wildwahinepaddler

Total enjoyment!

When I got down to the beach, there were whales out in the water!  A mother and calf right in front of Kam I and two other whales farther north.  The two farther whales were spouting and the mother and calf were just hanging out!  I rushed to get out in the water.  I paddled straight out today which is not the usual path for me, and on my way out a turtle popped up in front of me!  I paddled quite a distance from the boats, but I never saw the whales out there!  A paddling friend paddled out even farther, but I could see white caps from where I was and the ocean was a lot bumpier out there too, so I decided to move in closer to shore.  The conditions were really nice in closer so it was smooth paddling all the way down to the boat ramp!  Just as I was passing Kam III, two turtles surfaced so I stopped to visit with them for a few minutes.  I knew it was getting later but I wanted to go to the boat ramp anyway.  I was the only one there and the turtles were everywhere!  I was having a hard time keeping up with counting them since there were so many.  I lost track of how many times I sat between turtles and ended up in the middle of turtle triangles, and I was surrounded most of the time I was there!  A couple of times I just laid down on my board and let my arms fall into the water and even though I closed my eyes……I could hear the turtles surfacing and splashing around me!  At one point, a turtle slid right under my hand and it stayed there as I patted it!  Then it just clunked its shell right up against my board a few times.  Then it must have ducked its head under the water, because when it surfaced and blew out its air, it actually spit on me!!!!!!  It was so funny!  I also named a new turtle today.  I had seen it a few other times and it had a stumpy tail as if it had been chewed off, so its name is now “Stumpy”!  I also saw Bumpy today too!  There must have been at least twenty-one turtles at the boat ramp and two at Kam III, and the one at Kam I…. so that was a total of twenty-four turtles for the day!  I’m so glad the turtles are back!  I paddled back in perfect conditions and it stayed nice all the way through my swim too.  It was just a really great day!!

Underwater world

Today almost a carbon copy of yesterday, except I didn’t get out into the water until 9:30 a.m.!  I guess I was suffering from birthday hangover and slept later than usual.  Last night we got some rain but today the skies were mostly sunny.  I paddled down to the boat ramp even though it was late.  Some wind kicked up from the south on my way down, but as soon as I arrived there, the wind completely backed off and it got perfect!  The turtles didn’t make me wait either.  I came across my first turtle outside of Kam III so I stopped to visit for a few minutes.  Then no sooner did I paddle into the boat ramp area, a turtle popped up right in front of me!  Farther down I spotted another turtle so I paddled over, but it ended up being three turtles!  I cruised up in the middle of them and sat to enjoy.  Soon the red pontoon snorkel boat roared up, so I knew that was my cue to head back.  Just as I was leaving, one of the crew on the boat yelled, “Hey I saw you over there with your “entourage”….”, and I said, “yes you did!”.  I paddled back in perfect conditions and I couldn’t believe it was staying so nice that late.  I didn’t want to go in!  I paddled farther north and ran briefly into a friend who had paddled straight out today.  He told me he didn’t see or hear a single whale.  I didn’t see any whales either, but I did see a couple splashing around way out on the ocean when I left.  My swim was very nice too and it was still nice when I left the beach!  It was just another one of those perfect kind of days!!

Made to order!

It was just the day I ordered for my birthday!!!!  Calm ocean and not too windy,  just enough to keep me cool.  The top of Haleakala was adorned with fluffy white clouds but other than that, it was a sunny day!  I paddled down to the boat ramp and I noticed some paddlers gathering out farther.  Then a couple of boats joined them…..so I knew there must be some whales out there!  I only briefly saw a couple of turtles, so I headed out.  There were a lot of people out there!  I could only see two whales, but there might have been more.  I love it when I can see them surface and spout, and I can hear them too!  I hung out there for a while but nothing very exciting was happening so I paddled in.  I sat for a few minutes at the ramp and didn’t see any more turtles, so I headed back in the same perfect conditions.  Just as I was passing from Kam I to Kam II, a big turtle surfaced and hung out with me for a little while.  Then I paddled past Kam I and then back.  I was looking forward to my swim!  The conditions stayed nice all the way through my swim too.  Down at the reef, I ran into a couple of snorkelers.  One of them was swimming right at me….so I held out my hand and pushed her away!  I think I scared her but she was not watching where she was going.  The day continued to be a nice one, but any day is a good day when you can hang out with turtles and watch whales!!!  I’m just glad it happened to be my birthday too!

