wildwahinepaddler

Nice Sunday Sunset!

Finally…..yesterday started out without any wind!  It was a beautiful day on Maui and the conditions were really nice.  After the two days of south swell and wind that messed up the conditions had subsided, it was a welcome sight out there!  I got a later start than I wanted so I hurried to paddle down to the boat ramp.  Not a soul was there when I arrived, and unfortunately not even a turtle!  I waited and waited and I knew the pontoon tour boat would be roaring in at any minute, so the turtles needed to hurry it up.  Finally the first turtle appeared and I paddled over to it.  It was friendly so I was able to get some photos.  I only had a few shots left on the camera so I wanted to finish it off.  Out of the seven turtles that visited with me today, only three of them wanted to be photographed!  I was just enjoying a prolonged visit with the last turtle when the boat roared in.  I paddled back in nice conditions until I passed Kam II, and the wind came in, white caps and all!  It was work to get the rest of the way home….but it backed off just in time for my swim, which ended up being very nice.  The Sunday sunset was nice too!

Today’s conditions were off to a nice start too.  No wind and sunny skies prevailed.  I got another late start so I hurried down to the boat ramp. Then I ran into a paddling friend and she and I paddled to the boat ramp, but she didn’t feel very well and went back.  As I came into the boat ramp area, there were three women paddlers sitting right in my spot!  Uh oh….competition!  I paddled near them but stayed to the south of them.  One of them paddled over to me and asked if I’d seen any turtles.  I had just arrived so I told her no, not yet.  She told me they had only seen two so far.  Finally my first turtle surfaced!  I was able to paddle right up to it and it just hung out with me.  The other paddlers got bored and moved on, and I got to visit with two more turtles!  Before I knew it, the tour boat roared in and it had quite a few snorkelers on it.  The boat pulled up and anchored not far from where I was sitting and I heard one of the crew saying,”oh that lady is the mark for where the turtles are…..they are probably just below her and just watch for them to come up”.  I thought, oh great,  and when they jumped in they headed right for me! I paddled a bit farther away from them and two turtles surfaced.  I was sitting right in-between them!  Then one more big turtle surfaced right next to me and ended up being my buddy for the day.  I was surprised at how long it hung around me, swimming next to me, swimming under me and surfacing behind me!  The snorkelers didn’t want to go that far away from the boat, so I had the turtles all to myself!  I knew it was getting late, so I paddled back in the still perfect conditions.  It stayed so glassy all the way back!  By the time I swam, though, the wind came in and it was bumpy ride.  I hope it’s nice tomorrow too!

Rainbow at Waimea Bay

On our recent trip to Oahu, we were treated to many rainbows, but this was one of my favorites!  Now for Maui…..another nice day for paddling with just a hint of a breeze coming from the south.  I wanted to paddle right down to the boat ramp so I would have more time with the turtles before the boats started coming in, but just as I was entering the Kam III area, I saw something big jump out of the water and splash down!  I thought it was too big to be a fish, but I wondered if it could be a dolphin?  I decided to paddle straight out and head in the direction of the splash.  All of a sudden, some dolphins passed by me!  I turned in their direction and started paddling but then they stopped and were just hanging around playing!  I sat down on my board near them…..and pretty soon they were around me!  Then I spotted one of the dolphins swimming right towards me…I gasped…and when it got to my board, it dove under me and then came out of the water on the other side of me!  It was so close!  They were definitely Bottle Nose Dolphins and not Spinners like the last dolphin encounter I had.  The Bottle Nose Dolphins are bigger…..at least these dolphins were, and I got such a close look at the one to note the differences!  I was ecstatic and started paddling like crazy to keep up with the dolphins.  I chased them almost all the way back to Kam I, where I had started out, and then I decided to turn around and continue to the boat ramp.  It was so exciting!  I paddled down to the boat ramp while the conditions were still nice, but once I got there I didn’t see a single turtle.  I sat down on my board to wait,  and I waited!  Finally I spotted my first turtle and I paddled over to it.  It was a really friendly turtle too!  The turtle swam right up to my board and just floated there, then a second turtle appeared too.  Both turtles were really friendly and they hung around until two more turtles joined us too!  I was happily hanging with the four turtles….until a dive boat came roaring in and making his spins to show off for his passengers.  Then he brought his boat in right by me since he could see me with the turtles.  Before I knew it, the pontoon tour boat was also roaring in, and it stopped on the other side of me to anchor.  Being surrounded by boats is not how I like to be, so I headed back.  The ocean conditions were still nice with some smooth bumps to paddle over.  Just as I was coming into Kam I, I ran into a paddling friend who wanted to tell me about the dolphins she saw farther north.  Little did she know, I had an even more exciting dolphin story to tell her!!!!  We chatted for a few minutes and then paddled towards Kam I.  We both decided to head in to go swimming before the wind came in.  By the time I went for my swim, the wind had already come in!  Like yesterday, I just accepted the conditions and swam north against the wind.  Then, like yesterday, a turtle appeared beneath me and I swam with it!  The turtle was so friendly and it swam right next to me and then would dive down and come up right under me.  It got so close to me,  I couldn’t resist patting its shell!  It did this a few more times and I was looking right into its left eye….it was THAT close!  I don’t think I have ever had a turtle stay so close to me before, and I was loving it.  Then the turtle headed out to sea, and I swam back.  I never know what kind of adventure I will have, but today’s adventures were definitely fantastic!!!!!

