wildwahinepaddler

Yes, today a South wind prevailed.  I paddled with the wind down almost to Kalama Park and then turned to paddle South.  It was kinda choppy and it seemed to take me forever to pass Kam I!  By the time I made it down to the boat ramp, the wind suddenly backed off and it got much nicer.  I hung out there for a while hoping the turtles would come visit me again, but not today!  On my way back, the wind kicked up again and I paddled with it all the way home.  Swimming was nice, and down by the rocks and reef, I saw a big Puffer fish.  I tried to follow it, but it wasn’t happy about it, so I left it alone.  That species of fish is not very friendly!  Then I saw an eel scurry into a cave in the reef and watched a school of Trumpet fish (about 20 – 30 of them) congregating.  Besides the adult tropical fish,  I saw a lot of tiny baby fish as well.  I think that is a location where fish lay their eggs because there are so many different types of baby fish all together.  The day was still beautiful despite the wind and very enjoyable!

It was a record for turtles today!  The day could not have been more perfect…..  sunny skies, warm clear ocean,  and calm conditions.  Paddling down to the boat ramp was a joy!  Not too many people out, and except for a woman in a one man canoe, I had the place ALL to myself.  I didn’t see any turtles initially, so I just sat on my board to see what might happen.  All of a sudden, they started popping up all around me, until I was quite sure I counted 12 turtles!  A couple of them were so friendly and inquisitive that they came right up to my board so close I could have reached out and touched them!  Only one  of them had some tumors on its fins, but the rest looked super healthy.  That is always good news! I lost track of time while I was with the turtles and ended up staying out over an hour and a half, but I didn’t mind. The day stayed perfect and so was my swim.  Down by the rocks and reef,  I saw two Ulua fish (about 20 inches long), and I followed them around for a few minutes.  Then I saw a “Humu Humu” fish, Rainbow fish, Moorish Idols, Trumpet fish and an assortment of other little tropical fish!  What a wonderful day!

Gorgeous Fall Day on Maui!

What a gorgeous day on Maui today!  Not only is the weather perfect, but the water is clear and so warm.  I paddled down towards the boat ramp, and ran into a paddling friend, so we paddled down to the boat ramp together.  On the way she told me that I missed dolphins again yesterday!  I didn’t paddle yesterday so I guess she got to paddle with a pod of dolphins all the way down to Cove Park….. oh well, I am going to be with the dolphins one of these days, I just know it.  Down at the boat ramp we saw so many turtles all around that I lost count!  My friend said it was 9 of them.  Only one of them was really friendly, popping its head up while I talked to it!  Then we ran into another paddling friend and chatted a bit.  On the way back, paddling was still perfect and calm, and my friend spotted a manta ray zipping by!  I whipped my board around and tried to follow it, but it was too fast.  The conditions stayed really perfect all the way through my swim, and it was still really nice when I left.  Some days are just like that, and when they are, it’s hard to leave the beach!

The morning started out a bit breezy from the North, but as I headed South, it just stopped.  By the time I paddled down to the boat ramp, the ocean had become nice and glassy.  I was the only person at the boat ramp and I decided to just sit for a while and enjoy the surroundings.  All of a sudden three turtles popped up in front of me and then I looked around and three more turtles were behind me.  I was surrounded again!  I just hung out with them for a few minutes, until one by one, they disappeared.  I was thinking about how perfect it all was while I started to paddle back, and then, before I knew it, two more turtles popped up to say hi.  It was quite a turtle day!  The clouds parted by then, and the sun was shining and paddling back was perfect.  By the time I came in, the wind had started to pick up again.  My swim was nice too and a large Ulua fish passed me by on my way back!  I never know what I am going to see, every day is different.  Stay tuned…..

