wildwahinepaddler

The day started out mostly overcast, but the conditions were decent for paddling.  It seemed like hardly anyone was out paddling, even though it was a good day for it.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and it was even more overcast down there.  I wondered if I would be able to see anything because the clouds make everything look dark, but I was immediately greeted by a turtle!  Pretty soon, a couple more turtles joined us too.  One of them was extremely friendly and hung out with me for quite a while.  When they disappeared, I paddled out farther and spotted another turtle.  By the time I got out to it, there were four more turtles surfacing and I was surrounded!  After that they seemed to be popping up two by two, until there were a total of ten turtles!  Then I paddled in closer to shore and a really small turtle whizzed past me, popping its head up a couple of times.  I decided to call that little bugger, “Speedy”!  I tried to paddle after it and then watched it dash down into the water.  Speedy was turtle #11.  Suddenly three other “youngster” turtles surfaced and circled me before two of them swam under my board.  They were turtles #12, 13, and 14!  Pretty soon Speeding joined the turtle group too and the four turtles were having a great time swimming under my board,  popping their heads up, and fooling around!  I was amazed at how long they did this….. it was like a turtle tot play day and I got to be a part of it!  I must have sat in the middle of this for about fifteen minutes and I was getting a big kick out of it too.  Suddenly, a big turtle (#15 ) arrived on the scene (Grandpa?) and interrupted the play day!  The four youngsters scrambled apart and disappeared.  What a neat thing to have witnessed, and all of this on a cloudy day!!!!!

It was a beautiful morning on Maui this morning.  Mostly sunny skies, a light northerly breeze, and calm conditions prevailed.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and as I passed Kam II, I looked up and the mountain was buried in clouds, maybe even raining too.  I was glad it was nice at the beach though!  As I entered the boat ramp area, no one was around so I had the place to myself.  Before I knew it, I spotted a turtle and paddled over to it.  When I got there, three more turtles surfaced and I was surrounded immediately!  When they disappeared, I paddled more north and spotted another turtle surfacing.  I paddled over to that one and before I knew it, five turtles had surfaced and were just hanging out, floating on the surface!  One of the turtles dove down and swam under me, then it just hung out under my board for a few minutes.  I wondered what it was doing!  Then it surfaced right near my board and its flippers were still under my board!  I reached over and tapped it’s shell and I guess I startled it and it scooted away from me.  Two more times I paddled over to a turtle and several other turtles popped up around me too.  I was overjoyed!  When I got to seventeen, I hoped to make it an even eighteen and boom, up popped turtle # 18!  A couple in a kayak and another paddler came to join in.  Then two more turtles popped up and the other paddler said, “You have a lot of turtles around you!”  I told him at twenty, I stop counting!  The day stayed really nice, so I started to paddle back, and just as I was passing Kam III, turtle #21 popped up in front of me!  It was friendly, so of course I stuck around.  It popped it’s head up three times to look at me, and then it dove down.  I didn’t expect 21 turtles, that’s for sure, but that is what happened!  When I got back and was getting ready to swim, I heard someone say there were some dolphins out there.  Oh darn, I missed them, maybe that will be tomorrows adventure???

What a great morning!  I got into the ocean before 8:30 a.m. and the conditions were really nice.  There was no wind blowing, in fact, I was sweating while I paddled down to the boat ramp!  Two paddlers were just leaving the area when I arrived there.  I suddenly paddled right into a semi-circle of three turtles and I was immediately surrounded!  I paddled a bit north and was surprised by another turtle that popped up right next to my board.  This turtle was really friendly and hanging out with me.  We were having such a great time, when a boat came roaring into the boat ramp, and upset the turtle flow.  Too many private boats on the weekend can be a bother!  About the time the boat passed, a paddling friend joined me at the boat ramp.  She paddles out of Keawakapu Beach and lives near there.  Suddenly three turtles surfaced around us, really close,  and then two more joined them and then one more turtle joined the party!  We counted six altogether just sitting with us. Then I raised my hands up and said, “My ohana arrives!”  and  my  friend just laughed!  We paddled a little more south, and a small turtle popped up right next to my friend.  She decided to paddle back to Keawakapu, so I stayed to see if there were any more turtles.  Just after she paddled away, two more turtles surfaced out beyond me so I paddled to them.  Then a big turtle popped up by my right side and then dove down and swam under my board.  That was fourteen turtles in all!  I paddled out farther because the conditions were so nice and headed back.  I looked for whales all the way back, but I didn’t see any whales today.  Before heading in,  I stopped out in the “quiet zone” and sat for a few minutes to enjoy the scenery.  The conditions stayed really nice all the way through swim too.  Right after I came in, the wind started to come up, but not too bad.  It was just a really nice day for April Fools day!!!  NO, it really was!

Beautiful Spring Day!

