wildwahinepaddler

Just wow!  It was a gorgeous day!   So perfect  I paddled down to  the boat ramp and a line of three turtles was waiting for me!  It was so glassy.  Then two more turtles surfaced and they were all ready for the camera!  On my way back….. a big turtle surfaced outside of Kam 3 and begged me to hang out.  Of course I did!  That turtle posed too!  It was a great turtle day and the conditions stayed nice all the way back too.  Just as I went out swimming, the wind came up.  It was a bumpy swim but I swam north into the wind and let the chop toss me around on the way back.  What a great day out on and in the water!  I’d like a few more of these days……

Early this morning the ocean looked like a lake…. By 8:30 a.m. it was a different story.   The wind started blowing ferociously from the south.  It looked like paddling might be out for today so my plan was to at least swim.  When I got back down to the beach it was 10:00 a.m. and several paddling friends were coming in from paddling looking exhausted!  They all said how windy and choppy the conditions were and all of a sudden…… the wind backed off.  It was perfect!  I decided that I would not go far based on the earlier wind reports.  Just as I took off paddling…..  a turtle showed up swimming north right outside of Kam 1!  I turned north and paddled with the turtle.  It stayed right next to me and surfaced a couple of times so I was able to get a couple of photos.  Since it was already a bit late….. I left the turtle and paddled south.  I got down to Kam 3 and turned around.  It was still so nice!  I paddled north as far as Charley Young Beach and turned around.  On my way in …… A turtle swam by and three tourists on rented boards squealed with glee!  It was still so perfect!  It stayed perfect all the way through my swim too!  The water is still pretty clear.  I left at noon and it was just a little windy but not blown out yet as it was forecast to be.  I really got lucky!  It was a beautiful day……even for paddling!

It was another nice day!  It wasn’t quite as perfect as yesterday but it was pretty darn nice.  The water wasn’t as calm as yesterday either and there was wind blowing from the south.  I headed south into the wind.  I paddled down into Kam 3 and it was bumpy!  Then I noticed a few white caps forming and turned around.  The wind gave me a push back and just when I reached Kam 1…… The wind backed off!  Figures!   Swimming was nice too…… I was swimming south when I crossed paths with a turtle!  I quickly turned around and swam north with it.  It was pretty friendly swimming under me and to my side.   It came up once right under me looking for some attention!  Then after a while the turtle headed out to sea and I turned around and swam back.  It was just in time for wind to kick back up!  Swimming with the turtle made my day!

Just wow!!!!   What an incredible day out on the ocean!   The conditions were perfect.  Blue skies and a gentle breeze keeping it cool…. I could not have ordered a nicer day!  And no vog!  I enjoyed perfect paddling all the way down to the bost ramp with the first turtle bobbing on the surface at Kam 3.  I stopped to visit and lazily hang out with it.  Then I continued down to the bost ramp where three turtles were awaiting me!  Not one, but two boats were already there but the turtles didn’t seem to mind.  I sat  between turtles….. Turtle triangles….. And was surrounded by five and six turtles at a time!  Turtles were everywhere today!  I counted a dozen turtles at the bost ramp plus the one at Kam 3 making the total number of  turtles for today thirteen!  I really hoped for a turtle day and they sure delivered!  It was so nice at the boat ramp.  Finally the two boats left and it was just me and the turtles!  I was just hanging out with turtles all around me when a third boat showed up with snorkelers.  The guide swam over to where I was with a few of his snorkelers and said “oh sorry for interrupting your sanctuary with your turtles”….. Yeah and they were definitely interfering.  I decided to bid farewell to my turtle buddies and paddle back before the wind came up.  It was just as perfect paddling back and I hated to go in!  Amazingly…. the wind still hadn’t come in when I went for my swim.  The water was so clear!  I swam down to the reef and watched Yellow Tangs scavenging on the reef and quite a few Unicorn fish swimming around.  It was so perfect!  I swam back and the wind still had not come in.  It was noon before any wind started to blow!  What a perfect day!

It was a besutiful day but rather stormy.  I could see it was raining out over Kahoolawe and there was wind blowing from the south.  The water was very choppy!  I decided to go out paddling anyway.  I headed south into the wind and it was really pushing against me!  I got down into Kam 2 and decided to turn around.  Going north I was sailing!  I paddled down to Charley Young Beach and turned south again.  The wind was really pushing against me!  The sun wasn’t out either so that made for a dark ocean.  I decided to practice some paddling sprints and it was fun paddling into the wind and sailing over the bumps!  It was a lot of work but I didn’t mind.  After I went in….. The wind backed off a little and the sun tried to come out.  It stayed calmer for my swim but the visibility in the water wasn’t very good down at the reef.  It was a refreshing swim though!  I hope these conditions don’t last very long ….. I would really like a perfect day!

Just wow!  It was a beautiful day!  There was a breeze blowing from the south…..but the forecast was for wind from the north west.  It was so nice out on the water but I kept wondering when the wind would shift.  I headed south and paddled down into Kam 3.  Kam 3 had red flags up but I wasn’t sure why.  I turned and headed north.  It was still SO nice!  I didn’t trust the wind after how windy it got yesterday.  I went in and went for my swim.  The wind still hadn’t changed!  The water visibility was much better than yesterday but still cloudy down at the reef.  By the time I left the beach….. The wind still had not changed!  I hope it does change, though, because the south winds bring over the vog.  It has been so nice without the vog lately!

Finally a little break in the wind!  The wind came and went most of the morning with some short breaks.  I got down to the beach a little late and almost decided to just swim.  I watched the water for a few minutes and observed the white caps farther out…. and decided to go out on my board.  I headed north and paddled down to the end of Kam 1….. It was beautiful!  Then I turned and paddled south down to the end of Kam 2 and it was still nice.  I was amazed at how perfect the wster was…….but those white caps were still out there just waiting!  I paddled for about forty-five minutes and then headed in.   Not ten minutes later the white caps roared in and it was a wild sea of white caps!  I managed to get my board strapped up on my racks and then went swimming.  It was wild out there!  I swam north into the wind and chop for awhile and then turned around and let it toss me around all the way back to Kam 1!  I’m so glad I went out…… I hope there is a break tomorrow!

It has been SO windy but I refuse to complain!   There has been no vog for days so I have no problem with the wind as long as it’s blowing the vog away.  It’s been great being able to see the island of Kahoolawe!  It was too windy for paddling but swimming has been great!  Today I had decided to swim north into the wind but a passing turtle changed that!  It was a beautiful healthy female cruising near the bottom and she was heading south.  I swam with her down to the reef and she took me to the turtle haven!  The water was a little kicked up by the wind….. But another big female was there waiting!  I swam with the turtles as they each came looking for some attention!  There three of us were tossed around by the surge but we had fun!  Then the turtles parted ways and I headed north with the big turtle.  I am so glad that turtle took me to the turtle haven!  It made my day!