching…. and anything else you can do at the beach!  Yesterday I paddled down to the boat ramp and it was so calm and nice.  I counted about fifteen turtles and while I was kicked back laying on my board just enjoying the day, a tourist lady on a rented board startled me.  She apologized and said that she just had to come over because she had counted five turtles all sitting around my board!  Pretty soon we were both surrounded!  She was ecstatic about that.  I managed to avoid the snorkel boat and paddled back in perfect conditions.  Just as I was heading past Kam II, I noticed some thrashing out farther and it was the competition pod of whales again!  Another paddler and I sat at a safe distance and just watched the show.  They were banging their tales up and down on the water and it sounded like a fireworks show!  It was almost at the same spot I saw them a few days ago.  Swimming was great too and very clear.  Then as I was getting ready to leave the beach, I noticed the competition pod again, closer in this time, going at it again!  I watched for a few minutes and then went home.  Today was as perfect as yesterday, in fact, maybe even better!  The ocean was completely glassy and flat, with no sign of wind.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and there were four snorkelers there already.  One of the snorkelers came up excitedly and said there were six turtles underneath where I was sitting!  Then a big turtle surfaced and I recognized it.  It was “Bumpy”!  I told the snorkelers about Bumpy and how I came up with that name.  Bumpy surfaced and visited a few times, and before I knew it, I had counted eighteen turtles!  It was even nicer today to just lay back on my board, so I did and the turtles surrounded me again.  Suddenly the pontoon snorkel boat roared up and anchored.  One of the crew told their snorkelers that the turtles were over by me….. so it was time for me to move on!  It stayed perfect all the way back and as I was paddling in, a big turtle popped up a couple of times in front of me!  That made nineteen turtles for today!  Conditions stayed glassy and calm all the way through my swim too. I ended up doing some ocean clean up both days…….since I don’t want a turtle, dolphin, whale or fish to swallow these fishing floats.   Such a gorgeous day!!