wildwahinepaddler

It was another gorgeous day on Maui today.  Mostly sunny with a slight breeze blowing from the south and a calm ocean.  It was ideal conditions for paddling and I got an early start, so I was ready to get out there! I enjoyed paddling down to the boat ramp and I got lucky today being the only one down there.  Initially I didn’t see any turtles, so I sat down on my board to wait.  Suddenly I spotted my first turtle out in front of me!  I paddled over to it and just as I got there, it dove down and disappeared.  I guess it wasn’t interested in me today!  Then I saw a turtle floating on the surface out farther, so I hurried over to it.  As soon as I got over to it, two other turtles surfaced on my right and one on my left, so I was surrounded!  I lost count of how many times I ended up sitting between turtles and right in the middle of them, but they were all so friendly!  They swam right up to my board and swam under me, and even around me so many times!  It was so calm and quiet, just me and all those turtles!  By the time I had counted 29 turtles, I stopped counting.  Then they seemed to all disappear so I started to paddle back, then all of a sudden, five turtles surfaced all around me and I was surrounded again!  Two turtles were behind me and the other three were around the front of my board!  They stayed and hung out with me for so long I couldn’t believe it!  Then it was time to say good-bye to the turtles and paddle back.  The conditions were still ideal and I had smooth paddling all the back!  The wind had still not come in by the time I went for my swim, so it was ideal swimming conditions as well.  On the way back, I ran into a school of about ten Ulua’s, so I hung around with them and swam with them for a while.  Two of them were about as big as a dolphin!  I don’t see them very often, so it was quite a treat.  Actually, the whole morning was a treat!  I just love days like this!

Oh and it was!  So very perfect, calm ocean and no wind at all.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and when I arrived, only a small catamaran was hanging around in the area and a man on a sup board with his small daughter.  They were watching a turtle near them, so I headed out farther than them to sit.  Just as I stopped to sit down on my board, a turtle popped up ahead of me!  Then one surfaced on my left side, and two surfaced on my right side.  I was just about to say “surrounded”, when two more popped up behind me!  I was totally surrounded by six turtles!  The nice conditions were prevailing so I stayed there and got lost in the turtles.  The man and his daughter paddled away from the area, as did the catamaran,  so I had the place all to myself!  There were so many turtles that I lost count of how many times I got surrounded and how many times I ended up sitting between turtles.  They were either popping up next to me, near me, or swimming down around under my board, it was great!  By the time I had counted about twenty turtles, the man and his daughter returned and came over where I was.  About ten more turtles surfaced, popped up, and swam around us and the man and his daughter were overjoyed!  I stayed around and decided to try to keep an accurate count of the turtles and I believe it was about thirty….a major turtle day!  Finally it came time for me to leave, so I left the turtles with the man and his daughter.  I paddled back in still perfect conditions and no wind!  I couldn’t believe how nice it was.  It stayed nice all the way through my swim too!  The wind didn’t come in until about 11:15 a.m…..but when it did, it roared in.  I was so glad I got so lucky with the wind and turtles today!  What a nice surprise!

It was a beautiful morning at the beach, but the wind seemed to be already coming in.  I was early for a change,  so I went out anyway.  I paddled north, in the direction of the wind and just as I turned to paddle south….the wind totally backed off!  The ocean was not calm, but at least the wind backed off for a while.  I took a chance and paddled down to the boat ramp.  I was the only one there  since the wind looked so unpredictable.  I also wondered  how long I could really stay down that far!  In fact, I couldn’t see a sign of a turtle anywhere, but I sat down on my board and uttered these words, “okay turtles, now where are you?”  As soon as the words slipped from my lips, I spotted turtle #1!  I paddled out to it and as soon as I got there, two more turtles surfaced on each side of me, surrounding me!  Then two more turtles popped up and then one more, so I had six turtles all around me!  Then two of them disappeared and the other four reconfigured themselves, which left me in front of four turtles all in a row!!!!  It was so funny to see them all lined up as if they were awaiting instructions.  Then another turtle surfaced closer to shore so I paddled over and another turtle surfaced on the other side of me and I was in-between them!  I was having such a great time with all the turtles, being surrounded a couple of more times and ending up in the middle of two turtles multiple times!  I am pretty sure I counted at least 2o turtles and I totally forgot about the wind that was looming. Suddenly three kayakers came out who were visitors with rented kayaks.  They paddled over to my turtle party and were overwhelmed!  I started to pay attention to the wind starting to kick up slightly and I left my turtles with the tourists.  I paddled back over wind swells from the wind that was blowing quite strong out farther, but when I passed Kam III, another turtle surfaced in front of me so I stopped to visit with it too.  Some of those wind generated swells were sizable and I was using some real skills to keep control as I rolled over them.  By the time I swam, the wind had backed off again.  I saw the same school of about fifty or so silver–blue fish again and swam back and for with them a few times before I headed down to the rocks and reefs.  There were quite a few fish down there too, but when I started to head back I could hear wind howling through my snorkel!  The wind had come in with a vengeance and I really worked to swim back against it.  The wind continued to gain strength until the sand was starting to blow on the beach.  That was my cue to go home!  It was a really windy day…..but I lucked out and got to see my turtles.  That is always a good day!