Love those turtles!

Finally….. a morning with perfect conditions for paddling!  I couldn’t wait to get out there to enjoy it.  I started to paddle down to the boat ramp, but on the way I ran into a couple of paddling friends.  We chatted for a minute, and then one of them took off north and the other one took off south….. and I continued on to the boat ramp.  At first, I didn’t see a turtle anywhere, which figured since I had brought the camera and hoped to get some photos!  I sat for a few minutes, just enjoying the nice calm conditions, until I spotted my first turtle.  I paddled over to it and wouldn’t you know it, the turtle had tumors on it!  Oh I really didn’t want to see that again, but this was a different turtle and it’s tumors were not as bad as the turtle yesterday.  It was moving totally normal and it didn’t seem to be struggling to breathe…..at least for now.  Finally the turtles started to surface, but they were surfacing one by one today, except one time two turtles popped up together and I got to sit in between them.  I stayed down there for quite a while and ended up with fifteen turtles and I think I got some good photos!  I headed back because I was concerned that the wind might sneak up on me….but it was smooth paddling and then I ran into one of my paddling friends who was paddling in my direction.  We were commenting on how perfect the conditions were today, and then she looked out on the water and said she saw white caps coming in!  She headed to Kam II and I headed to Kam I, and the wind came roaring in!      It was a workout the rest of the way in, but when I got to shore, the wind backed off.  By the time I went swimming, the wind had roared in again, so I just accepted it and decided to swim against it (north), hoping I could cruise all the way back.  On the way back, a turtle appeared right under me, so I swam with it for a while.  It surfaced and turned to look at me….it was right in front of me!  I just had to pet it’s shell…. so I did.  Then it surfaced again right in front of me, so I petted its shell again!  Oh I love when that happens!  Finally it swam out to sea and I said good-bye to it,  and I swam in.  What a great day with sixteen turtles!!!!!

View of beach from out on my board!

The first thing I did this morning after I got up, was take a look out the window to see if it was windy.  As luck would have it, there was no sign of wind.  By the time I got down to the beach, only a slight breeze was blowing from the south, and it was still very nice.  I wondered about the wind, how could I not?  It’s been so unpredictable lately.  Conditions were good so I took a chance and paddled down to the boat ramp.  I had the place to myself so I hoped the turtles would come up.  I sat for a few minutes and then I spotted my first turtle lounging on the surface of the water!  I paddled over to it and two more turtles appeared and made a triangle with me in the middle!  Then I saw another turtle more north, so I paddled over to it.  When I got to it, I noticed it had a bunch of tumors all over it, the worst one being a large one on the side of its mouth which seemed to be preventing the turtle from fully opening its mouth.  It also had some moss or sea weed growing on its shell, which made me wonder if it was just not moving around like the other turtles.  It really upset me every time it came up for air because it made this gasping sound that was impossible to ignore…..I really didn’t like hearing that distressful sound!  I knew that the turtle wouldn’t last long if it was weak and unable to eat or get enough air.  Sometimes the reality of that is not fun at all.  In all, I counted about nine turtles today, with the sick one surfacing a couple of times gasping for air.  I was happy to be able to paddle in nice conditions down to the boat ramp, but I wasn’t happy to listen to the turtle.  Luckily the rest of the turtles I visited with looked very healthy, so that did make me feel better.  The wind still had not come in and a paddling friend showed up at the boat ramp.  We chatted for a while and then she announced that there were threatening white caps in view.  The last time I didn’t listen to her, I got caught in the crazy wind, so this time I followed her advice and headed back.  Just as I left her at Kam II, the wind and white caps blew in!  It was work just to get to shore from there….but at least I wasn’t farther away when it happened.  By the time I went for my swim, the wind had backed off and I got good conditions on my way down, but the wind blew in again and it was a rough water swim on the way back!  This time the wind meant business and it’s still very windy now.  I’ll be glad when more normal wind conditions prevail…..really glad!

nice sunset!

