New Camera

My wander-about camera died recently and I have been less than thrilled with what I got to replace it - UNTIL  TODAY - when I discovered that it can take paintings as well as photographs. How totally cool. Oh, and in case you've never seen it, below is a shot of my house.

Apocalypse Now

Maui sugarcane fires always appear apocalyptic, like the end of the world is upon us. Not to worry. The sugar companies assure us that no harm is being done to the environment because the wind blows all the smoke away.

No More Camera

 Alas, my camera died this week. I liked the results my Olympus Pen gave me underwater, but its lens was always problematic. Anyway, it finally stopped working and I had to dig out a truly ancient underwater camera for this morning's ocean swim. I was going to go camera-free, but I'm glad I found this antique buried in my closet because we saw two Spotted Eagle Rays and a White Tip Reef Shark.

Click HERE for all four photos from today's swim.

Lily & Koi

I just discovered a new water lily & koi pond and will be spending more time there with my camera in the near future. I can't wait.

Float and Watch

Mmmmmm. Warm ocean water. I love summertime. I just float and watch all the fishies and turtles. 

Yummy Red

Yummy red seaweed. The turtles love this stuff and I watched four of them munching away this morning. Personally, I like the green seaweed better.

Beach Attire

Some people wear swim suits to the beach, others . . .

Unlike Us

The gang decided to swim someplace different this week. Wow, a change of pace. How unlike us.

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

Who Cares?

I love it. Now that the ocean is warm, I can hang with the fish as long as I want. The down side is that I'm not swimming very much, but who cares? Being out in the water is enough for me.

Almost Full

Another perfect Maui morning.

This paddleboard is nearing capacity.

Don't Scare Me

Starfish which are not symmetrical somehow just seem wrong. Of course they move along the bottom by moving their arms, but it always looks strange when they aren't perfectly arranged.

A group of about twenty big Omilu (Bluefin Trevally) kept circling me this morning. Even though they look mean, they don't scare me and I was pleased with the opportunity to take several photographs of them.

Billowing Beach Walker

This woman was a billowing vision of white fabric floating down the beach - I had to take a photo. I'm afraid that I did not do her justice.

Below was another dramatic landing during which no one was injured - always fun to watch.

Just Fish

I heard that a group of sharks had been hanging out at Ahihi bay, so I went searching for them this morning with my camera. I swam back and forth, up and down, in and out.

Alas, no luck. Just fish, fish and more fish.

Near Not Far

I keep forgetting how spectacular the ocean is right in front of my house. I often drive five miles for my morning ocean swim, when I could just walk out my front door and down a few steps to the beach. What am I thinking? Anyway, these snapshots were from today's dip in the (finally!) warm ocean.

Swim Vacation

These guys (above) travel the world on swimming vacations. What a great idea! Why don't we do that? Go someplace as a group just to swim?

Oh, that's right, we do. Maybe not the world in large, but Hawaii for sure. 

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

Getting Smashed

People kept getting smashed by waves this morning because they were determined to go snorkeling. But they kept trying and trying. At two different beaches I watched guys get pounded by the waves and get washed into shore, then get up and do it again and again. What did they think they were going to see when they got out anyway? Just a fog of stirred up sand. Besides, they're going to get sand in their suits!

And this guy (below). Dude, it is time to either get a bigger board or a smaller dog.

Multiply by Five

Every now and then someone will ask why I don't do SCUBA.

I'm a guy. Therefore, I love gadgets. See the woman in this photo. Now multiply all the stuff she's lugging into the water by five. That would be my starting point for accessories. And it would only grow from there.

No, in the best interests of all involved, especially all of the world's ocean creatures, I should not ever do SCUBA.

Where's Waldo?

Find the person in the photo above.

My favorite thing about having dolphins join me on my ocean swims is that they sometimes include me as part of the group. What a great feeling.

I don't know where they've been the past couple of months, and I did not ask. I was too thrilled to see them again.

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

Shallow Swimmers

Clear warm water and an early start made this Sunday morning ocean swim especially fun. We even swam a slightly different course through shallow waters for a change.

Click HERE for more photos from today's swim.