wildwahinepaddler

Happy honu!

After missing the last two days of paddling….I was itching to get back out there this morning, but it was already a bit windy.  I got out about 8:45 a.m., so it wasn’t late, but it just looked like it might be a windy one.  Just as I paddled out, a turtle popped up to greet me!  I stopped and hung around for a few minutes while it popped its head up and down and then dove under my board, then I continued on down to the boat ramp.  It seemed like hardly anyone was out and it was a really nice day,  but I think that because school started here today, not as many people were at the beach….YAY!  As I approached the boat ramp, I spotted a turtle lounging out a bit farther so I paddled out.  When I got to it, there was another turtle there too, so I cruised up between them!  I was so happy to see turtles today since lately they have been scarce and I ended up with nine turtles at the boat ramp and #10 was my buddy for the day!  It was quite a friendly turtle and it came right up to my board and swam around me and then dove down and disappeared.  The conditions had gotten quite nice too, with the wind backing off, but I was happy with ten turtles for the day and headed back.  I was just thinking what a perfect day it would have been if dolphins had been around……and just as I headed into the Kam I area…..I saw dolphins!!!  Lots of dolphins!!  Perhaps twenty-five in all…. the pod would break up now and then and the dolphins would break into groups of four or five!  It was amazing and they were so close in to shore that a lot of people saw them while they were out swimming!  They did flips, jumps, tail slaps, and were just plain fooling around, having a great time.  I applauded all their tricks! Another paddler was out in the middle of the dolphins too and he kept banging the water with his paddle.  It was so annoying!  He told me it makes the dolphins do tricks…….ummmmm, guy, this isn’t Seaworld!  If I found the banging annoying…I am pretty sure so did the dolphins.  The dolphins stayed in the area for close to an hour and I got to paddle with them down to Kam II…..right in the middle of a group of about sixteen of them….and then back to Kam I….where I saw a swimmer in the middle of some of the dolphins and it was my husband!!!!  He got so lucky!  Then the dolphins moved north and I kept paddling with them.  I paddled with them to just outside of Kalama Park and when other people saw me paddling with the dolphins, they came paddling out as fast as they could.  At that point I had been out paddling for about two hours and it looked like the wind was coming in, so I begrudgingly turned around and headed south.  Suddenly a guy on a board yelled at me and said, “LOOK!  Some of the dolphins are following you!”  As I turned to look back, I could see about five or six dolphins behind me!  It was so funny!  Then they turned and headed out to sea, so maybe they were just coming to say good-bye, who knows?  The wind came roaring in and I sure was glad that I was heading in the same direction as the wind!  I finally got back and I was in dolphin heaven!  I almost didn’t swim because I was so tired after that, but I’m glad I forced myself because the water felt so good and I got to swim with the same little Spotted Eagle Ray that I swam with a few days ago!  It was just hanging out and figured out that I was not a threat to it.  What a great, and very surprising day!!  I wonder what tomorrow’s adventure will be???

where are the turtles?

Okay….so it was another beautiful day with a mostly calm ocean, but there was not a turtle to be found today!  That’s right, I headed north as there was a breeze blowing from the north, and hung out at Kalama Park for a while, but no turtles.  Those who were surfing were enjoying a few little waves, but there were no turtles anywhere!  Then I turned and headed south.  Just about that time the wind shifted and was blowing now from the south.  It was still nice, though, so I paddled down to Kam III and then stopped short of continuing down to the boat ramp.  The turtles must still be hiding somewhere!  I paddled back and it was still pretty nice and it stayed that way throughout my swim too.  The water visibility was not that great, though, so I didn’t stay long at the reef!  I’m just a bit edgy about the water visibility after the shark attack on that tourist.  I did read that her injuries were to her hands, neck, chin, and some bruising to her abdomen……which does make me think that the shark was confused and not seeing very well.  Most shark attacks are from behind and injuries are usually legs, arms, thighs because sharks usually come up behind their prey using the element of surprise in their attack.  Having this happen from the front is really unusual……unless the shark was not seeing well in the water and mistook the front for the back!  I guess it doesn’t really matter which way it happened, does it?  Oh well, I hope I see turtles tomorrow, I am really missing them!

Beach closed!

