wildwahinepaddler

Baby turtles!

I just ran across this photo I took in Mexico of baby turtles.  They are so cute!  I’ve never seen any turtles this small here on Maui.  The smallest turtle I’ve seen here had a shell about 8 – 10 inches long, but that is still pretty small!  The conditions were nice this morning with patchy clouds and calm seas.  I ran into a paddling friend on my way out, so we paddled together for a few minutes and chatted.   Then I paddled down to the boat ramp and when I got there, two women on stand up boards were sitting near my spot.  I paddled more south, nearer the boat ramp, and sat down on my board to wait for the turtles.  I waited for a while and then finally spotted a turtle out farther so I paddled out to it.  It was nearer to the two other paddlers, but they didn’t seem to notice it.  Then another turtle popped up by me!  I had one turtle on each side of me and the other paddlers still didn’t seem to notice.  By the time a third and fourth turtle surfaced, I realized that the other two paddlers were more focused on chatting, so I hung out with the turtles!  The turtles kept coming up one or two at a time, and turtle #5 had a tumor on its neck!  I really don’t like seeing that.  The skies stayed a bit overcast and a little wind kicked up from the south making the ocean surface ripply. The other paddlers moved on and after counting about twelve turtles for the day, I headed back to Kam I.  Finally the sun came out strong on my way back and the wind backed off, so my swim was very nice too!  I saw two interesting things on my swim…..a Trumpet fish so long and fat, it looked like an eel squiggling along the ocean bottom….and a small fish with horizontal stripes measuring about 8 – 10 inches long was swimming along the bottom and then stopped and buried itself in the sand!  I have no idea what kind of fish that was since its body was long and not round like a flounder.  The water felt so wonderful!!  I hope its nice again tomorrow….

Beautiful Sunday!

Yesterday I woke up late and it looked like it was already getting windy, so it ended up being a gym workout day.  I heard that the wind did back off and the day got really nice.  Oh well.  Today I got up earlier but when I got down to the beach, the wind was coming up!  It was windy with choppy conditions and white caps, but I went out anyway.  I paddled north into the wind and chop for a while waiting to see what was going to happen with the wind, and as soon as it backed off a little, I turned to paddle south.  The wind was at my back and gave me a push down to the boat ramp.  By the time I got down there, three kayaks were already in my spot and one of the kayakers was in the water with a mask and snorkel!  I figured that the turtles might not be coming up with a snorkeler diving down and chasing them, but to my surprise, a turtle surfaced right by me! It swam next to me and then it swam under me and I watched it under the water!  Then another turtle surfaced out a little farther so I paddled out.  It was also friendly!  I paddled farther south and suddenly three turtles surfaced in a triangle and I was in the middle!  The snorkeler kept coming up and saying that there were seven turtles at the bottom.  I felt like telling him that’s because you are chasing them and now they are afraid to come up!  By the time I had counted nine turtles and the wind was still blowing, I decided to head back.  Besides the boats were starting to come in and that is usually me cue to leave!  I paddled back against the wind and when I was passing Kam II, I ran across another big turtle so I stopped to visit.  That made ten turtles for today!  I ran into a paddling friend as I paddled through Kam I and we stopped to chat which didn’t last too long due to the impending wind.  I wanted to get in and go for my swim.  The wind did back off and I had a very nice swim!  The reef was clear and the fish were zipping around too!  The water felt so nice.  The wind came in and out throughout the morning, but it was still a very nice day!!

