wildwahinepaddler

Sky on fire!

I forgot to post this last evening.  The sunset at the beach was not that spectacular, but when we got the Safeway shopping center, this is what appeared in the sky!!!!!  wow!

It was another beautiful day on Maui again today.  The ocean was not as glassy as it was yesterday, but still very nice.  I got a little bit of a late start and didn’t get out until about 9 a.m.  I paddled down to Cove Park and then turned south and suddenly the ocean got very glassy!  It was mesmerizing looking at the blue and silver shimmer on the surface as I paddled!  There was a slight south breeze blowing, but very comfortable.  When I arrived at the boat ramp I was the only one there.  I didn’t see any turtles at first, but after sitting on my board for about ten minutes and being patient, I saw my first turtle off to my left side.  Then up popped six more turtles of varying sizes….. all around me!  I was surrounded!  When they disappeared, I paddled down further and the same thing happened.  This time it was five turtles all around me!  I paddled out a bit farther, and suddenly I was surrounded again by four turtles.  I was thrilled to get sixteen turtles and decided to paddle back, but suddenly I heard a swoosh from behind, and there was a big turtle behind me!  Of course I backed up and hung around with that one for a while too.  Wow, seventeen turtles, I loved it!  The conditions stayed nice all the way back and then I ran into a paddling friend.  She had completed an event this past weekend where she paddled from Wailea to around Molokini and back to Wailea.  She said it took her about 4 1/2 hours to do it and she had the blisters to prove it!  I was impressed.  Then I ran into another WWP friend and we chatted for a while.  It’s always nice to visit with friends, especially in paradise!~

Perfect December Day!

It could not have been a more perfect day with  calm conditions, a little bit of overcast, and very comfortable temperatures.  As soon as I got on my board, a turtle popped up in front of me!  That started my day right.  I paddled down to Kalama Park and made my turn south.  The water was like glass and so smooth, so I decided to take my mask and snorkel with me just in case.  When I got down to the boat ramp, there were two kayakers there.  I didn’t see any turtles, so I sat down on my board to wait.  Before I knew it, they started to pop up, until I had counted eleven turtles!  I found myself surrounded by them a couple of times.  Then I went snorkeling and the water was so clear.  I enjoyed looking at the coral and tropical fish, especially the Hawaiian Damsel fish.  Suddenly, a big turtle cruised past, underneath me!  I followed it for a little while and then it disappeared.  I don’t know how long I snorkeled, but when I came up, there was about a dozen stand up paddlers in the area!  Too crowded for me, so I decided to paddle back, but not before another big turtle surfaced in front of me.  That was fourteen turtles in all!  The conditions stayed totally calm all the way back.  When I passed Kam II, I ran into a paddling friend and we chatted for a while.  Swimming was just as perfect as paddling and the wind only just started to come up when I left, about noon.  What a great start to December!

Beautiful Maui Morning!

The photo might look like summer, but it felt more like winter out on the ocean today.  The sky had a thin layer of overcast toward the south and the water was not calm.  In fact, it was quite choppy and there was a slight swell breaking on shore too.  I don’t usually like to go out when there is shore break, but I really wanted to paddle today so I went for it!  By the time I got down to the boat ramp, the ocean was getting pretty funky and more choppy so I didn’t know how long I would stay.  Just as I was about to turn around and paddle back, I looked to my left and a turtle was swimming along with me!  Then I noticed to my right, another big turtle was swimming along with me too!  I was right in between them!  I decided that this was an “omen” from the turtles to head back because the wind was getting stronger, so I headed back.  As I was passing Kam III, another turtle popped up in front of me!  Paddling back in the choppy conditions was a lot of work, but I did manage to make it back before the wind got crazy.  As I was paddling in to the beach at Kam I, another turtle surfaced so I hung with it for a few minutes.  It had a tumor on the side of its mouth, but it was swimming fine.  The wind died back a bit by the time I took my swim and to my surprise the water was very clear.  I think there is a high surf advisory for the north facing shores of Maui, so that is probably where the swell was coming from.  I hope it’s calm tomorrow!

