Postcards from Maui - Day 6

Honokeana Bay

Entry for snorkeling

The wind was down today, so whale activity was easy to spot. Seems like tale slapping is en vouge.

Our rental condo faces Honokeana bay, home to about a dozen Hawaiian green sea turtles (honu) and gazillions of reef fish. What we don’t have is a beach. The easiest bay entry from the property we’re on is pictured above. DeeAnn and I went today. Honokeana bay is well known for its resident honu population, prompting this educational note posted near the entry point: 

Translation: Don't pet the turtles.

Although the bay isn’t that wide, its center is mostly sand, with rock and corral reefs  lining the perimeter. All the usual suspects were present, including the Hawaiian trigger fish (humuhumunukunuku‘apau‘a – now say it fast three times!). We learned last year that name means something like “fish that swims backwards and snorts like a pig.” Isn’t that romantic? I’m not sure I heard the snort, but I did hear whalesong while underwater. If you’d like to catch live performances of the latest cetacean hits, log on to www.whalesong.net. As I write this, I’m listening to “A Little Night Music.” It’s seems like simple call and response music form (for you musicians, a lower range upward slur followed by a midrange downward slur). DeeAnn thinks it sounded unusual, like whales imitating cats.

We spotted several honu. I dove and swam at a respectful following distance, watching the graceful and unhurried undulations of flippers. Then there was the granddaddy, many times more massive than the rest. He wasn’t afraid to look right at us and take us in.

I decided to take a tour beyond the two points outside of the bay to check out the reefs that make the surf stand up. I’ll just say that taking a look only increases respect for the wave you’re paddling into. And it’s interesting to see that one large, fairly shallow spot that sends the boil up the face. Be sure not to wipe out until after the boil!

Back in our condo, DeeAnn noticed that at least a half dozen turtles were floating along the surface, something she noted occurs most mornings and evenings. So honu have parties. Cool.

Dinner was grilled mahi mahi with a pineapple-macadamia nut salsa, garlic mashed potatoes, string beans and a salad. Goes great with pinot noir. And garlic bread Yum! Thanks, DeeAnn!! 

Postcards from Maui - Day 5

Local Hibiscus

Lay day. Waves were small and fading.  But Maui's fascinations are ever present.

Our run found us traversing a trail along the ocean, including a trip out on one of West Maui's many points. Focusing on the trail and the stunning scenery at the same time was a little tricky, but we made it through just fine. 

Our friends from Minnesota wound up in the condo next door to ours, making it highly convenient to share morning coffee.

We're in a great location for whale watching. Kanesa Duncan once remarked that baby whales are a pain if you're out paddling. They'll pop up anywhere, including under your paddleboard. Yeah, kids are like that. So mom has a lot to do to teach baby about the ways of bluewater living.

Yesterday, maybe a half mile from shore, momma whale showed baby how to ditch a guy. We've learned over several years of Pacific Whale Foundation cruises that a hopeful male "escort" will often attempt to associate with mom. Well, this mom wasn't having any of it. As I watched the trio glide to the south, suddenly there was a swift about-face, jet-assisted lunge in the direction of the unwanted suitor. End of story.

Large amounts of white water frequently means a breaching whale. We've seen several this trip, including an airborne whale so high over the water that it's fluke reentered the water last, not far offshore near Ma'alaea Harbor. What caught my eye today was, I thought, pectoral fin slapping. Nope, it was fluke slapping, displacing enormous quantities of water. Then the calf started to mimic mom, with a pint-sized splash that diminished as practice progressed.

Magical Maui produced yet another unique and spectacular sunset. The photos below were taken just after. Can't wait to get back in the water, maybe have a look around while the swell is dormant.

Postcards from Maui - Day 4

A safe view of the waves ... for the paranoid.

It was a perfect day. That is to say, it began and ended in the water.

Morning saw another shot of northwest energy making its way to paddling distance from our condo. The entrance to the break is out over a rocky shelf and then jump in with your board. This would be my second go at the slightly sketchy entry. It was high tide -- even smaller waves swamped the low parts of the shelf. But the low parts looked more passable, so I crept along. Meanwhile, a local practically ran tip to tip across the high rocks to my left and was in the water in no time. You know who the haole is, right?

But I got the last laugh. Which is to say, I got a phat one to myself. It was well overhead, it was a fun drop, it was walled up, and it had a bowl. In short, it was a racetrack. Turn left, drive fast, exit. And with that, I paddled in. I'll replay that a few times if I have any trouble sleeping.

Speaking of paddling, that's how the day ended. Thanks to a member of the local paddling community, I got to do a late afternoon five-miler from Ulua Beach, south of Kihei. While I waited to meet Shawn, I caught two local popoki (cats) in repose. On approach, they slunk off, but not before I caught this shot ...

The other cat (black) is in the bush just in front of the car.

It wasn't hard to spot Shawn. Who else was gonna sail into the lot with a couple paddleboards atop his ride?  I could hardly believe the excellent stock board he was letting a total stranger use. I think it weighed less than my shortboard.

It turned out to be a classic uphill to downhill paddle, and I had the best host. Turns out there aren't that many prone paddlers in Maui, but these proud warriors always hold their own in the Moloka'i race (known here simply as "the channel"). It sounds like they number only slightly more than on the Monterey Peninsula plus Carmel.

We headed straight out into the windswell, which is to say directly out to sea. Didn't see a single boat. It's the downwind leg that's addictive. Someday, there'll be a twelve step program for downwind paddlers ("Came to believe we were powerless over downhill races and that our lives had become unmanageable"). I learned that the Maliko run, about 10 miles on Maui's windswept north shore, is coming right up ... two days after we leave. I'll just bottle that up and save it for our own Wilder Coast runs.