ocean trash clean up

Today was almost a carbon copy of yesterday, except not quite as windy, but twice a choppy!  The chop must have been generated from strong winds farther out causing rolling swells too.  I decided to paddle down to the boat ramp anyway, hoping the wind might back off.  The wind and rolling swells pushed me along until I made it down to the boat ramp but the conditions were still choppy!  I stayed for a few minutes but there was a boat sitting there with people jumping off of it, and there wasn’t a turtle to be found.  Maybe the turtles were wary of the jumpers and were hiding today!  Anyway, I decided that since the wind was not backing off, it would be wise to head back while I still could.  I paddled against the wind until I got half way past Kam II, and then the wind completely backed off and it got glassy!  Then I spotted something floating in the water out farther, so I paddled out.  The picture above is what I found.  It looks like something to do with fishing, a float of some kind, but all I could think about was how bad it would be if a turtle or dolphin decided to eat it, so I plucked it out of the ocean and stuffed it in my swimsuit!  I actually do this pretty often if I see something like that out there that might be a potential hazard to my sea creatures.  The conditions  stayed so nice that I didn’t want to come in!  I paddled down to Charley Young Beach again and then came back.  I knew my swim would be nice if the conditions held!  My swim was nice and I saw a fairly large Puffer fish which I haven’t seen for a while.  I tried to follow it around, but it wasn’t having it so I left it alone!  There was a flurry of fish down at the reef too. It only got a little windy on my way back, but mostly it stayed nice and was still nice when I left the beach!  It’s been so unpredictable lately, but I hope the wind cooperates tomorrow for my birthday!  It would be great to visit with my turtles on my birthday…. we’ll see!

Buddy!

When I got up this morning and looked outside, it didn’t look windy at all.  By the time I got down to the beach, it was definitely windy!  Not only that, but the ocean was choppy and it was a bit overcast too.  Since I was already there, I decided to go out!  I figured that I would paddle into the wind for a while and see what happened. Just as I was jumping onto my board, I looked down on the right side of my board and there was a turtle just sitting on the bottom in shallow water!  I had almost stepped on it!  Two tourists nearby freaked out and hurried away from it.  I was surprised at how close in the turtle was and hanging out in such shallow water.  So, into the wind I took off!  I was hoping the wind would back off like it had done on other days….but I paddled all the way north to Kalama Park and it was still blowing!  I turned to paddle south, knowing the wind was going to push me along, and it certainly did!  I made it down to the end of Kam II and it was so choppy that I decided to turn around.  I paddled against the wind and chop back to Kam I…… and then suddenly the wind backed off and the ocean got really nice!  Of course then I didn’t want to come in, so I paddled towards Cove Park and surveyed the ocean for whales.  The skies were still mostly overcast due to a cloud layer of wispy clouds that only let the sun shine briefly, and that made it harder to see anything out on the water.  I didn’t see a single whale!  When I came in, the wind was still out so I knew my swim would be great!  The water is still so clear and there were lots of fish down at the reef.  On my way back, a turtle appeared below me!  It was swimming south so I turned around.  I swam with it for a while, but it never surfaced, so I turned around and continued north.  Just as I was coming back, the wind kicked up again and the water got choppy!  I was glad I was almost back.  The wind came in and out, sometimes blowing from the south, then from the north.  It really didn’t know what it wanted to do!  Even though the wind was pesky today, it was still a pretty nice day and before I left the beach, two whales were frolicking just out from Charley Young Beach!  I’d be happy if tomorrow, the wind waits awhile to come in though!!

Almost perfect!

I say “almost perfect” because the day was much like yesterday, except that the wind was threatening already!  The ocean surface was bumpy and I was being pushed by some rolling swells all the way down to the boat ramp.  As I paddled into the boat ramp area, I counted about eleven people there already…eleven…..either in kayaks or on stand up boards!  I’m not sure I have ever seen that many people there at one time, but I think someone had a group of six or seven people all paddling together.  I almost turned around and left, but a turtle popped up near me, so I paddled over to it.  Then a second turtle appeared and I got to sit right between them!  I really was a bit anxious about the threatening wind after hearing there was still a high wind advisory until tonight, but a third turtle surfaced and beckoned me to stay!  After a few minutes, I decided to head back though.  Then the conditions got nice and glassy all of a sudden!  By the time I headed out of the Kam II area, the rolling swells calmed down and the ocean got perfect like yesterday.  Of course then I didn’t want to come in!  By the time I went swimming, the conditions were as perfect as yesterday and the visibility in the water was outstanding.  I saw a lot of fish down at the reef and I just wanted to keep on swimming since it was so nice!  When I came in, the wind threatened now and then, but it was still quite nice when I left the beach.  Right now it is windy as can be though!  I hope it’s nice tomorrow and I hope the wind cooperates!!

turtles!