Yesterday was a bummer because I woke up with a headache…..but today it was a beautiful Spring day and I couldn’t wait to get out there in the ocean!  The conditions were pretty good with a Kona wind blowing, so I decided to paddle down to the boat ramp.   I was  hoping  the wind direction wouldn’t switch to trade winds on my way back.  It was a workout paddling against the Kona winds and the current was pushing north, so it took me a while to get to the boat ramp.  As I was passing Kam II, I spotted my first turtle of the day!  By the time I got to it, the turtle had disappeared.  I continued down to the boat ramp and when I arrived, no one else was there.  I had the whole place to myself!  It wasn’t long before I spotted my second turtle, so I paddled over to it.  By the time I got there another turtle popped up on the other side of me, so I was in between the two turtles!   I paddled farther over, and the same thing happened.  One turtle on each side of me!  Then before I knew it, three more turtles surfaced and I was surrounded!  The five turtles just floated on the surface and hung out with me, it was so relaxing!  Three other paddlers came by and saw all the turtles, but they didn’t stop.  I didn’t even have to share any of the turtles! The Kona wind gained some strength, so I decided I was satisfied with nine turtles for the day, and rode the wind back to Kam I.  Just before I got there I ran into a paddling friend who had just started her paddling day.  We chatted briefly and then I headed home.  On my swim I knew I would be paddling against the south wind and current, so I just accepted that fact.  I swam down to the rocks, reefs, and coral, visited with some fish and rode the current back.  I was almost back when I got a big surprise…..a big turtle appeared right under me!  It was swimming south, so I turned around and swam with it, all the way back to the point.  I was getting tired, so I decided to say good-bye to turtle and swim home.  What a totally unexpected surprise!  I never thought I would get to swim in the water with a turtle today, but it happened.  I never know what adventure each day will bring, so it’s always a surprise!  I love it!

Nice Day!

It was another picture perfect day on Maui today.  Nice conditions on the ocean with just a breeze blowing from the north.  I paddled down to Charley Young Beach and ran into a paddling friend who wanted to hear about my whale adventure yesterday.  We chatted for a few minutes and then we paddled down to the boat ramp.  She spotted a really small turtle just outside Kam III.  It looked like a very young turtle since it’s shell was no more than twelve inches long.  All I could think of was shark size “pupu”….but I hope not!  We paddled into the boat ramp area and we didn’t see any turtles at first.  Then my friend spotted a turtle so we both paddled over to it.  Suddenly five more turtles surfaced and we were surrounded!  Six turtles all at once, then one by one they disappeared.  One more turtle surfaced out farther, but it didn’t stick around.  Another paddling friend was coming from the direction of Keawakapu Beach, and joined us at the boat ramp.  One by one, ten more turtles popped up and some of them were so friendly!  One of my friends had brought a camera and she was trying to get some photos while we hung out with the turtles.  The conditions stayed very nice all the way back and I managed to get my swim in too.  It was a picture perfect day until the wind roared in and the ocean became a sea of white caps!  When the sand started to blow, that was my cue to go home.  Tomorrow is another day, so who knows what adventure might happen tomorrow?  Everyday is an adventure on Maui!

It was a beautiful morning on Maui, with just a slight northerly breeze and comfortable temperatures.  As I was paddling past Kam I, I noticed a blue color of something moving under the water.  It was far enough down that I couldn’t make out what it was, but I thought it was a manta ray.  A paddling friend came by and she saw another one, so we followed them around for a few minutes but they never surfaced.  She decided to join me on my paddle down to the boat ramp.  The conditions were lovely and it was so nice down there!  Just as we were passing Kam III, my friend spotted a turtle.  I paddled over to it, but it was not interested in hanging around.  As we arrived at the boat ramp, another turtle surfaced and I paddled over to it.  It was a friendly turtle and hung around for a few minutes. Before we knew it several other turtles were surfacing, but the pontoon tour boat was cruising in too.  My friend decided to paddle farther south, so I sat by the tour boat and a turtle surfaced on my right!  I paddled away from the tour boat, and two other turtles surfaced.  One was really friendly and swam right up to my board and then dove under and swam under me!  That was about nine turtles altogether so I was really happy with that.  I started to paddle back and the conditions were still perfect.  My friend caught up with me and we paddled together.  I had just said wouldn’t it be great if a whale showed up….and all of a sudden we spotted some whales out in the distance splashing and spouting!  They were still out farther that we felt comfortable paddling out to, but then my friend spotted some whales out in front of where we were sitting and so we started paddling towards them!  That is when things started to get very exciting!  It was a mother whale and a calf!  I got right up close to them and it was amazing!           The mother whale and her calf turned south and I was right there, paddling right next to them!  I couldn’t believe how close I was to them.  I could see, hear and smell them I was so close!  I was hooting and motioning for my friend to paddle over, but she kept her distance.  Suddenly the mother whale and her calf abruptly turned right in front of me, and I had to gasp….there they were and I could have bumped right into them!  Luckily they turned south again and I kept paddling with them.  So many other paddlers and kayakers were suddenly surrounding us to get a look.  I followed them through Kam II, and then the mother and calf started to head out to sea.  I had enough excitement for one day, so I paddled home.  Just as I was coming in so was the wind,  and it really started to blow!  I knew I was in for a rough water swim, but I didn’t care.  Nothing could ruin the amazing day I had just had, nothing!!!!

