wildwahinepaddler

I can’t believe it!   So far….. Paddling four straight days in nice conditions!  What a treat.  Down at the boat ramp I saw one turtle and that was it but it was beautiful there today.  Backing up…… As I was paddling past the point between  Kam 1 & 2….. A couple of paddling friends cruised up to me and said they had seen a ten foot Tiger shark over closer to the rocks trying to eat a lei that was floating in the water!  Well… that didn’t stop me from going to the boat ramp.  I didn’t see any sharks myself but on my way back…… I saw the lifeguards out on the jet ski patrolling the shore at Kam 1.  The beach stayed open so they must not have seen anything either.  Nice conditions for swimming too!  I headed in the direction of the reef but definitely more cautious.  There were only fish at the reef thank goodness!  It was just another super nice day.  I could definitely get used to this!  I’m glad to have my board back too.  The people at DingKing did a nice job fixing it up……

I can’t believe we’ve had three nice days in a row!  I mean….. It’s always nice on Maui but the last three days have been exceptionally nice.  I watched the Hawaii News Now weather report last evening and the last thing I heard was “you’re going to wake up to blue skies tomorrow”….. and that was exactly right!  There was some wind blowing from the south but I didn’t care.  I paddled down to the boat ramp against the wind….. But I told myself the wind would push me back….wrong!  On the way back the wind backed off and it was SO hot!  Well, first thing first…… Just as I was entering into Kam 2, I noticed a turtle swimming beneath  my board.  I followed it for a few minutes but the turtle didn’t seem to be surfacing.  I continued on to the boat ramp.   It was very nice down there but I got there early and already five people on stand up boards were there before me.  I waited around hoping for turtles ….. But I didn’t see a single one!  Two days of turtles and then poof…… No turtles!  Oh well,  it was still beautiful and I was happy to be out on the water.  Like I said……. the wind backed off on my way back and it got so hot!  I was imagining a cold water bottle right about then ….. as I was wiping major swear off my face. It was a good workout!  I was more than ready for a swim!  Swimming was great…. Nice conditions and fish fluttering about down at the reef.  There was still no wind and the day was getting hotter.  I finally had to leave!  I’m not complaining though……. It can be this way tomorrow too!

Another gorgeous day of perfect conditions and twelve turtles!  It was a bit windy initially so I paddled north and a turtle popped up just as I went out.  I followed it for a few minutes and then turned around and headed to the boat ramp.  It was nice at the boat ramp!  The turtles kept popping up until I had counted eleven!  That’s more than yesterday!  None of them came as close as yesterday either but I wasn’t disappointed.  I paddled back in nice conditions and it got so glassy!  I didn’t want to go in.  I stayed out for almost an hour and a half though!  Swimming was equally as nice with excellent visibility.  I wonder if tomorrow will be this nice too?  I hope so!

It was such a gorgeous day following the storm!  After several days of mixed conditions due to a west swell and then a tropical storm from the south …. I was ready for a nice day.  Today delivered just such a day and I was treated to ten lovely turtles too!  Down at the Boat Ramp I shared the turtles with an outrigger canoe with six people snorkeling  off of it.  The canoe was from the Wailea Canoe Club.  One of the guys got chatty with me and he was just as delighted with the turtles as I was!  He kept saying “oh there’s a turtle behind you!”….. And he was right they were all around me!  His passengers got a real treat today!  It was so nice down there I didn’t want to leave.  I paddled back in perfect conditions and during my swim too.  There was a flurry of activity down at the reef with lots of fish….. even baby Puffer fish!  Despite the stormy weather….the water visibility is excellent!  I left the beach about noon and it was still perfect.  Just one of those rare days when the wind didn’t roar in and it just stayed perfect!  I want more of this please!

So yesterday looked nice until a west swell kicked up and the lifeguards posted red flags for half the beach!  It was pushing south causing shore break down at the south end of Kam 1.  I decided to just free swim with no equipment.  The water felt great!  Today the swell seemed smaller but still some shore break intermittently.  I got prepared to go out on my board but then changed my mind and went swimming.  The visibility was really poor but the water felt great.  Apparently tropical storm Darby will also be passing by us tomorrow.  We might get rain but definitely wind and kicked up conditions.  Hopefully it won’t last long……

It was a bit windy this morning and they had burned some sugar cane.  The smell of smoke was in the air and black ashes were everywhere!  The wind was trying to blow it all out to sea but the clouds were mixing with the smoke creating some overcast skies.  I headed south and was determined to make it down to the boat ramp today!  At this point the wind was at my back.  When I arrived at the boat ramp…… there was a turtle waiting for me!  I had the place all to myself.  Before long another turtle surfaced and I was sitting in between them!  Then I turned around and four turtles had surfaced and I was in the middle!  Two more turtles joined us and then I was surrounded by six turtles!  Two other paddlers passed by us but didn’t stop.  Maybe they didn’t want to interfere!  Good call.  The  turtles continued to surface until I counted ten of them and then I decided to head back.  Just as I was about to pass into Kam 3…. four more turtles popped up!  I hung around until each one had disappeared.  Now the count was fourteen turtles!  I was ecstatic.  Its been and while since I had that many turtles in one morning.  The wind continued to blow but it never got blown out.  Then the wind backed off while I was swimming and I swam with a turtle down to the reef!  Now my count was fifteen turtles for the day.  What a lucky turtle day!