Life is gooooood!

DeeAnn captured our daily sunset while I was en route from my paddle.

Postcards from Maui - Day 3

1/31/11.

Woke up to a nice swell, pictured above. Trade winds returned after yesterday’s blow from the opposite direction. A lone stand-up paddler was surfing it. I still didn’t have a board. This was the morning I was going to get one.

So we left the swell and drove to Kihei to meet Tommy and Alisa Castleton of Maui Wave Riders. They run a great surf school in Kehei and Lahaina, and have become friends over the years. I got a board and learned their son had the day off and was lobbying heavily to head to “The Bay.”  Honolua had to have been more solid than where we’re staying. Tommy said he'd call if they were going to surf the spot out in front of our condo. I never got a call , so I assume their son got his way.

I did get in the water late afternoon. Had fun.

Friends of ours arrived … and landed the condo right next door.  This will be good.

Looks like I get to paddle tomorrow. Stoked about that – winds in Kihei look promising.

Every sunset seems to be different from the last. Here's tonight's:

 

Postcards from Maui - Day 2

The day began with a run. We found a few cool small, local stores, then ran into Kapalua, where we found two interesting things besides gorgeous, sweeping views  of Molokai‘i and the Pailolo channel, as well as impossibly green golf courses surrounding five-star resort hotels.  One was Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment; the other was the Honokahua preservation site, which contains over 900 ancient Hawaiian burial sites dating between 610 and 1800.  That prompted a web search for  Honokahua, turning up interesting history of this beautiful area. Turns out the Honokahua Bay was Maui’s most important port, and King Pi‘ilani's favorite playground. Lahaina came much later.

In case you have noticed "hono" shows up a lot in Hawaiian place names, it's a term meaning lowing-lying land fronted by a bay that has a point on either side. Surfed Honolua? It means "two bays." And inside Keiki bowls, is ... low lying land.

After returning to our condo, I spotted a momma whale and her calf. She was playing “Can you do this?” I watched her giant white pectoral fin slowly arc over the water as she rotated her entire body, until, after a few times, the calf’s little white pectoral fin imitated mom’s in perfect synch.  Spectacular, nature’s way of passing on life and knowledge in playful ways.

While the day started sunny and showed promise, Maui, the Trickster, had other things in mind. The Northeast trades turned northwest, a shroud of haze all but completely obscured both Molokai‘i and Lana‘i, the cloud cover came in, and I wound up trading my shorts for jeans. So we spent the day reading, stocking our kitchen, I practiced guitar, and made a few calls to friends.

Before the sun set, the weather changed yet again. The trades returned, and the clouds broke just enough to let in some glorious filtered light. Our neighbor islands once again appeared.

Oh, and I posted a note on Facebook: Anyone know any prone paddlers on Molokai I could contact? You know where to find me, if you do.

Notice: No promises I'll do a blog every day ...

Postcards from Maui - Day 1

Napili Point, Moloka'i on the horizon

Favorite phone greeting, heard while calling a friend the morning after arriving on Maui: “The waves are firing. I’ll call you back when it’s flat.”

Travel to Maui took longer than usual  – by way of Salt Lake City, but already so worth it. We hardly got out of bed this morning when we started seeing honu (Hawaiian green turtles) and dolphins in Honokeana Bay, then humpback whales breaching and spouting only a half mile off shore. 

Discovered terrific breakfast & coffee: Soup Nutz in Ka'anapali. Also serves lunch and dinner, full bar and live music.  Located in just another strip mall, the not-so-scenic view is the parking lot, Lower Honoapi’ilani Road and a resort across the street. But what a meal. Perfect, fluffy veggie omelet, side of Portuguese sausage spiced just right, and a short stack that may have been “short,” but was also mighty wide. The coffee was fresh and flavorful. As the Mauians say, “Broke da mouth!”

Next, we found “All About Fish” (Truth, Lies, Bait & Tackle), where we geared up for snorkeling. Check out the vid at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-7EDIqQvo.

Before the day ended, we snorkeled in Napili bay, seeing loads of reef fish and a few interesting corals. Magical and enchanting. We made it back to the shoreline to witness the sunset over Lana‘i and stayed for twilight. That’s when the colors distilled into deeper oranges and magentas.

Maiden Voyage

Bark Art

 
This morning, I launched my brand-spanking-new Bark 14 foot CT, from Casa Malibu to Paradise Cove, returning to Surfrider beach. The hill on the other side of PCH was enshrouded in fog.  I’m definitely keeping the Bark, hopefully for a very long time. And I plan to follow Joe’s specific instructions:  don't leave it out on the dock for any and all to use! 

If you ever get the chance to visit with Joe Bark, you will be a lucky person. He's generous, positive, great to talk to, and he's passionate about sharing paddleboard and paddling information. This was hardly "just a sale" for Joe -- it was more like a mentoring session appropriate to passing on a highly prized creation. And when it's over, if you understood what he was doing, it becomes your most prized possession, and your appreciation for his masterwork is probably just as (if not more) important than the sale. 'Nuf said.

So when my new board touched the water this morning, I was definitely feelin' the love!

Conditions were ideal: glassy with a small south swell. The board paddles well and really surfs well. It'll be fun to do a downwinder soon.

Here are some pictures of the board and the launch (Thanks for those, DeeAnn!).

Joe graciously lifted his face mask for this shot.

Then, he got more into it.

Prepping.

Prepping, again.

Checking the fog just across PCH and up the hill.

Going ...

Going ...

Going ,,,

See ya in about 3 hours!