Kaelakekua Bay

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The Whitson's. Here to thaw out ;o)

My Favorite Fish, the Parrot Fish. These guys make sand. Literally!

Underwater creation at it's best.

View across Kaelakekua Bay. The Captain Cook monument is that tiny tiny little white spec on the other side..

Our "raft" and Captain Bill.

Now that's what I am talking about!

We have friends here from  Washington State and decided to take them out in our boat yesterday and across Kaelakekua Bay for a kayak trip today.

We got some great whales sounds yesterday and the whales were so close to the boat you could almost touch them (we did not get close to them, they came close to us for the record). It was amazing to watch this little whale calf and mom frolicing all around us in this little bay. 

There was a male  "singer" very close by and we got some great audio recorded. I got in the water  looking for him, but could not locate him as sounds comes from all directions, so hard to directly locate him, although I have been able to do so before (in Tonga).

Today's adventure was a swim across Kaelakekua Bay (where Captain Cook, got whacked) while  everyone else kayaked across the Bay.

It is about 1.2 miles across, and the dolphins were out in full force. I got a dolphin show out and another show coming back . The water was it's normal chilly self, but it was again, crystal clear. Just keep swimming and you will hopefully forget the temperature.

Spring is around the corner (I hope)....

A hui Hou my freinds!

IS IT SUMMER YET?

At the risk of sounding  whiny .... when is the water going to warm up?  Ok, honestly, it is hard to get in the water these days.  Once you are in for several minutes it's OK, but it's just that initial "What am I thinking" that gets you.

Ok, I admit I am a weenie. Check out the book by Lynne Cox " Swimming to Antarctica"....and you will easily affirm "weenie". Lynne Cox has swam all over the  world in literal ice water (35-38 degrees). Literally having to break thru ice flows and floating ice-bergs to get through!! Her story is amazing. A little disturbing (she's nuts) but amazing. Here is her website for more information. If you like the water, you can not miss this book!

Even when there are no "big things" to see, it is never boring. There are always interesting new things to experience. Not all of it shows up well on camera however (at least the type of camera I use that I can swim with).

Despite the nippy conditions, the visibility has been crystal clear, so I really have nothing to complain about. Beats being in New York or Chicago. or anywhere east of Kona for that matter.

Here are some friends from the sea today.

 Thanks for traveling with us today.

A Hui Hou'

BARRACUDA AND DOLPHINS

AH, it's Monday. One of those dreaded Mondays. Well, not here! It is blue sky and gentle breezes and the place I call my backyard beckons.

It was quiet down at the pier this morning.  Just Ken. Ken is a local Veteran who swims quite often. He is in a motorized wheelchair and can not walk.He makes it down to the pier, gets himself into the water, floats awhile and crawls back up the stairs back to his wheelchair. If the ladies are pretty he will let them "help him", otherwise he would rather do it himself. Talk about challenges. We sure have none.

Ken always a has a joke tucked away in his shirt pocket. The jokes are cut out of magazines and taped carefully to a piece of card stock. A collection I'm sure.He always asks everybody who happens to be there or walk by if they "want to read a joke"?  Most the locals who know Ken just go up to him and say, "Ok, give it here". He points to his pocket, we read them and laugh whether they are funny or not, thank him and put them back in his pocket. OK, honesty, sometimes we give him a hard time because the joke was pretty stupid.

I would guess Ken had a severe stroke because he can not speak clearly. People that do not know him have no idea what he is saying when he says" want to read my joke". They politely smile and keep walking. I often interpret for him. He is an icon and I thank God for him. We worry when we do not see him for a time.

After out customary laugh with Ken, we geared up and just kept swimming,  swimming swimming... to get out of the cold spot. Today it was about a quarter mile out before we hit warmer water. The water was clear and it's never boring.  We did or normal Coast Guard Buoy swim hoping we would be visited by our friends the Dolphins. No where to be seen though. Oh well, can't have them everyday we joked.

On the way back, I could hear them. I could not see them anywhere but I could tell they were out there taunting us. We kept swimming. At about the half mile buoy, they graced us with a swim by. They were not in a very social mood. They kept just outside our distance (you do not swim with the dolphins, they swim with you). I see people chasing them all the time. People actually think they can catch a dolphin?  Quite the contrary, they swim with you if they feel like it PERIOD! As a matter of fact, the quieter and stiller you remain, the much high chance you will have of seeing them for a long period of time because they will stay with you. Start kicking after them, and they are gone GUARANTEED!!

A clicked a few photos. Then a  3-4' barracuda came by as well. I tried to grab a picture of him, but he did not stick around either.

I guess they all had the Monday morning blahs!

A Hui Hou