Rainbow at Waimea Bay

This is a photo I took over on Oahu on our last trip there.  Today we had a nice rainbow over on the Pali here on Maui!  It stayed around for quite a while, but too bad I didn’t have a camera today.  Rainbows have always amazed me and we are so fortunate in Hawaii to get so many of them!  Today, the conditions were surprisingly nice, considering I could see major white caps out on the ocean from my house.  It was definitely windy out there and at some point I knew it would be coming in, but that was the big question…….WHEN!  Just as I paddled out, a turtle was waiting for me so I stopped to visit.  It popped its head up a couple of times and then dove away.  The wind out there was creating some bumpy rollers so I got to practice my balance today!  It was bumpy all the way down to the boat ramp and I wasn’t sure how long I should stay.  The turtles made me wait again, but finally I spotted one out farther so I paddled out.  It was “Spot”!  Then another turtle surfaced to the side of me.  Suddenly a big turtle popped up so close to my board and it swam really slow by me, so I laid back with my arms in the water.  The turtle swam right under my wrist and hand and its back rubbed up against my hand!  It was pretty neat to feel that shell gliding under my hand!  Next there was a lull and I thought about paddling back, but suddenly three turtles popped up around me in a triangle and I sat in the middle of them!  One of the turtles disappeared but two of them remained for quite a while.  I figured that was the turtle grand finale…and given the unpredictability of the wind lately….I headed back.  This time I was paddling against the rollers!  Just about the time I was making my way past Kam II, the wind backed off and the water got calmer. It stayed that way all the way through my swim.  Finally the water is getting clearer and I was able to hang around down at the reef with my fish!   It was still nice when I left, but the white caps were visible from the beach and still threatening to come in.  I hope it’s a nice day tomorrow!!

Here come the turtles!

It’s winter here on Maui…..it is a lot cooler than it has been….and the weather has been unpredictable in the last few days.  This morning started out perfect with no wind and calm seas.  Not many people were out paddling either which was surprising.  The tourists are still here, although many of them have returned home after the holidays.  The morning was cooler and so is the water!  I paddled down to the boat ramp and about fifteen minutes into my morning, clouds started coming in.  Then the wind started up and the surface of the water changed to ripply.  As I paddled into the boat ramp area, two turtles were waiting for me!  I happily cruised up between them to sit.  Then it was a waiting game.  Finally I spotted a turtle out farther so I paddled out.  It hung around for a few minutes and then dove down.  Suddenly another turtle splashed behind me!  I quickly turned around and it swam under me.  Then I waited some more and another turtle surfaced near me.  I paddled over to it and it popped its head up a couple of times, swam around to the front of my board, and then dove under me!  The water was clear but it was hard to see due to the overcast skies.  The wind was not backing off either and the water was still not calm, so I decided to head back.  Just as I was passing from Kam II to Kam III, I heard a huge splash pretty far out, so I looked in that direction and caught a glimpse of a whale breeching!  Then I saw its nose push up out of the water and splash down.  I was so excited to see a whale out there, but too bad it was so far out.  Unless the conditions are really perfect, I won’t go out that far.  Hopefully one day soon the whales will come in closer like last year!  I paddled back and came in so I could get to my swim.  The water was clearer today than the last time I swam, but it still is not that great, so no reef again today.  The clouds continued to hang around and it even sprinkled for a few minutes!  Tonight it is very windy out so I wonder what it will be like tomorrow.  I have to remind myself that it is winter and there will be more days like this, but I always hope I will wake up to a perfect day!!

Lovely!

Yesterday I wasn’t feeling well so I took the day off from paddling, but today I really wanted to go out on New Years day!  I got up early enough and headed down to the beach.  It was so nice down there!  It looked like a perfect day for paddling.  The beach was so empty and I figured that the tourists were sleeping in after New Years Eve parties!  The skies were mostly sunny and the ocean calm, so paddling down to the boat ramp was really nice.  It seemed like very few people were out on the ocean too, but I didn’t care!  When I got down to the boat ramp, there was a kayak and a stand up paddler there.  They were very close in by the shore, so I stayed out farther.  The turtles made me wait, and wait, and wait……then finally one surfaced so I hurriedly paddled over.  The turtle hung out for a few minutes and then dove down, but at about the same time two more turtles popped up behind me!   Turtle #4 popped up and dove down three times just like “Torpedo Head” does, but this turtle was so much smaller.  Then a really small turtle surfaced and swam near my board.  Farther north, I spotted two turtles floating on the surface so I paddled over and cruised up between them.  Then a third turtle popped up and created a turtle triangle!  One of the turtles disappeared and then reappeared and they were still in a triangle!  It was about time for me to head back when I noticed a turtle swimming underneath me.  I stopped to visit but it never surfaced.  Nine turtles were a nice treat for New Years Day!  I paddled back and the wind seemed to be coming up.  Passing into Kam I, I ran into a paddling friend who had just come out.  We were chatting for a few minutes when the wind DID come up!  We said good-bye to each other and went our separate ways.  I was heading in when all of a sudden a big gust of wind almost blew me off my board!  Then my hat blew off before I could cinch the chin strap and I managed to catch it, but in doing that I almost lost my paddle and then almost fell off my board!  The wind was really gusting in spurts as I paddled in.  I was glad I was almost in when all this happened!  The wind got stronger and didn’t back off, so I had a rough water swim!  The water wasn’t very clear today either as well as being choppy, so I didn’t bother to go to the reef.  Swimming back  against the wind was a chore!  The wind continued to blow and that made it tricky to hoist my board up onto my racks.  I had to hang on to my board tightly or it was going to blow out of my hands!  I was so glad when I finally had it tied up securely on my car.  The wind started blowing the sand on the beach too, so it was time to go home.  The day started out with such nice conditions, but quickly deteriorated into clouds, wind and white caps!  Hopefully tomorrow will be better….but still not bad for Jan. 1st…..we’ll take it!!!

