Alternate Universe

During a swim on the island of Lanai, Christine ran into a message floating in the water from our absentee swimmers Patti & Janet. It must have floated here from South America because it was postmarked from the Galapagos where they've been swimming.

Click HERE for more photos from Christine's Birthday trip to Lanai.

This past weekend Doug was convinced that he had passed over into an alternate reality. Big south surf was completely inundating our usual swim course through the rocks, so we did not swim there. Since Janet & Patti were not around to goad us on into extreme danger, we simply turned around. This caution was completely new to Doug and confused him to no end. The only explanation - he had somehow entered an alternate universe.

Stuffy Turkeys

A flock of wild turkeys came by our campsite this morning before heading over to the Four Seasons resort. Now I know why they were turning up their beaks at our food. Guests at the resort were tossing pieces of croissant off their balconies and the turkeys have become accustomed to only eating rich food.

Fire Alarm

Roasting marshmallows was a real option (as were singed eyebrows) at Christine's camping dinner last night. Happy Birthday, Christine

Hooray for Birthdays

Hooray for birthdays.

Christine's birthday this morning brought some of the old gang back together for the first time in many years. What fun.

Click HERE for a few more photos from today's swim.

Fish not Flower

These Omilu are similar to the bougainvillea in yesterday's blog post. Yes, I know they are fish, not flowers; but the intensity of the blue is astounding, and cannot be felt from a mere photograph.

Hurts the Eyes

The South Maui Bougainvillea has been going OFF this week. I don't know if it has something to do with springtime or with recent rains, but they are spectacular. And of course photographs do not do the various colors justice. These plants vibrate with color, it almost hurts the eyes to look at them.

Blue Lips

 Thank goodness the water has finally begun to warm up enough that people are slowing down and playing a bit. I still saw blue lips and chattering teeth, but only at the end of the swim. And it was well worth the minor discomfort.

Click HERE for more photos from this morning's ocean swim.

Ka-Tee-Tar

Yet another exquisite Maui morning. Today I was happy that the ocean is still a bit chilly since the cool breeze it formed offered a perfect counterpoint to the hot sun.

This typically noisy Grey Francolin was digging in the ground to provide fresh insects for her brood of six chicks. Nearby was the male screeching out his Ka-tee-tar...tee-tar.

Surprise Smell

What is my fascination with SCUBA bubbles? Maybe it's the surprise of never knowing what odor will emerge when you pop one?

This yellow Trumpetfish was being continually harassed by the smaller trumpetfish below it. I see that a lot in the ocean where the little guy often chases away the big fish.

Scaly Makeup

A little blue eyeshadow goes a long way.

Underwater Wind Chimes

I love the way these fish stack vertically and stay motionless like a big wind chime. They don't ring in the current, but as a group they turn slightly this way then that.

These fish always remind me of an Escher print, the way they crowd together and almost overlap.

364 Days to Go

Every year I saddle up and make the long journey into Kihei to get my car's safety inspection, an oil change and a haircut. Today was that day.

Role Reversal

Stand Up Paddling (SUP) is getting younger every day. It used to be that I only saw adults out on their boards, although often with children (or dogs) riding along. Today I saw several children out paddling, and two of them were carrying adults. Nice role reversal.

Hurry Hurry

Today was another swim, swim, swim day for the majority of our crowd. I only saw everybody at the beginning and then again as they almost ran me over in their hurry to get back. Relax people, this ain't the mainland.

Click HERE for more photos from this morning's swim.

Snapshots from Shore

The water was so calm and flat this morning that even us old folks were getting our feet wet. I often feel like the lady in the middle, and wouldn't mind a couple of cute young assistants to help me in and out of the ocean. Alas, it is not to be.

Meanwhile the youngsters were all out paddling on one kind of contraption or another. Way too crowded for my taste. I was happy to stand on the shore and take snapshots.

New Friends and Old

I got to make lots of new friends this morning, both human and dolphin.
It has been well over three months since the last time any of Maui's Spinner Dolphins have joined me on one of my ocean swims, so I had to reintroduce myself.

Same with most of the people, although some I had never met before.

If you swam with me this morning and you don't see your photo, click HERE for lots more photos from today's swim.

Kam III Trees

What kind of trees are these?

I've always admired these huge shade trees at Kamaole Beach Park III but never knew what they were. They are not Banyan trees because they do not have roots reaching down from the branches. Some kind of Ficus perhaps? And I'm not the only one who appreciates them. You can almost always find some of Maui's homeless sleeping beneath them. Which reminds me, isn't it nap time?

Shallow Sleep

I did not expect to see whales on this morning's ocean swim. I was paralleling the shore in only twenty five feet of water when - there they were. Two Humpback Whales silently hovering just above the sand. I did not want to disturb their sleep (I hate being woken from a deep sleep) so I snapped a couple photos then turned and swam back the way I had come. Although at only twenty five feet I guess you could consider it to have been a shallow sleep.

So Sorry

Sorry.

I did not take any interesting photographs today, so you're stuck with a snapshot of one of the beaches I passed on my walk this morning.

Sorry.

Resurrection

Only three months after being nearly killed in a bicycle accident, Doug was back in the ocean to celebrate his birthday. First Evelyn makes an amazing return and now Doug - I am inspired and totally in awe.

Click HERE for more photos from this morning's ocean swim.

Baby Eyes

I did a short swim this morning. At one point I could barely make out a mom and baby whale nose-to-nose way below me (so faintly the photo did not come out). Then baby whale swam up to check out the splashing creature (me) on the surface (left and above), finally swimming along side me eye-to-eye (below). Exceptional!

Click HERE for a couple more photos from today's encounter.

Four Mile Swimmers

Maui's Pink Cap Swimmers pop up in the most unusual places. This morning I encountered them way down south at La Perouse as they were beginning a four mile swim to Big Beach. Thankfully, I was not expected to join them (or keep up).

Death on the Beach

The ocean always does such a great job of cleaning up after itself, that I was surprised when I found this large skeleton washed ashore this afternoon. What could it be? Dolphin? Seal?

After examining the wear patterns on the teeth I'm pretty sure that it was once a deer. But what was a deer doing swimming in the ocean? Then again, they probably ask the same thing about me.