Nice start to the day!

I was so excited to get down to the beach this morning because it wasn’t windy!  I got out there as quickly as I could after taking this photo, but about fifteen minutes into paddling,  the wind kicked up from the north.  I headed in the direction of the boat ramp and ran into a paddling friend.  She was going to come with me to the boat ramp, until the wind suddenly changed directions and was now blowing from the south.  I spotted a turtle popping up and down in the water between Kam I and Kam II, but when I paddled out to it, the turtle dove down.  I could see it swimming under me and followed it for a few minutes, but it was going so slow and I really wanted to get down to the boat ramp, so I paddled on.   I pushed against the southerly wind which was getting stronger, but when I paddled into Kam III, it really started to blow and the conditions were getting quite rough!  I decided it was best to turn around.  I paddled back with the wind at my back and the white caps were breaking on my back!  About the time I went for my swim, the wind had backed off some.  I swam down to the rocks and reefs and enjoyed the fish.  The water is so clear!  I guess the windy conditions are going to be around for a few days….and I missed my turtles at the boat ramp, but I am still glad I went out!  We will see what tomorrow brings….

Nice sunset!

Well the past two days have been crazy windy.  It just only stopped momentarily while the sun was setting behind Lanai, so I was able to get this photo.  I sure hope it’s not windy tomorrow so I can get back out on the ocean!!!!!  We’ll see…

Picture perfect day!

WOW….another picture perfect day on Maui!  The water was so glassy, I couldn’t wait to get out there.  I got out earlier today, so I headed down to the boat ramp.  The conditions couldn’t have been more perfect….calm, mostly sunny and no wind.  When I arrived at the boat ramp, no one was around.  I couldn’t believe I had the place all to myself since lately there has been so much activity going on at this spot.  I paddled in and sat down on my board and before I knew it my first turtle of the day surfaced out in front of me!  It was a really small turtle and it got spooked and dove down.  Then a larger turtle surfaced to my right and it was a friendly turtle!  Then a couple of turtles surfaced out farther so I paddled out to them, and another turtle popped up on my left side and I was sitting between them!  Before I knew it, turtles were popping out of the water all around me!  One very large turtle seemed to gasp for air when he came up and I noticed that he had a very large tumor under his mouth.  I don’t like to see that because I know that when that tumor gets larger, it will cut off his air supply and it won’t be able to survive.  That always makes me so sad.  That particular turtle stuck around for the whole time I was at the boat ramp too.  By the time I had counted about fifteen turtles, I noticed four paddlers headed my way.  I could see they were tourists with rented boards.  They stayed back from where I was sitting but I knew when they saw all the turtles, they would be coming closer.  Sure enough, they got all excited and started yelling to each other.  Then one of them paddled over to where I was and she said,”those turtles seem to like you”, so I told her that I visit them almost every morning.  Then she said, “those turtles seem to know you!” and then she told me she was going to stay by me because the turtles came so close to me.  Oh great…..just what I wanted to do, be a tour guide!  Oh well, the turtles kept coming and she was ecstatic.  One of the turtles swam under me and was just staying right under me, and then I heard “clunk” and it had tried to surface under my board!  It was so funny and the tourist thought so too.  Then we were surrounded by turtles a couple of times and I thought the tourist was going to faint!   By the time I left, I had counted about 26 turtles in all!  What a day!  The conditions stayed nice all the way back and the wind just started to come up when I went for my swim.  I ran into that large school of silvery-blue fish again today.  I wonder what they are up to?  What a nice day to be at the beach!