It was just one of those days.  It started out a bit breezy and then the wind just stopped,  and the  ocean turned into a sea of glass!  Perfect paddling conditions!  I encountered my first turtle right out in front of Kam I.  It was a fairly large turtle and it circled me and then surfaced  twice to get a good look at me!  I just sat on my board watching this turtle swim under my board a couple of times and then it swam on.  I headed south towards the boat ramp and when I was passing Kam III, I spotted another turtle!  Down at the boat ramp it was really calm, and I got to visit with two more turtles there.  Paddling back was just as nice and I paddled out to the quiet zone to sit for a bit.  It was so nice out on the ocean that it was difficult to paddle in!  I was lucky enough to get in a nice swim while the conditions were ideal too.  Great day!

Wow, this morning was as beautiful as yesterday with just a nice breeze blowing on shore to keep things cool.  The day was sunny with just a few patchy clouds and the water clarity was much improved.  I paddled down to the boat ramp in smooth, glassy conditions! When I arrived, I was the only paddler there, but I saw no turtles at first.  Suddenly I spotted one out a bit farther so I paddled out.  It was a small turtle, but friendly.  Then another turtle surfaced to my right, this one much larger.  It swam right to me and then surfaced as it blew out water, and sprayed me!  I’m not sure I wanted that since I think it’s like a human blowing their nose….. yuck.  Anyway it stuck around for a few minutes and then disappeared.  I sat on my board just enjoying the calm water, and then headed home.  As I passed Kam II, another large turtle surfaced and swam past me!  The conditions stayed really nice for the trip back but after I tied my board on top of my car, the wind came up in a fury.  It was, for sure, a rough water swim, but at least the water was clear and I could see the bottom!  It’s all good!

The south swell has mostly disappeared and today was a gorgeous morning!  The water clarity is still messed up due to lingering currents, but the paddling conditions were ideal.  I paddled down to the boat ramp and it was so quiet without a boat or jet ski in sight!  The ocean was so calm and glassy and the water down there was really clear.  I wished I had brought my mask and snorkel… maybe tomorrow.  I sat there on my board just enjoying the quiet for a few minutes, and suddenly two turtles appeared!  They were smaller, so they must have been youngsters.  They stayed with me for a few minutes and then dove down.  I turned my board around to start my paddle back, and then two more turtles popped up!  Before I knew it two more turtles popped up and that was a total of six turtles for today.  The water was clear so I could see them swimming down under me too!  I enjoyed paddling back and stopped at the quiet zone to sit and take it all in.  Ahhhh…. what a nice day!

Lovely September Sunset!

We enjoyed a beautiful Maui Sunset this evening, so I just had to share it with everyone!  Back to paddling tomorrow, stay tuned!

This morning started out much like the last couple of mornings with a breeze from the North.  I paddled into the wind for a while, and then made the turn to paddle south.  Just about the time I turned to paddle with the wind, the wind stopped.  Conditions got very calm and nice and paddling down to the boat ramp was a joy.  When I arrived there, I was almost immediately greeted by three turtles!  I hung out with them for a few minutes and then started to paddle back.  Suddenly a large turtle appeared to greet me and just as I was really enjoying our visit, a boat zoomed into the boat ramp and the turtle disappeared!  I ended up having to maneuver over the wake swells the boat created, and never saw the large turtle again.  I really hate when that happens!  **** boats!  Oh well, paddling back was very enjoyable too and the water has really cleared up.  Yay!

Perfect day at the beach!

With Lanai showing in the distance in this photo I took this morning, you can see what a perfect day it was for the beach!  Just a breeze blowing from the North and calm conditions.  I enjoyed paddling down to the boat ramp, and when I got there I didn’t see any turtles.  I decided to hang around for a while since it was so nice.  All of a sudden, four turtles popped up all around me, at about the same time!  They were like jack in the boxes….. pop, pop, pop and pop!  Two were big turtles and two of them much smaller.  Then turtle #5 popped up over to my right side.  Another guy was paddling over and he asked me “Are you the turtle whisperer?” so I said, “what?”  He told me that this was the third time he had been down here when I was paddling and all three times I was surrounded by turtles!  It was so funny, and when I started to paddle back, turtle # 6 and 7, surfaced just to say hello.  What a day!