Sharing a Maui sunset!!!

Feeding the turtles!

This is a photo of my friend on the North shore of Oahu….she and I were feeding the turtles seaweed by hand!  It was pretty neat!  Now for today…..it was crazy windy, what can I say?  I knew it was windy already but I went out anyway.  I paddled against the wind that was blowing from the north for a while, but then it seemed like no matter how hard I was paddling….I was staying in the same spot!  I turned around (or the wind turned me around!), and I paddled with the wind at my back and was sailing along in that direction.  It got so windy that the wind waves were just crashing over my board, so I got down on my knees to paddle.  I was hoping to at least paddle down to Kam II, but when I started into Kam II, the wind was just too crazy!  I couldn’t stop paddling for one second or the wind would be taking me somewhere else.  I decided to turn around, but that wasn’t an easy task either!  I had to paddle really hard and when I changed sides to paddle, I had to stop and hang on to my paddle with two hands before I could do that because the wind wanted to take my paddle away from me!  It was wild!  It took me a while to get back even though I wasn’t out that far and it was just like a ride at Disneyland!  A pretty wild day to be paddling, that’s for sure!  I finally made it in and my swim was a rough water swim too.  At least the water is warm and clear, but this early wind has been so strange!  I really missed going to the boat ramp to see my turtles though.  Maybe tomorrow……:)

Before I put on my sunscreens, I took a look down at the ocean with the binoculars.  All I could see were white caps and I wondered how windy it was going to be for paddling.  When I got down to the beach, it definitely was already windy, but it was blowing from the south.  The white caps I saw with the binoculars were blowing from the north!  When I went out on my board the ocean was bumpy,  pushing from the north, but while paddling, the wind was blowing from the south.  How screwy is that?  Well, this is what happened…..the wind swells gave me a nice push and the wind blowing from the south kept me cool!  It was actually okay,  but the ocean was warning me about those white caps. Then I was rockin’ and rollin’….. all the way down to the boat ramp!  I had a feeling no one else would be there since it seemed like I was about the only one out paddling in the wind.  As I entered the boat ramp area, I was thinking….. I hope the turtles come up quick because I don’t know how long I dare stay down here!  Just as I finished that thought, I spotted turtle #1.  It was several yards in front of me, so I paddled quickly.  Just about the time I got to it, a second turtle surfaced and I was sitting in-between them!  Then a third turtle popped up and they made a triangle around me!  I paddled a little more north and spotted two more turtles, so I quickly paddled over to them.  One of them swam right up to me and then dove under my board, and then two more turtles joined us and I was surrounded!  It all happened so fast, and then I decided to be smart and paddle back before the wind got really crazy.  On the way back, I had the wind behind me, but the current and wind swells were pushing from the north, so I got my extra workout on the way back this time.  I made it back before the wind got crazy and I managed to get in my swim in too.  Not bad for a windy, rolling kind of day!

Turtles on Oahu!

