School's in Session

I saw over thirty Racoon Butterfly Fish in this school this morning.

Unicorn Sighting

Yes, Maui is a magical place. Unicorns have even been spotted from time to time.

But all that perfection takes work, and I see tree trimmers somewhere every single day, making sure that every plant looks its best.

Skinny Dipper

Look who I found actually taking time to enjoy his birthday! This is unheard of.

Happy Birthday, Doug.

Koi

Koi

Meet Junior

I took an adventurous group out to meet Junior this morning.

In addition to the shark, we saw lots of different kinds of critters as most of the group made their first-ever visit to the Aquarium.

Click HERE for lots more photos of cool creatures.

Not Only Egypt

I had to snap this shot (top photo) as I passed by on my beach walk this morning.

Egypt is not the only place with pyramids. 

Turtles and Mermaids

 Maui's Mermaids allowed me to swim with them this morning. They introduced me to lots of their turtle friends and showed me a great time.

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

All About the Swim

This morning my time with the Pink Cap Swimmers was all about the swim.

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

A Better Place

Today was International Coastal Cleanup Day which was actually being observed on one beach in South Maui. Careful records were kept of exactly what was found along the shore.

Thank you to those who participated for making our island a better place.

Struggle and Splash

Four Spotted Eagle Rays joined me for a portion of my ocean swim this morning.

They move so effortlessly while I struggle and splash every stroke of the way.

Life is Good

Yet another perfect morning at the beach.

Shark and Two Mantas

This morning I got to see a shark close up and two manta rays swimming way down deep below me.

The shark was, of course, Junior; who has been around for a few months now, and seems much shyer than in the past.

The mantas were too busy feeding to even notice me.

Back Where He Belongs

I am thrilled to have Doug back on Maui after his cross country road trip to visit family and, of course, his obligatory attendance at the U.S. Open Tennis tournament.

We saw lots and lots of turtles directly in front of our house when we took a brief dip this evening. Life is good.

Blue Blue Blue

This morning everything out to sea was blue, blue, blue except for the clouds and boat. So, I thought...

Nice and Clean

I was unable to swim with the pink caps this morning, so I got up early and took a little dip with my turtle friends instead.

My final stop was at a turtle cleaning station where hungry fish polish the shell of any interested turtles.

Dolphins and Mermaids

 

 It has been way too long, but this morning both Spinner Dolphins and Mermaids joined me on my far too brief swim. It was my best lunch break from work. Ever.

Click HERE for more photos of today's encounter.

Phones at the Ready

One great thing about today's smart phones is that they allow practically everybody to get excited about photography.

Every evening, people are lined up along the shore with their phones at the ready, all set to capture a Maui sunset.

Formally Dunked

Today was Baptism day at the beach. One at a time, people were led out and formally dunked. Getting smashed by a wave did not count.

For everyone else, it was a gorgeous holiday on the shore.

Maggie Stops By

 In spite of the two huge ocean races this weekend, there wasn't a bad turnout of swimmers to greet Maggie on her quick visit this week.

Yucky Sprouts

People are often surprised when I tell them about my tomatoes being filled with sprouts.

Modern storage methods allow ripe fruit to be shipped without spoiling but, unfortunately, the seeds continue to develop while the fruit stays the same. Often when I cut into a tomato, it is completely filled with sprouted seeds (rarely do they break the skin). And if you have ever tasted a tomato plant, you know that you do not want that flavor in your mouth [yuck].

No See Em

Quite a contrast from my past few swims - the underwater visibility this morning was horrible. In fact, I really should not have swum.

I swam right over this sleepy turtle without seeing it. It wasn't until I dove down to explore the coral that I discovered it only feet away from me.

Thank goodness for the magic of my underwater camera because it seems to have x-ray vision. I could hear this big school of fish (top photo) making swishing sounds as it sped back and forth beneath me, but only saw the slightest blur to indicate anything was there. At least now that I'm home I can see what was going on during my swim.