Eight turtles!

This morning started out windy and stormy and the ocean was rocking and rolling!  The beach was practically empty and hardly anyone was out on the water.  I think people were concerned that a storm was coming in,  but I paddled all alone down to the boat ramp!  The stormy clouds overhead had the water looking very dark and it was hard to see underneath the water….but a turtle greeted me as I paddled out!  The wind was at my back on the way down to the boat ramp and the swells made for some interesting paddling.  At the boat ramp I was all alone except for a couple of snorkelers.  I kept watch on the  stormy skies and hoped the turtles would come up quickly, but they made me wait.  After four turtles surfaced, I realized the wind was not backing off and decided to head back.  As I passed Kam III, two more turtles popped up in front of me as if they were trying to talk me into staying longer!  Well of course I stopped to visit with them, but I thought it best to keep heading back.  Just as I headed past Kam II, I ran into a paddling friend.  We chatted briefly and both moved on.  I wanted to get my swim in as soon as possible in case it started to storm.  I headed down to the reef, but the water wasn’t very clear down there so I turned around.  A few minutes later, a turtle swam under me so I turned around a swam with it for a while!  I was happy to see a turtle while swimming, especially since I couldn’t see anything at the reef today.  On my way back, the wind backed off and it got very nice……. a lot nicer than earlier!  It looked very stormy out by Kahoolawe and Molokini and it even rained a few drops at the beach, but then the sun broke through and it got really nice.  Not bad for the end of December!!

Boat ramp dazzle!

It was a beautiful morning, but it started out breezy.  I got a late start and didn’t get out in the water until nine o’clock, which is much later than I intended to.  Parking was a pain and I couldn’t get a parking spot to save my life and ended up across the street anyway!  A lot of people were out on the water today since it is Sunday and there are a lot of visitors on the island right now too.  Even though there were a lot of people out, I still could find peace and quiet out on the ocean which is nice.  I paddled in ripply conditions all the way down to the boat ramp, but once I got there the wind backed off and it was perfect!  The turtles started out slow because there were four snorkelers in the area and they were diving down at the turtles.  They always hide out when that happens.  Tourists don’t always understand that it’s not a good thing to dive and chase the turtles and these snorkelers did not understand that they were swimming in the boat lane either!  I watched while two boats went past them, one on each side of the snorkelers and that is very dangerous.  After waiting a while, a paddling friend showed up at the boat ramp.  By that time I had counted about seven turtles and we waited.  The snorkelers left the area and then the turtles started to emerge, two at a time and three at a time!  We were surrounded and then one of the turtles popped up between us so it was in between us!  I saw Lizard again today!  When the boats started to come in, we decided to paddle back.  I had counted about sixteen turtles in all for the day.  We paddled back in perfect conditions and at Kam II, we ran into another paddling friend who had been paddling north.  We chatted for a while and then paddled down to Kam I.  We both decided we were going in to take our swims, so she headed back to Kam II and I paddled in.  On my way in I looked down and spotted a turtle right under me!  I stopped for a few minutes and the turtle surfaced next to me.  The turtle had a really long tail too and it couldn’t have been Lizard from the boat ramp, so I guess there is a Kam I Lizard also!  It popped its head up a couple of times and then dove down.  The conditions held for my swim and it was really nice and clear.  I watched the fish for a few minutes down at the reef and then swam back.  It ended up being a really perfect day!!

oh hello!

