wildwahinepaddler

So nice….then windy!

I was out on my board before 9:00 a.m. and it was calm so I was planning to head down to the boat ramp.  Then I ran into a paddling friend who reported seeing a pod of dolphins out from Cove Park traveling north!  We headed out in hopes that the dolphins would turn and  swim in our direction.  We got as far as Cove Park and not a dolphin was in sight!  By then, the wind had picked up and there were some rolling swells coming through….. so we headed south.  I paddled by myself down to the end of Kam II and then turned around because the wind was getting stronger.  I paddled in and by the time I went for my swim….the wind backed off and it was perfect!  It was very nice for swimming…… much nicer than when I was paddling earlier!   I didn’t see a single turtle today either.  It sure was beautiful though!

BUMPY RIDE!

Well, unlike the last couple of days, the day started out windy and stayed windy!  It was an hour of paddling in windy, choppy conditions!  It was also a bit overcast and that didn’t help.  The wind was blowing from the south so I paddled into it down to the end of Kam II and then turned around and paddled north down to Kalama Park.  There was a current pushing from the north and bumpy swells were constant.  I saw one turtle cruising by but not much else!  In fact, it was impossible to stop and just enjoy today because the wind was trying to turn me in circles.  It is always good to get out on the ocean…..but today was just one of those paddling frenzy days!  It was the same for my swim…..lots of wind and bumps…..

Choppy!

But suddenly when I was getting ready to leave the beach……the wind backed off and it was perfect at noon!   Go figure!

Now it’s perfect?

My visitor

Holy Moly Maui!  It started out perfect and stayed perfect today!  Another great day for paddling.  I headed straight down to the boat ramp and when I got there, I was the only one there.  It was so beautiful and calm and before I knew it, seven turtles had surfaced at different times!  Then three turtles surfaced and I was sitting in a turtle triangle!

I caught two turtles surfacing at the same time!

A few minutes later there was another turtle triangle and I managed to get this photo of TWO turtles surfacing at the same time!  There were three turtles in this group though.  That was a total of thirteen turtles for the day!  I was thoroughly enjoying such a perfect day out on the ocean!  It stayed just as nice for the paddle back too.  As I was passing Kam II, I ran into two paddling friends.  We paddled back together.  The conditions stayed calm all the way through my swim too!  The wind didn’t really start to blow in until almost 1:00 p.m. so that was great!  I hope tomorrow is just as nice…….:)

Perfection!

Nice day!

What a strange morning.  It was overcast and windy but I went to the beach anyway and the ocean wasn’t calm.  The wind was blowing from the south so I headed down to the boat ramp.  On the way, I ran into a paddling friend so we paddled together against the wind.  About the time we were passing Kam III, the wind started to back off and the sun started to creep out and it got beautiful!  We sat at the boat ramp and chatted but only saw two turtles today.  One was lazily hanging out on a coral shelf down below and the other one surprised us out of nowhere!  It came zooming by, it popped up a couple of times for air, and then it was gone!  Those were the turtles for the day but I guess that was better than none.  It stayed so calm and nice on the way back and all the way through my swim!  It wasn’t as clear at the reef as usual but I saw some fish and swam back.  The wind stayed out pretty much and other people left the beach.  It was still so nice and I was almost by myself!  The wind just started to come up when I left.  The day started of iffy…..but I’m sure glad I stuck with it because it ended up perfect!  I hope I see more turtles tomorrow though…….

First turtle of the day!!

The wind was already blowing from the south when I arrived at the beach, but I went out anyway and I’m sure glad I did!  As soon as I started to pass Kam II…..the wind completely backed off and it was so glassy!  It was perfect conditions paddling down to the boat ramp and when I got there, I was the only person there.  As I paddled up, two turtles surfaced so I sat happily in between them!  The turtles kept surfacing and twice I was surrounded by several turtles.  I saw the turtle “Lizard” and also “Bumpy” today!

Good morning!

Before I knew it, I had counted twenty turtles!  I was in turtle heaven for sure!  Then the scuba boat that spins around when it comes in……zoomed in and mucked up my little turtle heaven!  That boat is so annoying……

Loving my honu!

After that, the turtles seemed to disappear……..probably hiding!  Then I headed back to Kam I and the wind cooperated all the way through my swim!  What a beautiful day!

Another perfect day!

Today started out with some wind blowing from the south.  I didn’t mind because it was keeping me cool, but I was hoping that the wind wouldn’t get any stronger.  I headed to the boat ramp and paddled into the wind.  When I arrived at the boat ramp…….two other paddlers were there as well as three snorkelers.  I spotted my first turtle out farther so I paddled out to it.  The two women on stand up boards were more interested in talking and didn’t seem to notice the turtle.  The snorkelers were bugging me because they were diving down after the turtles…….but I still got twelve turtles today!  The wind totally backed off and it was glassy just like yesterday.  I sat between turtles and had them floating next to my board…..I even saw “Spot” today!

Fishing trash

Then I spotted this red and white thing bobbing on the surface so I paddled over  and scooped it up.  I hate these things!  It’s a fishing float with a hook attached to the line and it even had bait on it!  I always keep a look out for these things because once I pulled three of these off of a turtles fin and I know they could be swallowed!  The thought of a choking turtle doesn’t appeal to me.

My buddy

This was my morning buddy………and thankfully not afraid of the snorkelers!  I got some good photos today too.  It was so beautiful!  On my way paddling back, I ran into a paddling friend and stopped to chat for a few minutes.  Then I hurried back to get my swim in!  The wind stayed out and I had a great swim in calm clear water.  The wind didn’t really come up until noon today……that’s more like it!  I hope it’s nice again tomorrow……