wildwahinepaddler

Hey buddy!

Wow…..that was a long stretch to go without paddling…..nine days!  Just when I was getting several perfect turtle days in a row, another south swell rolled in with surge and high tides.  I’m not sure I have ever seen the red flags up for so many consecutive days!  The tide was coming in so there was some shore break, but I waited and went out.  It was a beautiful day!  The ocean not as calm as I like it, but at least I was finally out there!  I paddled south down to Kam III and turned around.  Paddling north I ran into two paddling friends so we chatted briefly and then turned and paddled south again.  Suddenly I saw a turtle and yelled, “It’s a buddy!”  and turned around and paddled with it all the way down to Kam I.  It surfaced twice and I caught a photo of it!  That turtle made my day.  I decided to head in an go for my swim.  The water visibility isn’t very good because of the swell, but I was able to see the bottom.  I was happy to see little fish swimming beneath me!  The wind never came up and people were still out paddling at noon.  I hope it’s nice tomorrow!  That was way too many days to be out of the ocean…….

Happy just to be out!

morning visitor!

I think I must be dreaming……..sixteen turtles again today!  Perfect paddling with just a breeze blowing from the south.  I couldn’t wait to get down to the boat ramp and see my turtles!  They didn’t disappoint me either…….I hadn’t been there ten minutes when I was surrounded by five turtles!  There was a kayak there with a man and woman on it too and they got surrounded too.  Both of us were just sitting in the middle of a turtle fest!  Another guy on a paddle board came over to see the turtles. He was visiting from San Jose, CA and he yelled, “Hey are those your turtles?” so I said, “Yup!”,  and then he said, “Do you just have them out for a walk?’, and I said, “Yup!”……then he said “I love it!”  Just about the time he said that, the turtle pictured above, popped up for a photo!  I got to sit in a turtle line of four turtles; I sat in between multiple turtles; and was surrounded by a group of turtles!  It certainly was a turtle day!

Hello there!

It was so perfect down at the boat ramp!  I paddled back in nice conditions, but the wind started to come up as I was loading my board onto my racks.  It got somewhat overcast too and that made the water visibility not as good but I still had a refreshing swim!  I hope these conditions last!

Surprise!

Unbelievable……THREE DAYS OF PERFECT PADDLING AND TURTLES!!!  I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming!  Today I had sixteen turtles come visit me, even several smaller younger turtles who were very inquisitive.  Two of them seemed to be hanging out together, although I have heard that turtles are solitary creatures, they sure seemed to be buddies!

Two buddies!

They took turns popping up and checking me out!  It was so perfect down at the boat ramp!  I just wanted to stay there indefinitely!  The last turtle played hide and seek, by popping up on one side of my board and then diving under me and popping up on the other side of me!  It was hard to get a photo of that.  I paddled back in perfect conditions and swam in perfect conditions too.  I saw quite a few small colorful tropical fish, some I don’t usually see down there too.  Maybe the new exposed reef and rocks have something they like to eat on them.  I wonder if it will be four perfect paddling days tomorrow?  We’ll see………I can’t wait!

Well Good morning!

I can’t believe it was another perfect day today!  It seems odd to be excited to have two incredibly nice days in a row living on Maui, but this year has been so strange.  I paddled straight down to the boat ramp.  I was surprised to be the only paddler there since it is a Saturday, but I got lucky!  Boy did I get lucky!  I topped yesterdays turtle number by one with eighteen turtles.  The turtle above popped up right next to me!  I sat in between turtles and I was surrounded by four turtles one time, and five turtles another time!  The turtles just kept popping up!  The conditions were so nice down at the boat ramp that I didn’t want to leave.  I paddled back in perfect conditions and got in a perfect swim!  I saw a huge Ulua fish which is not very common and a lot of little tropical fish too.  The water is so warm!  I hope tomorrow is just as perfect!

Hi there!

What a spectacular day!  It was after 9:00 a.m. by the time I got out but was it worth it!  It was just a beautiful day!  I headed straight down to the boat ramp.  When I arrived, there were three people snorkeling and then five turtles surfaced about the same time all around me!  This turtle (photo above) almost climbed right on my board!  You can see how close it was to me.  I am so happy the photo came out!  It hung around for a few minutes and then several other turtles popped up too.  I got some nice photos today!  I got to sit between turtles and I loved getting surrounded!  I counted seventeen turtles for today!  I haven’t had a “turtle day” in a while so I was more than excited.  The conditions were perfect and the wind light, so it was a joy to be out on the ocean today!  I paddled back in nice conditions and swam in nice conditions too!  The water must be 82 degrees!  It’s so warm.  I got down to the reef finally and the visibility is clearing up nicely.  I actually saw a lot of fish…..even a school of maybe hundreds of little silver fish!  The ocean bottom has changed since all the surge and I saw reefs and rocks that I don’t usually see, along with some deeper holes around some of the rocks.  The ocean surge can be strong!   It was such a beautiful day that I didn’t want to leave……I hope tomorrow is just as nice!

