Aloha Nancy

 It was a blast having visitors to show around this morning. But even better was having Nancy back with us again. We've missed you, Nancy.

Click HERE for more photos from this morning's ocean swim with the Maui Pink Cap Swimmers.

Ready to Live

 Century Plants, also known as American Aloe, cover a hill near my house. They are impressive to see in person because the flower stalks are twenty to thirty feet tall. Also interesting is that each of the flower clusters develops into a group of baby century plants with leaves and roots, ready to live on their own once they drop to the ground.

Thumbnails and Tweezers

 Beach combing shell hunters are always disappointed when they visit Maui for the first time, because they can't find any shells.

We don't have the rich mud sea beds which mollusks seem to love, we only have lava rocks, sand and coral.

But if you look closely at the sand, you will be richly rewarded. You might need tweezers to pick them up, but there are lots of tiny shells everywhere. None of the shells on today's post were larger than my thumbnail, and most of them were much smaller.

Early End to Winter?

The sky was a bit hazy this morning with vog drifting up from the Big Island, but it was an absolutely spectacular beach day nonetheless. The ocean water even felt a bit warmer - maybe winter will end early.

Old Haunt

 Marielis & Scott swam into Wonderland with me this morning. They hadn't been back into this shallow area for a long time and seemed to enjoy revisiting an old haunt.

Perfumed Air

Ti plants in my yard are in full bloom, sending waves of perfumed air through my open window.

Rays, Caps & Cake

 This was a day for Rays, Pink Caps and Birthday Cake.

We were constantly on the lookout for dolphins and whales, but found a Spotted Eagle Ray and a Manta Ray instead.

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

Thanks Gabe

I am struggling mightily to learn how to photograph people. For me this is a huge obstacle mostly born out of my fear of rejection. Fortunately, I have friends like Gabe who kindly let me snap away while having lunch. Thanks Gabe.

Great Swim Finale

 More than one hundred Spinner Dolphins joined my buddy Scott and me on our ocean swim this morning.

Unfortunately, they swam up to us at the end of our long swim to the Cliffs of Doom and we didn't have the energy to hang with them for very long.

Still, it was a great welcome home and swim finale.

North Vs South

Maui is an island of contrasts. 

Looking north this morning the skies were ominous and dramatic.

Looking south I saw gentleness and light.

And, of course, an hour later all clouds were gone and the sun was shining brightly everywhere.

Like Day versus Night

If I'm happy with my daytime shots, I usually don't return for sunset. I'm glad that I came back for this photo shoot last week.

Another and Another

 Another day and another South Maui waterfall.

And another South Maui surfer.

Eight New Swimmers

 Eight new swimmers joined the Maui Pink Caps this morning. Doug loaned his pink cap to one of them and they wore it for a while before returning the cap directly to Doug.

We were actually considering not swimming today due to less than optimal conditions - but boy are we glad we did.

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

Don't Abandon Ship

Whatever happens, don't give up hope and don't abandon ship. The person who jumped out of this outrigger canoe did suffer a mild injury this morning. 

I love our tranquil South Maui waterfalls.

Cool People

 I love the fact that even when I'm way out in the middle of the ocean, I still manage to run into really cool people. Conditions were so exceptional today that these guys paddled from Makena Landing to La Perouse and back.

Clear Winter Water

Swimming conditions were excellent this morning. I love living on Maui.

Bear With Me

Surfers are enjoying a small wrap-around swell here on Maui's south shores. The waves are insignificant compared to what I hear is hitting the north shores, but that doesn't mean that they aren't fun.

All the photos today are experiments with my newest camera. Please bear with me while I figure out how to make it work.

Made Our Day

Conditions for this morning's ocean swim with the Maui Pink Cap crew started out as less than optimal. Waves were stirring things up and visibility wasn't too hot; but once we got out deeper the water cleared up nicely.

An unexpected breach by a nearby Humpback Whale caught us all by surprise and Made Our Day (sadly, my reaction time was such that no photographic proof exists).

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

Fishies and Missed Whales

 Lots of fishies were out and about this morning.

And people on shore told us that we had whales near us too, but we never saw or heard any signs of them.