Wow, what a perfect morning on Maui.  No wind and calm conditions, just what we would order if we could!  The sky was mostly clear with just a few puffs of cloud here and there and the top of Haleakala was totally clear.  I paddled down to Kalama Park and then made my turn south.  It was smooth sailing all the way down to the boat ramp and when I arrived, I was the only one there.  I didn’t see any turtles at first and I didn’t really have a lot of time to sit and wait because my grand baby, Forrest was coming to visit me at noon.  The water was crystal clear at the boat ramp and it made me wish I had my snorkeling gear with me!  Suddenly a very large turtle surfaced right in front of me and then a woman on a one man canoe paddled over to talk to me.  When she paddled on,  I had lost sight of the turtle.  Pretty soon another one surfaced and it was smaller.  I had to get back since I was crunched for time and the wind was starting to pick up anyway.  It blew from the North until I reached half way past Kam II and then it backed off completely.  I got half way through my swim and then the wind picked up again and this time it didn’t back off and it even got somewhat overcast.  Just another day in paradise!

Beautiful Sunset!

Sharing a beautiful Maui Sunset!!!!!!!  wow!

Great day to get back out there!

It was a gorgeous day on Maui today!  The last two days have been crazy windy and it was threatening this morning too.  I paddled down to Kalama Park and then made my turn south.  The ocean was on the bumpy side, due to the white caps that were out further,  but I was overjoyed to be out on my board anyway.  The last day I paddled had been Nov. 8th and then I traveled, so it was really time for me to get out there!  The clouds moved in and out as I rode the bumps down to the boat ramp.  The ocean calmed down a bit when I arrived and I was the only one there.  Initially I didn’t see any turtles, so I sat on my board and waited patiently.  Suddenly the first turtle surfaced in front of me, then I saw two more out farther and paddled out to them.  One of the turtles popped up, looked at me, and then dove under my board and surfaced on the other side of me.  Now I was in-between the two turtles!  They were very large turtles and amazingly friendly, swimming around under my board.  I ended up counting eleven more turtles and got surrounded a couple of times!  Eventually some kayakers showed up to see the turtles, so I counted my “14 blessings”…. and felt grateful, and then started to paddle home.  Just as I was passing Kam III, turtle #15 popped up in front of me.  Now I had 15 blessings to be grateful for!  Lucky for me the wind stayed Kona and pushed at my back on the way home.  I took my swim down to the rocks and reef and got the same boost back as I did paddling, thanks to the Kona wind!  By the time I left, the wind had completely backed off and it was a totally gorgeous day at the beach.  I am so grateful to be able to live on Maui and enjoy the ocean all year round!

Beautiful Grand daughter!

So here is Baby Leila!  She is adorable and so dainty.  I had a lot of fun taking care of her at my daughter’s house and spending time with my grand son Kalani!  I took him to his YMCA swim class and it was fun watching him enjoying the water so much.  I know that one day he and I will be enjoying the ocean together and hopefully he will want to stand up paddle!  I wanted to paddle today really bad, but it was super windy by 7 a.m. and storming in town.  Hopefully tomorrow I can get back in the ocean!

My grand-daughter arrived on Nov. 12th, at 2:48 p.m. and weighed in at 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.  I was right there and saw her pop out and be immediately put on my daughters chest.  It was amazing!  She is the cutest little thing and has lots of dark hair.  My grandson is very blond with blue eyes, so if her hair stays dark, it will be a very interesting contrast!  Well they are actually 1/4 chinese on their daddy’s side.  I can’t seem to post of photo right now, so that might have to wait.  Things have been exciting here in California, but I also really miss Maui and paddling!!!!!!!

Cove Park Sunset!

Wow,  a great sunset tonight as I was passing Cove Park!

Today was another spectacular day for paddling.  Perfect conditions were the order of the day.  I skipped paddling down to Cove Park and went directly to the boat ramp.  I was hoping to see some turtles today, since I am traveling to San Diego tomorrow and I won’t be down to see them for a couple of weeks.  The skies were mostly sunny and no wind, and the top of Haleakala Summit was completely clear.  When I arrived at the boat ramp, a turtle popped right up in front of me and took me by surprise!  I decided to sit for a while and just enjoy my surroundings, but suddenly four more turtles surfaced and I was thrilled to be surrounded by five turtles!  Then they all disappeared and I thought that was it for the day.  Pretty soon a paddling friend showed up.  She had been down to Keawakapu and reported seeing turtles along the way.  We sat there for a few minutes, and then the real turtle show began!  The turtles were popping up every where and when the count got to twenty, I just quit counting.  We were surrounded a couple of times and it was great!  Finally the turtles disappeared one by one, and we headed back to Kam I.  It was perfect paddling all the way back, and the wind stayed out all through my swim too just like yesterday.  It was a fantastic day to last me a couple of weeks, while I am in San Diego.  Mahalo Turtles!!!!