Thankfully it wasn’t “my” beach that was closed, but it was windy and choppy early so I didn’t go out.  A few miles down the road, though, a tourist was swimming in the murky water and got bit by a shark on her upper torso!  At Ulua Beach, where this happened, there is a big gulch from up on the mountain that feeds right into that beach when there is a storm, so it’s not the best place to be swimming right after a tropical storm has blown through!  She apparently was able to swim to shore on her own, so hopefully she is okay.  This morning looked much better than yesterday, so I got to go paddling.   There was some wind blowing from the south, so I didn’t completely trust it, but I ended up paddling down to the boat ramp anyway.  It was actually a very beautiful day and as I passed Kam II, I noticed that the whole mountain was clear and it’s really green from all the rain!  I only saw one lone turtle today, and that was right out in front of Kam I.  There were zero turtles hanging out at the boat ramp today.  I paddled back with the breeze at my back and the wind never changed direction.  The water visibility has really cleared up from the last few days too and I was able to see fish down at the reef!  Luckily, I didn’t see any sharks though!  I hope tomorrow is even nicer than today was….we’ll see….

Calm after the storm

It took tropical storm “Flossie” some time to get to Maui…..but when it hit yesterday, it packed a powerful punch!  I haven’t seen rain like that in a long time, but it was just what the island needed.  Luckily our shore didn’t get the large surf as anticipated, but the wind was wild and last night I watched the lightning from my kitchen and heard the booming thunder!  I could see the lightning hitting right in the street behind our house!  The storm was moving pretty fast and before long, only the wind and some light rain remained.  This morning it was the “calm after the storm”….and to my surprise, the conditions were perfect for paddling!  The skies were still somewhat overcast, but the ocean was glassy and inviting!  Hardly anyone was at the beach either, so I had the beach and the ocean almost all to myself!  It was nice paddling down to the boat ramp and when I got there, one turtle popped up to greet me!  I stayed for a little while, but the rest of the turtles must have been hiding somewhere.  I wouldn’t doubt it with all the rain, lightning and thunder the night before.  Just a slight wind began to blow from the north so I headed back.  The conditions stayed nice all the way back with the sun just peeking out from the clouds every now and then.  I could see that the water wasn’t clear at all and I paddled though some run-off from the storm consisting of leaves, brown dirty water, twigs and branches along the way, so I didn’t expect clear water for my swim.  There was no visibility at all!  I swam anyway but I never enjoy as much when I can’t see more than two feet away from me.  The day continued to get more sunny and people started to come to the beach, so I went home.  I am really glad I got to paddle today though!

Beautiful sky!

It was a beautiful sky at sunset, however Tropical Storm Flossie is still in route to hit Maui sometime in the early morning.  The winds are supposed to be strong so my board is now off of my car just in case!  Hopefully it won’t last very  long and I can get back out on the ocean paddling….we will see…….

Windy Day!

We are under a tropical storm warning from “Flossie”…… which is making its way towards Hawaii,  supposed to hit the Big Island possibly by tonight and then on to Maui.  Knowing this, I really wanted to get out and paddle because if this happens it might be stormy for a few days.  It was already windy when I got down to the beach and some paddlers were already coming in “huffing and puffing” from paddling in the wind!  Oh well, I needed to get out so I went for it.  I decided to paddle into the wind and went north, but by the time I was almost to Cove Park, the wind backed off and it got glassy and nice!  I hurried to turn around and head south, towards the boat ramp and it was nice paddling all the way down.  Just as I headed into Kam III, two turtles popped up so I stopped, but before I knew it, the wind roared in with a vengeance and I had to turn back.  It was a lot of work paddling against that wind all the way back to Kam I!  I also noticed that I seemed to be the only one out there too, so that always makes me cringe.  I made it back okay by just paddling and paddling and paddling!  I was really tired but the wind was not backing off this time, so it was a rough water swim for me today too!  I decided to swim into the wind and then ride the push back.  It’s kind of shame that this storm could be messing with the water visibility since it was just clearing up nicely, but the other side of it is that the island could really use some rain!  I wonder what tomorrow will be like???

camera shy!