Turtle day!

So we continue to have weird weather and ocean conditions.  This morning started out really nice, then it rained twice….. and then the day ended with a beautiful sunset and  calm glassy ocean…. I almost ran home to get my board because it was so nice!  Maybe tomorrow…….

Nice!

Back out there!

I hadn’t been out paddling since last Sunday.  I can’t believe how many swells, high tides, and wind we have had lately.  I’ve been paddling for over five years and this is the first time there has been so much fluctuation in the ocean conditions!  The high tides and surge has carved a hill in the sand where I go out paddling……and further down the beach, the surge created a sand cliff!  I hope no one thinks that is a good shady place to put out their beach chairs because I think it could collapse at any time!  It was even windy this morning and I got down pretty early around 8:00 a.m.  The ocean was definitely not calm but the surge had backed off……not gone….just backed off.  I headed out and decided to paddle north against the wind.  I got down to Cove Park and turned around.  I paddled south towards Kam 2 and then suddenly the wind backed off and it got very nice!  I ran into a paddling friend who had just come out and we debated whether to venture down to the boat ramp.  The wind was very unpredictable and we could see some stronger surge coming in down at Kam 3…… so we decided to paddle north.  We got down almost to Kalama Park, but I wanted to turn around.  The swell is definitely not gone either with waves breaking at Kalama Park!  It was nice conditions paddling down to Kam 2 and I really wanted to keep going, but before we knew it the wind came up and brought some white caps with it this time.  The wind got stronger so we both decided to call it a day.  I had to ride in on some surge and hurry up the sand hill, which wasn’t very easy in the wind!  I managed to get my board rinsed off and hoisted up on my racks during a five minute break in the wind.  Some clouds moved in and the conditions got very bumpy, but I went swimming anyway.  The visibility isn’t good either, but it felt good to swim!  I found a stretch of water that was clear down by the reef and wanted to just stay there!  Swimming back was work!  I sure hope the conditions improve soon because I really miss my turtles!

Nice day!

It was a nice day except for some wind.  Paddling was pretty nice ….. although not smooth.  I was late getting out so I decided to stay closer to home base.  I paddled north and then turned south and headed down to Kam 2.  At Kam 2 ….I could see red flags…..but none at Kam I.  About the time I turned back, the wind came up stronger and trying to get in was a challenge!  A swell had rolled in with the high tide and there was surge at the shore line.  I sat just out from where it was breaking trying to figure out when to paddle my butt off to get in!  Finally I got my chance.  I paddled like crazy and jumped off still running to get into shore……and the surge was trying to pull me back into the next breaking wave!   Thank goodness I got in.  It wasn’t long after I got in that the lifeguards posted the red flags at Kam I  (thanks guys!).  Luckily the wind backed off for five minutes so I could hoist my board up onto my racks.  The water visibility was zero so I decided to forgo my swim!  I really hate when that happens.  Anyway, it was still a beautiful day despite the conditions!  I hope this swell doesn’t last very long and the water clears up.  I missed my swim!

I got out so late today!  I slept a full hour while my alarm was going off so I wasn’t sure I would get out today.  My husband went down to the beach and text me that it was nice, so I got my rear in gear and headed down!  It was nearly ten o’clock by the time I went out!  The wind was already blowing so I paddled into it.  Down at Kalama Park I got one photo and it ended up a bit fuzzy, but at least I saw one turtle there and one out from Kam I.  Any turtles are better than no turtles I always say! 

Heading north!

The wind continued to blow from the north, so I turned around and paddled south.  I got down to Kam 2 and then I started to see some white caps, so I turned around.  Just before I paddled in…..a turtle surprised me, swimming by me, so I turned north and paddled with it for a while!  I got in before it got completely blown out and most of my swim was okay until the end, when the wind picked up strength.  It still is not clear down by the reef so I didn’t stay very long there.  It was quite a beautiful day…..with a hint of Fall in the air.  Maui no ke oi!