I am really enjoying Springtime!  It has been so nice and the water has been so clear.  Paddling conditions were nice like yesterday with no wind.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and when I got there, it was crowded!  I mean…. two kayakers, two paddle boarders, and seven snorkelers crowded.  Part of the group was the paddling friend from Keawakapu and her visitors, and the rest of the group were tourists snorkeling from Kam III.  I wondered how many turtles I would see with so many people in the water.  I paddled around all the people and closer to the boat ramp and a turtle popped up right next to my board!  I just tried to stay a little outside the group on all sides, and turtles were surfacing all around!  Before I knew it, I had counted eighteen turtles so far, and then the pontoon tour boat roared in.  Just as I was getting ready to leave, turtles #19, 20, 21 and 22 popped up and had me surrounded!  I was amazed to have had so many turtles considering how busy it was down there, but I was happy!  I paddled back in perfect conditions and paddled out farther to my quiet spot to sit.  Suddenly I was wrapped up in a wave of flowers!  I don’t know if there had been a funeral service or something like that, but I was surrounded by flowers!   As they passed by me in the current, I dipped my paddle into the water and scooped up a plumeria flower.  It still smelled delightful….so I just sat  there on my board and breathed in its intoxicating scent!  Suddenly all the reasons I love Hawaii came flooding into my mind.  Amazing what a little flower can do!  The flower was so beautiful out there on the water so I tried to bring it in with me, but it turned brown.  Some things are just meant for the moment!  I swam in nice conditions too, and on the way back I ran into that school of about fifty silvery fish, that I saw a few days ago.  I swam with them for a little while and then came in.  It was a great day to be out on the ocean today!

It was a beautiful morning on Maui with mostly blue skies and patchy clouds, and a wind blowing from the north.  I wondered if the wind was going to come in early, so I paddled against it for a while but then turned around and headed south.  Just as I was passing Kam I, a big turtle swam past me!  I quickly turned around to follow it, but it didn’t have any time for me today, so I continued paddling south.  When I got to the boat ramp, a paddling friend was already there.  She was trying to get some photos of the turtles, but a boat came roaring into the boat ramp area and interrupted her.  After the water settled down, I saw two turtles up ahead of me, so I paddled towards them.  I sat right between them for a few minutes!  Then two more turtles surfaced out farther, so we headed in their direction.  I got to sit right between them too!  Next thing I knew, another turtle surfaced and I was surrounded!  We saw a couple of paddlers heading our way and they had some snorkelers with them.  One of them was another paddling friend and her friends.  We all stayed in about the same spot and the turtles were popping up all around us!  The women snorkeling said there were quite a few turtles just sitting around on the bottom too.  One friend left, and so I paddled over to another spot to have some alone time with the turtles.  Up popped five turtles, all around me, so I had counted about seventeen turtles that surfaced, including the one I saw at Kam I!  Next thing I knew, the pontoon tour boat had pulled up with its snorkelers, so that was my cue to head back.  The conditions were very good until I hit Kam II, and the wind started to kick up from the south, but I got in before it got crazy.  By the time I went swimming, the wind had backed off again.  Just when I got out there, I spotted a turtle swimming in my direction!  I turned around and followed it for a while, but it wasn’t surfacing.  Poor thing had some tumors by both eyes so I wondered how well it was seeing.  I swam down to the rocks and reef and visited the fish and the wind was still backed off.  What a nice day it ended up being!!!

Nice!!!!!  The sun is slowly dipping behind the island of Lanai….

It doesn't get better than this!

It really doesn’t get better than this……blue skies, fluffy clouds, and glassy ocean conditions!  The water was so glassy, you could see the clouds reflecting on the ocean and it was so calm.  I was paddling down to the boat ramp when I ran into a paddling friend outside of Kam II, so we paddled down together.  There were a couple of other paddlers already there, so we moved down closer to the ramp, and my friend spotted the first two turtles of the day!  I paddled quickly over to them and sat in-between them.  One dove down, but the other one was friendly. Then we spotted two more turtles out farther so we paddled out to them.  Once again I sat in between them!  One more turtle surfaced and we decided to paddle down towards Keawakapu.  It was so calm and nice, but all the turtles seemed to be back by the boat ramp, so we turned around.  I am so glad we did!  Turtles were popping up everywhere and I got surrounded a couple of times!  Then we ran into some other friends and we all were enjoying the turtles.  A couple more times I was sitting in-between turtles, and I raised my hands up and exclaimed, “I’m between them!”  A guy paddled by me and said, “You sure are and they are all around you!”  By then I was pretty sure I had counted twenty turtles so it was time to stop counting.  The water surface started to change too and we wondered if the wind was going to come in, so we paddled back.  We had just gotten to Kam I and a south wind definitely came up.  I decided to go in and my friend headed against the wind back to Kam II.  It took me a little while to maneuver in with the wind, but I made it in before it got crazy windy.  For my swim, I decided to swim against the wind  and it was a work out, but I cruised back with the wind,  so it evened out the effort!  Then it got very windy, but it was still a gorgeous sunday!!!