I  didn’t think it could get any more perfect than yesterday….but it did!  A totally perfect morning with calm ocean, sunny skies, and no wind.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and as I passed Kam II, I looked up at Haleakala and it was so clear, with just some fluffy clouds around the top.  What a nice day all around!  When I arrived at the boat ramp, my first turtle was straight ahead so I paddled to it.  Then another turtle surfaced and I got to sit in between them!  Then before I knew it, four more turtles surfaced around me and I was surrounded!  Turtles seemed to be popping up everywhere and then a man and woman on stand up boards joined me.  The guy got really excited as he announced that a turtle was right behind me!  Then I pointed out three more turtles to him and he almost fell off his board!  The woman paddled over too and then the three of us were surrounded by turtles!  There were so many turtles and when I had counted about 24 of them, I decided to head back, but suddenly three more turtles surfaced by me so of course I stopped to visit.  I decided to lay back on my board and just enjoy the turtles, but two women who were paddling in my direction started to yell, “Hey there are turtles all around you and you don’t even know it!”  So I sat up and yelled to them that I did know I was surrounded and I could hear them popping up next to my board.  Now I know there were at least thirty turtles today!!!!!  I paddled back in perfectly nice conditions and swam in perfect conditions too.  The water visibility is much improved so I swam down to the rocks and reef and ended up getting to swim with a Spotted Eagle Ray!  Then I saw a fish I have never seen before with a mouth similar to a Barracuda, but not as big, so I will have to look that one up!  It just couldn’t have been a nicer day at the beach!!!  I hope tomorrow is more of the same……

There you are!

Finally a gorgeous morning with calm conditions!  I got out later than I wanted to and there was a slight wind blowing from the north so I paddled north.  I got down to Kalama Park but no turtles surfaced at all,  so I turned around and wished I had started out paddling south!  Just as I was heading south, I ran into a paddling friend I hadn’t seen for a while.  We chatted and paddled south and then decided we would paddle to Kam III and decide from there if we would go farther.  Before we knew it…… we were already at the boat ramp and it was perfect there!  So glassy and nice!  Some kayaks were already there and although we waited a bit, the first turtle popped its head up beyond my friend!  Then another turtle surfaced closer to the kayakers, so we paddled over.  When we paddled up, it ended up being two turtles so I hurried and sat between them!  Soon I saw the pontoon snorkel boat making its way closer to us, but turtles kept surfacing and one very friendly one sat right in between me and my friend!  As the boat crept towards us, my friend decided to paddle back, but I stayed for a while.  A few more turtles popped up during that time, but as soon as the people started jumping off the boat, I decided to leave too.  It was still perfect conditions!  I counted about eight turtles in all for the day!  I paddled back in perfect conditions and although the wind started to come in a couple of times, it stayed out for my swim too.  I’ll be glad when the water visibility clears up, but the ocean always feels so wonderful anyway!!  I hope there will be more of the same tomorrow…..we’ll see!

Turtle buddies

It was a gorgeous day on Maui today and no wind was blowing for a change!  The sky was filled with fluffy and wispy clouds,  mostly sunny and the ocean was calm.  I got a late start today but I headed south to the boat ramp anyway.  The conditions were perfect all the way down but when I got there, two outrigger canoes were there letting about twelve people snorkel.  Although the ocean was calm, there were some swells rolling through and Kam III had their red flags out!  Two turtles popped up,  one on each side of my board and they hung around with me for a few minutes.  It seemed like no other turtles were around, so I headed back, but suddenly a big turtle popped its head up right in front of me, as if to say, “Hey, what about me?”  Well of course I stopped to visit until it dove down and disappeared.  I headed back wondering if the wind was going to roar in, but to my delight, the conditions stayed nice!  Swimming was nice too, although the water visibility is messed up right now, but it still felt wonderful!!!!  What a gorgeous day at the beach…….

Interesting article

This was an interesting article I discovered in the GNC magazine called “Wellbella”.  According to the article……it is estimated that the calories burned in a one hour paddling workout range from 250 – 1,000,  depending on the level of exertion.  It says that each stroke of the paddle across your body fires your obliques, core and shoulders and maintaining balance uses every muscle in your body, from the smallest muscles in your feet to the large muscles in your quads and back.  Then the article says that it also works your brain!  I believe that since there are many things you have to stay alert for out on the water.   Very interesting…….I knew I loved paddling, but now I know how very good it is for your body and mind too!!!