It was a perfect day from start to finish.  No wind was blowing and calm conditions prevailed making it a perfect day for being out on the ocean!  On my way out, I encountered my first turtle of the day popping up right in front of me!  It didn’t stay long and soon dove down, so I continued to the boat ramp.  It was a joy paddling today!  When I arrived there, two kayaks were sitting in my spot, so I stayed out farther, until I spotted a turtle in closer.  I paddled in and about the time I got to it,  the turtle disappeared.  I had to wait a while before more turtles came around, but finally two surfaced out farther so I paddled out.  They were two rather small turtles and I couldn’t get in between them because they were too close together, so I just floated next to them.  Then I spotted another turtle in closer and paddled towards it, but then a turtle popped up out of nowhere right next to me so I stopped!  It was very friendly and swam around me.  When the turtle got to the point where I could see its tail, I realized it was Lizard again today!  Then I noticed a turtle out farther and paddled out again, and when I got closer, there were actually three turtles instead of one.  I paddled up in between them to hang out.  The day was so perfect that it was hard to make the decision to paddle back!  As I passed Kam III, I ran into a paddling friend, and then another paddling friend joined us too.  While we were sitting there, two turtles visited us, swimming under us!  We chatted for a while, and then one of them paddled south and two of us paddled back.  The conditions stayed perfect so I was looking forward to my swim.  The water was so clear!  I swam down to the reef and watched the fish for a while, and then two many tourists came into the area so I swam back.  It stayed nice, and it was still very nice when I left the beach!  I hope tomorrow will be more of the same.  I never get tired of it!

Nice day!

It always amazes me how even one friendly turtle can make my day!  After being gone for a week, I was more than ready to get back on my board.  Just as I was paddling out, the wind started to come up and it got a bit choppy.  I ran into a paddling friend on my way down to the boat ramp, so we paddled together.  We hung around at the boat ramp for a while just chatting and NO turtles!  The wind backed off and the water got really nice, but still no turtles.  My friend decided to paddle back and I stayed for a little while longer hoping the turtles would appear.  The boats started to come in at the boat ramp and there were still no turtles.  I decided to paddle back.  Just as I was passing Kam III, a turtle popped up in front of me!  I was really glad to see it!  I got down on my board and just watched the turtle swimming next to my board and checking me out.  Then it swam to the back of me and I slowly turned my board around.  I caught a glimpse of the tail on that turtle….and sure enough….it was “Lizard”!  The conditions stayed nice and as I was paddling in at Kam I, I looked down and saw a turtle swimming near the bottom.  The water is still very clear, but the turtle just stayed down there and didn’t surface.  I paddled in and then went for my swim.  The conditions were still perfect and I swam down by the reef to watch the fish.  It was such a nice day!  I hope tomorrow is too!

Turtles!

Today started out windy and choppy.  I could see major white caps out on the horizon, so I didn’t know what the day would bring.  I really wanted to go paddling, though,  because tomorrow will be a travel day.  I paddled out and it sure was bumpy!  I wondered if I should take a chance on the wind and paddle down to the boat ramp.  I could see quite a few people paddling north, but I wanted to see my turtles one more time before I leave, so I paddled south.  I ran into a paddling friend just as I was entering the Kam II area, so I was able to wish her Happy Holidays!  Then on the boat ramp.  It was a bumpy ride but when I got down there the wind backed off a little bit.  There were two kayakers and two paddlers already there so I stayed farther north.  I only sat for a few minutes when two turtles surfaced one on each side of me!  Then a third turtle began popping up so I was surrounded!  One of the turtles was “Torpedo Head” too!  The wind started to kick up again and the water got bumpy but another turtle popped up to say hi!  Since the wind was so threatening I decided to head back, but just as I was passing Kam III, three turtles surfaced and I was again surrounded by a turtle triangle!  I stayed there with the turtles for a few minutes, but the wind was not backing down, so I continued paddling back.  A few minutes into Kam II, I saw another paddling friend.  She had paddled north and said the white caps were coming!  I wished her Happy Holidays and headed to Kam I.  The water was very bumpy, but so clear!  Just about the time I was ready to head out for my swim, the wind backed off and my swim was perfectly smooth!  The water has been so clear and the weather so nice that it will be hard to get on that plane tomorrow and go to uncertain weather.  Oh well, it’s just for a few days and then I’ll be back out on the water.  Maybe the whales will start coming in closer when I get back too.  I won’t be posting for a few days, so I wish Happy Holidays to everyone!!