First of all, this is a photo of a turtle on the north shore of Oahu.  They come right up on the reef and eat the sea weed off of the rocks, and they don’t care who is watching!  I love visiting this spot whenever we are on Oahu.  It has been so windy on Maui…..and it was windy on Oahu too, so I guess we are just in some kind of strange wind pattern right now.  It was a beautiful day, but the wind was already blowing from the south so I geared up for a tough day of paddling.  I took off on my board and got down to Charley Young Beach when I realized that I never put my leash on!  I’d probably be just fine, but you know “Murphy’s law”…. so I thought it would be just my luck for something weird to happen today  and I wouldn’t have my leash on my ankle.  Begrudgingly, I paddled to shore and put my leash on.  I headed back out and thought it best to paddle against the south blowing wind as much as I could, so I paddled down to the boat ramp.  It was so much work!  It seemed to take me forever to get there, and just as I was entering the area, so was the pontoon tour boat!  The ocean was pretty choppy, but they dropped off their snorkelers anyway.  I almost turned around and paddled back, but then I decided to stick around instead.  I brought a camera along too, so I was hoping to get some photos.  Luckily the boat did not have many people going snorkeling,  so I ended up doing some competing for the turtles!  They had the advantage of under the water…..but I had the advantage of above the water, so I could see the turtles surfacing.  I spotted a turtle farther south, so I paddled to it.  When the snorkelers saw me paddling…..they started swimming, but I always got to the turtles before they did!  Despite the rough conditions, I experienced the full array of turtles.  I sat between turtles; I sat next to turtles; twice I had a “line” of turtles before me of three turtles both times; and I found myself surrounded by a couple of turtle triangles too!  At one point, I looked behind me and two turtles were right there…..then two turtles surprised me and swam right past me on each side of my board!  I even outlasted the tour boat, and when they left, more turtles popped up.  The wind was getting stronger and the ocean rougher, but the turtles continued to surface.  Every time I thought, well I should head back, two more turtles would surface beckoning me to stay!  Finally, I just had to go back….I really had pushed the limits with the wind situation.  I think I counted over twenty turtles for the day, with, I am sure, more turtles that were trying to coax me to stay even longer! I was so lucky too, because the wind didn’t change direction, so I literally “sat back” and flowed  with the gentle hiss of the white caps behind me and rode the wind swells all the way back to Kam I.  Just as I got back, the wind backed off for just a few minutes and then roared in for the day!  My swim ended up being a rough water swim, but the water is nice and clear so with a snorkel, even a rough water swim is a still a good swim!!!

It looked like a perfect day out on the ocean, mostly sunny and no wind blowing.  I could even see the island of Lanai in the distance and the top of Haleakala was completely clear.  It was a good day to be traveling up the mountain!  I paddled down to the boat ramp and when I was just entering Kam III, I ran into a paddling friend.  She was smart and had gone out early, but she paddled down to the boat ramp with me.  When we got there, a kayak with a couple in it, was sitting right in our spot!  We stayed just north of them, until I spotted a turtle frolicking in the distance.  I paddled towards the turtle and then the kayakers saw what I was looking at and they paddled over to the turtle too.  It ended up being two turtles, but the kayak was in-between the turtles and in my way!  Finally they drifted back, and I got to claim my place in-between the turtles!  Then two more turtles surfaced and we paddled to them.  I was able to get to the turtles before the kayak, so I claimed my place in-between those two turtles too!  Then I saw something I don’t like to see….. it was a smaller turtle, probably a young one and it had a tumor on its head.  My paddling friend decided to paddle home because she saw some white caps out farther, but I stayed on and visited with three more turtles!  I had counted eight turtles in all, and then the wind whipped up in a fury from the north, complete with choppy water and white caps.  I paddled furiously to get back, paddling over wind swells and chop and it took forever!  Just about the time I crossed over into Kam I, the wind completely backed off.  I guess the wind really tricked me today!  I was exhausted carrying my board up to the shower, but I still wanted to swim.  Luckily, the wind stayed back all the while I swam too.  I saw the smallest “Humu Humu” fish I had ever seen today.  I bet it would not have measured more than three inches!  I wonder how long it takes them to grow to the size I usually see them?  I might have to look that one up.  Then I followed a pair of Moorish Idols as they pecked at the rocks and coral.  On my way back, a turtle suddenly swam past me so I turned around quickly and swam with it for a while.  That made nine turtles for today!

Gorgeous Memorial Day!

This morning I woke up before my alarm went off!  I was anxious to get out on my board, but the wind was already threatening in gusts.  I went out anyway because after ten days of no paddling, I needed it!  It was a beautiful day at the beach for Memorial Day.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and when I arrived, there were two snorkelers there.  They weren’t diving and chasing the turtles so I was sure the turtles would surface. I spotted my first turtle and paddled over to it.  By the time I got to it, a second turtle surfaced and I was sitting in-between them!  Suddenly one of the snorkelers’ heads surfaced, and he yelled to me that there were eight turtles right under me…..he was so excited!  Next thing I knew, three turtles surfaced in a turtle triangle, and I was surrounded!  The wind was still threatening, but still had not come in yet, so I stayed for a while at the boat ramp.  I ended up with sixteen turtles to visit with, and some of them were coming right up to my board and just hanging out and I watched them swimming around under my board.  I love when they do that!  Too bad I didn’t have a camera with me today.   I decided to paddle back in hopes of beating the wind, and when I passed Kam III, turtle #17 popped up!  Then I headed into Kam II and ran into a paddling friend.  We chatted and paddled for a while, and then she headed back to Kam II, and I headed in.  The wind was still playing games, but I got my swimming in before it got really windy.  A gorgeous day for a holiday!