Down to Eighty

For my friends in Chicago who reported seeing snow flurries and big winter waves this morning, things were a little bit nicer here on Maui. At least I think they are, although the water temperature is down to eighty degrees now.

Sea Turtle Abundance

Another spectacular morning for a swim today, and sea turtles were seen in abundance.

Fluttered Up

Two monarchs were making whoopee on the sidewalk this morning. When I got in close with my camera they fluttered up, up and away...

One Way

Uh oh, the ocean is slowly beginning to cool off. It won't be much longer before I'm back to wearing my wetsuit once again. But I am still savoring every moment of the warmth while it lasts. Lucky sea turtles, they're cold blooded and don't care one way or another.

Heat Visions

Our annual September/October heat wave is almost at its end, but people are wisely still seeking out nice cool shadows in which to sit and contemplate nature's beauty.

And that beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. Here is a painter's vision of the beach compared with the photographer's version.

Too Many Turtles

 We saw many, many sea turtles today; and most of them were very small and very curious. It didn't hurt that the ocean was much clearer than it has been in a long time.

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

Underwater Pumpkin Carving

 Maui Dreams Dive Company held their annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest this morning off Keawakapu beach. I counted about twenty-five SCUBA divers who managed to skillfully carve some truly creative designs. The one which used luncheon meat for a tongue and olives for the eyes was my favorite.

Did Not Disappoint

 I had a fun swim this morning to an interesting snorkel site called the "Aquarium" with some of the Sunday swimming crowd.

Conditions on the way out and back in were far less than stellar, but the Aquarium itself did not disappoint.

Click HERE for several more photos from today's ocean swim.

Beauty and the Beast

Monkeypod trees produce a huge quantity of large, dark, oily, obnoxious pods every year; it somehow doesn't seem right that their flowers are so pretty and delicate.

Hala trees on the other hand have just the kind of flowers you might expect.

Delicious Breakfast

With Hurricane Ana only a couple hundred miles off-shore, not many people showed up for our weekly ocean swim this morning. And rightly so; with visibility rated poor (or worse), and following on a big shark attack yesterday, we wisely cut the swim short. Breakfast with the movie stars afterward was delicious (sorry, no photos there - celebrity privacy issues).

Non-Event Ana

 Green Sea Turtles were hunkered down this morning in preparation for the arrival of hurricane Ana.

They needn't have worried, even though all the beaches and most everything else on Maui is closed, the storm is predicted to stay far, far away. In fact it was another lovely morning for an ocean swim.

Damsel not Tang

 When swimming over them, these dark fish seem to be nothing more than a shadow moving along the ocean bottom. It was only when I got down close that I realized that they are probably in the Damsel family and not Tang family as I originally thought. Also, from looking at all the debris in the photos, they seem to be pretty aggressive chewers of coral. I love learning new things.

Subtle Shading

Century Plants and Agave are the plants I love to photograph. Something about the curves and subtle shading attracts my eye.

Superheros

 Murky water be darned, the Maui Pink Cap Swimmers decided to transcend poor visibility this morning.

Fortunately, things cleared up a bit out in the deeper reaches and we managed to continue down a sweeping current. We all felt like superheros with the current pushing us along, and managed to keep some superpowers in reserve for the grueling return.

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

Pali Windmills

 The wind was howling and we had to struggle to remain standing during portions of our hike of the Pali trail this morning.

Fortunately, injuries were minimal and no one had to be airlifted out.

Vistas were stunning and the "breeze" kept us from feeling the heat.

Salty Haze

 Two crosses at this popular surf spot are a good reminder of the crippling power of ocean waves.

Hundreds of little yellow butterflies were clustering on rocks near the shoreline.

Salt haze from breaking waves made the La Perouse woods even more mysterious than usual this morning.

Joyful Experience

Finally the ocean is clearing up and swimming is once again a truly joyful experience. At least that's what this Spotted Eagle Ray told me this morning.

Fishies Galore

I saw lots of fishies on my ocean swim this morning.

Murky Manta Playtime

 The water was terribly murky this morning and we were about to abort the ocean swim, when Jackie spotted a Manta Ray. At first no one believed her, then one swam underneath us and we became believers. And not just one, but two large rays, just like last week.

Rather than risk wandering off into the mysterious and potentially hazardous murk, we allowed the Manta Rays to play with us for an hour before returning to shore.

What a great day! Again!

Click HERE for lots more murky photos from today's ocean outing.

Glorious Gloria

I got to explore the secret, out of the way places at Twin Falls with my hiking club this morning. We were guided by Gloria of Hike Maui - and she was amazing! If you ever get the opportunity to do a hike with her - do it!

Cut Short

Shortly after my ocean swim on Tuesday the beaches were closed due to a large and aggressive Tiger Shark. I knew I cut my swim short for a good reason. Today the water was beginning to clear and should be perfect for the Maui Pink Cap Swimmers on Sunday.

Mo'okiha O Piilani

 Mo'okiha O Piilani visited Wailea this morning for cultural activities in conjunction with the Grand Wailea Resort. This traditional Polynesian sailing canoe was built by volunteers on Maui and acts as an educational resource for the young.

Also spotted on my walk this morning was a pair of the Peach-Faced Lovebirds which roost by my house every night. I now know that they forage many miles along the shore during the day.