It has been so windy lately and the wind advisory was still in effect…..but it was just so beautiful down at the beach, that I had to go out paddling.  I could see the white caps way out on the horizon, but so far, they didn’t seem to be moving in anytime soon.  I paddled out and looked towards the mountain and noticed that it was completely clear on the top!  Even the other islands were visible today.  I paddled in perfect conditions all the way down to the boat ramp, watched for whales,  and I could see the bottom of the ocean the whole way down!  The visibility is excellent right now.  When I arrived at the boat ramp, I spotted a turtle out further and paddled in its direction but it disappeared.  Suddenly I saw it swimming under the water coming right at me and then it popped up just at the nose of my board!  Then it dove down and popped up on the right side of my board and seemed to be nuzzling the side of my board, just lightly banging against it.  Then it dove under me and popped up on the left side of my board and did the same nuzzling thing on that side!  It was so funny.  I wonder what it was thinking?  After that turtle disappeared, two more turtles surfaced to the right of me and I cruised up between them.  They hung with me for a few minutes and were very friendly.  Then two more turtles surfaced to the left of me so I paddled over. They were so close together that I couldn’t pull up between them!  I was happy to have had five turtles buddies to hang with and the water was so calm and beautiful, but I also knew that the wind could come roaring in at any time, so I decided to paddle back.   While I was passing  Kam III, I ran into three more turtles and hung out with them for a while.  I paddled back easily in perfect conditions and it was so nice that I hated to go in!  I just sat on my board for a while just enjoying the day and then paddled in.  The conditions ended up staying perfect for my swim too!  I saw a fairly large Ulua hanging near the bottom and watched quite a few tropical fish down at the reef. The visibility was excellent!  I was happy it stayed nice the whole time I was out on and in the water, but then it was still nice when I left too!  It was just a perfect kind of day!!

Beautiful, but windy!

It was  a windy day from the start,  but I wanted to go out paddling anyway.  I guess you could say that I knew what I was getting myself into……going out in the wind….so I cinched up the strap on my hat before I went out!  The day was beautiful with mostly sunny skies in Kihei, while the west side, central, and north side of the island looked stormy.  I paddled towards the boat ramp in bumpy conditions and was hoping that the wind would back off like yesterday, but the wind continued to blow.  By the time I spotted my first turtle and was half way past Kam III, the wind got stronger so I turned around!  I really didn’t want to get stuck that far down.  I got belted mercilessly by the wind all the way back!  The white caps were drenching me and I looked at Kam II and wondered if I was going to have to bail out there, but I just kept paddling.  The wind was pushing hard against me, pushing me towards the rocky point, so I had to paddle harder to get farther away from the shore.  I finally made it past the rocky point and knew I would make it home!  I paddled in on my butt too, but I didn’t care, at least I got in.  It was all work and no play today, but some days are like that.  By the time I went for my swim, the wind backed off some and it was very enjoyable!  I saw another school of fish today with about 15 of them swimming underneath me and there were plenty fish down at the reef to enjoy too.  The wind came up again on my way back, so I got an extra workout then as well!  The wind has been so unpredictable lately.  I sure hope it gets back to normal patterns soon!!

World Whale Day!

I got up early and took my car down to the beach because I knew the Whale Day Parade was going to close the street.  When I got down there, I was lucky to get the only parking spot left in the parking lot!  Then I walked home so I could come down a little later.  By the time I got back, we saw the tail end of the Parade and I was ready to go paddling!  There was already a slight wind blowing, but it was still really nice out on the ocean.  The skies were mostly sunny too which made it even  better.  I paddled down to the boat ramp.  Hardly anyone was out on the water and the beach was pretty empty since a lot of people were heading to the Whale Day celebration down the street.  I had the place to myself down at the boat ramp!  I immediately spotted two turtles floating on the surface, so I paddled over.  Then I saw a whale breech way out by Molokini!  It was too far out for me and I was keeping a close watch on the wind conditions, but it was great to see a whale breech anyway!   Then two more turtles popped up and then a third one and I was sitting in a turtle triangle!  The wind was threatening but I stayed around to enjoy eight turtles all to myself!  The wind started to really come up and the water got somewhat choppy so I headed back.  It was a workout c0ming back, but the current was pushing north so that helped me out.  The wind came in and out and by the time I swam, it was a bumpy swim.  The visibility of the water was very good and I did see quite a few fish, even a school of about thirty small silver and blue fish that blew right past me!  I could hear the music from the Whale Day celebration while I showered off and the sun shined while I dried off.  It was a really beautiful day, even with the wind!!

Windy!

It was already getting windy when I arrived at the beach, but I was hoping that it might back off like it did yesterday.  No such luck!  I had the wind at my back paddling down to the boat ramp, but once I got there I had to keep paddling so I didn’t end up being blown into the boat lane!  There were snorkelers and a kayak there too when the first turtle popped up and the woman on the kayak said, ” look there’s a turtle”,  and then they proceeded to paddle right over it!!!!!  I paddled away from the snorkelers and right between two large turtles!  The wind just wasn’t backing off and actually getting more gusty, so I headed back.  Just as I was heading into Kam III, another turtle surfaced next to me so I stopped for a minute.  Then the turtle started swimming north, which was the direction I was going, so I paddled with it for a little while until it disappeared.  On such a windy day, four turtles was a gift!   I paddled back against the wind all the way and it was quite a workout.  Just as I was heading into Kam I, a gust of wind roared by and almost knocked me off of my board!  I decided to get down on  my knees to paddle and that’s how I came the rest of the way in.  I could see that a rough water swim was on my agenda so I prepared myself, but halfway into my swim, the wind backed off some and it got nicer.  The water visibility was very good so I saw quite a few fish down at the reef.  It was much easier swimming back and the wind stayed out for a little while longer.  By the time I left the beach, the wind had still not come roaring in.  I hope I miss the wind tomorrow!!