Yesterday, the wind howled in before I could even get my sunscreens on!  Then it was crazy windy all day.  Today it seemed more mellow and I only saw white caps way out on the ocean and not close in.  I decided to go for it and when I first started paddling, the conditions were good.  Ten minutes later, a whole different story!  The wind came blazing in from the north so I kept paddling into it down to Kalama Park. Then I turned to go south, knowing I would catch the down wind.  I was sailing pretty good when all of a sudden the wind completely changed directions and now I was paddling into the wind going south!  The ocean got so rough and bumpy that it was getting challenging to stand up.  I finally got down on my board and plowed through the wind and white caps!  I was afraid to go much past Kam I, with the wind being so unpredictable,  so I decided to paddle north.  I was sailing pretty good north with the wind, until all of a sudden the wind completely changed directions again and I was once again paddling head on into a north wind!  When I finally got down past Charley Young Beach, I turned around and paddled home.  What  crazy wind!  When it was time for my swim, the wind totally backed off and swimming was perfect!  Just as I was coming in from swimming, the wind picked up from the south again.  What strange wind patterns we have had the last couple of days.  I hope it is calmer tomorrow!

Purrrrrrrfect Sunday!

I arrived at the beach about 8:30 a.m. and it was perfect and glassy!  I couldn’t wait to get out on my board!  Ten minutes into my paddle, a Kona wind kicked up and I ran into a paddling friend.  She had borrowed a camera from another paddling friend and said she wanted to try to get some photos at the boat ramp.  We paddled against the wind all the way to the boat ramp and it seemed to take forever.  I think there was a south current happening as well, so that was part of it too.  When we got to the boat ramp, the wind backed off and it was so perfect!  We sat on our boards for a few minutes and we didn’t see any turtles. I wondered if it was going to be another day of no turtles, but suddenly I spotted one!  I motioned to my friend and started paddling over to where the turtle was.  As I got closer I could see that it was two turtles and not one!  I paddled up to them and sat right between them…..right where I like to be!  One of the turtles was friendly but the other one dove down and disappeared.  We paddled more north, and two more turtles appeared!  I got to sit right between them too!  One of them was big and friendly and it swam right over to my board.  I almost thought it was going to bump right into me, so I started to try to back paddle, then it dove down and swam under me! It faked me out!  I hope my friend got some photos so I can post them.  Sometimes I think I really need to get a waterproof camera to try to capture some of these adventures on film, but I haven’t quite figured out where I would carry it so I wouldn’t lose it.  The conditions stayed nice and one more turtle zipped past me so I sprung into action and paddled with it!  I was amazed at how fast it was swimming, but it was heading into the boat lane and two boats were heading in, so I backed off.  My friend spotted the pontoon tour boat coming our way too, so we decided to take advantage of the calm conditions and paddle back.  It was so nice, but we could feel the south current and it gave us a boost back.  On the way back, I heard a swoosh behind me, so I turned around to look but didn’t see anything.  Suddenly my friend thought she saw something and so did I so we paddled over to investigate, but we couldn’t find anything definitive.  The rest of the way back we  searched for manta rays, but none were around today.  She headed in and I headed out for a few more minutes, hoping to see whales.  When I didn’t see any, I headed in.  It was so peaceful out there on the water!  The conditions stayed nice all the way through my swim and the south current gave me a push back.  It was a super nice day and just about the time I was getting ready to go home, I spotted two whales in the distance splashing and jumping!  The two boats out there were getting quite a show.  I really love whale season…….. heck I love every season here on Maui!!!!!

So I didn’t get out until about 9 a.m. this morning, and it was overcast, windy and looked stormy.  I needed to paddle, so I went out anyway.  I paddled against the Kona wind all the way down to the boat ramp.  Yes, I was taking a big chance with the wind since it can change directions in a few seconds (and it has!), but I went anyway!  It took me awhile to get there and when I arrived only one kayaker was leaving the area and I had the place all to myself.  Well, it kind of figured, it was windy and looking stormy, so no one else was out there!  Well, I had not sat very long when the wind picked up and produced some white caps.  I decided that as long as the wind was still Kona, I had better take advantage of that and make my way back!  It gave me a good push all the way back, but I never saw any turtles or anything.  I did enjoy the workout, though.  I paddled in and before I knew it, the wind backed off completely!  My swim was great and the water remains super clear, so I enjoyed the fish down at the reef and rocks.  I noticed that the coral is looking very healthy down there and it is drawing a lot more fish.  Thankfully people are paying attention and NOT stepping on the coral!  It was almost completely ruined, but now it is definitely coming back.  The day stayed semi overcast and was extremely comfortable, just a really nice day!