wildwahinepaddler

We finally made it to Cancun!  I sure miss paddling and I don’t know if there are any places to rent a stand up board.  If not, it will be swimming, snorkeling, walking, horseback riding and may be kayaking for me!  I can’t wait to explore caves and swim in cenotes and visit all the Mayan ruins.  Maybe we will even take the ferry to the island of Cozumel for some great snorkeling.  When I get to take some photos of this beautiful place, I will post them.  Stay tuned.  Adios!

Yes, there was a group of dolphins hanging about, just out from Kam I.  Unfortunately, it happened just after I came in and had already put my board on my car.  It was nice to hear the excitement in the voice of one of my paddling friends, who was one of the paddlers who got to experience the dolphins.  It reminded me of how incredibly excited I was last Summer when I had the ultimate dolphin encounter.  Finding myself in the middle of a pod of about 30 – 40 dolphins, I paddled with them surrounding me for about 20 minutes!  I can still see their eyes looking into mine as they swam right next to my board, splashing and making little sounds.  It was an amazing experience and I look forward to my next dolphin encounter!  I did find 4 turtles at the boat ramp, and another paddler and I hung out with them for about 15 minutes.  Every paddling adventure is joy like no other!

Perfect day for an amazing paddling adventure!

Beautiful conditions for paddling and swimming today.  It was a nice paddle down to the boat ramp, but today I had to share the turtles with three tourist snorkelers!  The snorkelers and I hung with six or seven turtles down there and it was exciting.  As usual the smaller, youngster turtles were very friendly and inquisitive, and the older larger turtles were more interested in whatever they were doing under the water!  There were  three youngsters, and four adults, all hanging in the same spot.  The snorkelers were ecstatic and they panicked a little when the youngsters swam right in front of them, but I love it when they get really close!  I find it so amazing that I want to reach out and touch them.  After about 15 minutes, the turtle group began to separate and swim away.  I always wonder what they are doing down there.  On my way back, I paddled out further and stayed in the quiet zone.  It was so amazingly peaceful!

Actually, even seeing one turtle is a treat, but seeing two turtles this morning made my day!  The day started out with a northerly wind which gave me a boost paddling down to the boat ramp.  The sky started out overcast which made the ocean look dark, instead of blue.  That always makes paddling out there seem a bit eery!  As I paddled into Kam II, I spied a turtle floating on the surface, and sat down on my board to take a look.  I tried not to make any sudden moves because I didn’t want to scare it away.  The turtle was swimming in my direction, so I just sat there watching it.  Soon it swam to the side of my board and popped it’s head up and looked at me!  I didn’t move.  Then it swam to the back of my board,  again popped it’s head up, looked at me, and then swam away!  I guess it was just checking me out.  Down at the boat ramp I ran across another turtle, it was a big one.  I was just going to paddle past it, but it popped it’s head out of the water, took one look at me, and dove down and disappeared!  On my way back, I stopped at the quiet zone and appreciated the solitude, and felt grateful for such a wonderful day.

Just a glorious day for paddling on Easter morning!  While others may have been at Easter Services or Easter brunch, it seemed that I had the whole ocean to myself.  It was totally calm and glassy and the water is clearing up nicely.  Down by the boat ramp, the water was crystal clear and I enjoyed looking at the rocks and coral.  Suddenly I realized that one of those rocks was a turtle!  I watched as it vigorously chomped at something on one of the rocks, it must have been a pretty tasty treat!  After doing some meditating in the quiet zone, I headed back.  What a great day to be out on the ocean! Then, while I was getting ready to wash down my board, I was chatting with a paddling friend, and she told me to look out.  On my board was a BIG praying mantis!  It had crawled out from a near by bush onto my board and it was busy investigating my board by climbing all over  the leash.  It was so funny to encounter a praying mantis for Easter!

It was a perfect Maui day today with great conditions for paddling.  The view of the mountain was clear with just a sprinkling of clouds overhead, and Lanai getting more visible by the day.  I searched for sea creatures, but did not see even one!  That was okay because I ran into a paddling friend who showed me something new she had put on her paddle.  It was a blade that attaches to the handle of the paddle, and she was able to also “kayak”!  It was neat looking and so we traded paddles for awhile.  What a work out!  It added a whole new dimension to the paddling experience and worked my arms and abdomen in a whole different way.  I hope to get more information about this new blade soon because the person who is making them apparently lives on Maui.  Stay tuned!

So glad to get back into the ocean today!  After hearing about how one of my paddling friends got tossed in the shore break yesterday, I was glad I waited until things got back to “almost” perfect.  Almost, because the water clarity is still kicked up and here on Maui we like our water to be perfectly clear!  I guess we are spoiled.  Great conditions for paddling though, and outside of Kam II,  I did see one turtle, but it was a brief visit and it dove down and disappeared.  While out in the quiet zone, a poem came to me, so here it is:    Mother Ocean,  please let me go to my place, where I am calmed, my soul fed, and there is a smile on my face!  It’s okay if you think it’s corny, but I am sharing it anyway.

I finally broke down and put racks on my Prius. This ends the “tying my board on top of my car” era.   It will be so much easier to handle my board and it won’t rain in my car anymore!

New racks on my Prius!