wildwahinepaddler

THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THURSDAY.

* SURF…SURF ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES WILL BE 6 TO 8 FEET WITH LOCALLY HIGHER SETS THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

* TIMING…SURF HEIGHTS WILL PEAK WEDNESDAY NIGHT…BEFORE GRADUALLY DECLINING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A HIGH SURF ADVISORY MEANS THAT HIGH SURF WILL AFFECT BEACHES IN THE ADVISORY AREA…PRODUCING LARGE BREAKING WAVES…HAZARDOUS RIP CURRENTS AND LOCALIZED BEACH EROSION.

Looks like it might be the weekend before I can paddle again.  Hopefully my head cold will be gone by then too!

Just got this message from the weather channel alerts:

…HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM WEDNESDAY TO 6 AM HST THURSDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A HIGH SURF ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM WEDNESDAY TO 6 AM HST THURSDAY.

* SURF…SURF ALONG EAST FACING SHORES WILL BE 6 TO 9 FEET.

* TIMING…SURF WILL BUILD TONIGHT AND PEAK WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AT ADVISORY LEVELS BEFORE GRADUALLY DECLINING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

* IMPACTS…SURF ALONG COASTLINES CAN GENERATE HAZARDOUS RIP CURRENTS.

Well…. I wonder if I will be paddling?  Stay tuned!

I copied this from the Sierra Club to share with you:

It’s time to restore and protect the Gulf Coast to give affected communities the support they need and prevent future, catastrophic, oil disasters.

It’s time to end the dangerous and deadly addiction to oil that led to the BP disaster and continues to fuel expanded offshore drilling.

And it’s time to end the billions in taxpayer handouts to Big Oil companies and start holding the industry accountable for the destruction it causes.

Please stand with the Sierra Club and advocate for protection of our environment, especially the vulnerable ocean and sea creatures we love so much!!!

It was another beautiful day for paddling, with somewhat breezy conditions.  As  I paddled into Kam II,  I heard a noise that I recognized, construction!  Not what I want to hear out on the water so I paddled out further until I reached  the “quiet zone.”  When I arrived at the quiet zone, so had a fairly large Manta Ray.  I sat in the quiet and just watched that magnificent creature fluttering along,  it seemed to be out there all by itself.  I wondered where it was headed, but decided not to intrude on it’s journey.   I was content sitting all by myself in the quiet zone, yes,  it’s a good place to be!  On my way back I noticed the interesting clouds.   They looked like shreds of cotton candy draped over the mountain.  Then,  out further I was happy  to see the Island of Lanai again and I was happy  the trade winds were doing their job!

Gorgeous morning for paddling!  Even though the water visibility was  still kicked up, the ocean was smooth as glass.  Even the island of Lanai was more visible today, although the mountain was covered in a haze.  I’ll be glad when the Vog moves away from us completely.  I saw no sea creatures today, so they must have slept in!  When I got back to Kam I, I looked down and thought I could see the ocean bottom but on second glance I realized it was the reflection of the clouds on the smooth water!  It was that glassy and nice!

Gorgeous morning for paddling!

I got my turtle “fix” right out in front of Kam I today! The first ten minutes of my paddle were spent hanging out with the turtle and so worth it.  Very mellow conditions prevailed and ideal for an ocean meditation.  The work out was great too, but the sheer enjoyment far outweighed the work out!  The Vog is still with us, but I am hoping it will clear out in the next few days so we will be able to actually see the island of Lanai again.  Stay tuned!

The weather channel said 7 mile per hour winds today, but I disagree!  This was one of those days when the conditions were windy and choppy and mother ocean really made you work.  It’s also not easy to see turtles or anything else when it is like that!  The prior few days of Kona winds that brought the vog south are now being challenged by a north wind that has blown it right back over us.  Lanai is hidden in a shroud of vog and Maui has a blanket of vog too.  Hopefully the north wind will prevail and blow it all away by tomorrow.   Stay tuned!

Wow, what a mellow morning.  No wind blowing and conditions were calm out on the water,  just how I like it!  Outside of Kam II,  I came across a medium size turtle but as soon as it popped it’s head up and looked at me, it disappeared.  I guess it wasn’t in the mood for company!  On my way back I was marveling at how beautiful it was,  looking towards shore.  The clouds looked like cotton balls sitting on top of the mountain and the solitude was hypnotic.  The only thing I heard was the shriek of an Egret which was on shore.  They are so loud!

Another beautiful day on Maui for paddling!  A Kona wind was blowing which brought in some vog from the Big Island, and almost made the island of Lanai disappear.  Paddling against the wind going out gave me a good workout.  Down by Kam III I saw a baby turtle!  It’s shell was about 12 inches in diameter, and it had a little head that kept popping out of the water. I immediately stopped paddling and sat down on my board and it came right over to me, it was so friendly!   I have never seen such a little turtle swimming out in the ocean all by itself!  I worried that it looked kinda “bite size”.  I sure hope it survives!  Here is something I copied from the Sierra Club about turtles:

Why Sea Turtles Need Solar Panels
Sea turtles have thrived in the world’s oceans for millions of years, but every single species is currently endangered. That makes it doubly tragic that, nearly a year after the BP oil disaster, sea turtles are dying in record numbers in the Gulf of Mexico. Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune blogs about how clean-energy sources like wind and solar can help wild creatures like sea turtles — and points us to an action we can take right now to keep some leatherback sea turtles from losing their nesting sites.

The morning was just beautiful.  A bit of a swell is still with us and visibility in the water is not good, but 0ut on the water it was very smooth with hardly a breeze blowing.  It seemed like perfect paddling conditions.  But when I was passing Kam II, out of nowhere I paddled over quite a large swell!  Then another, and another!  Then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.  I looked around for any other paddlers, but the only ones I could see were not near where I was.  I continued on to Kam III where I saw a turtle briefly, then encountered another set of swells, luckily not as big as the last ones.  It was so odd, and no wind was blowing.  When I got back I heard there was another earthquake in Japan yesterday.  I wonder if the strange currents and pitching swells were related to that?  It was kind of freaky!