Eye opening swim

This morning, we went to a beach that we like.  I walked around for several miles, then decided to get in the water.  The beach is popular with surfers, and there are a couple of safe entries through the rocks.  Our chairs and umbrella were set up high on the beach where it was flat.  From there, the beach slopes steeply down to the water.  

As I got in, I was focused on making sure that I picked the right entry place.  After snorkeling around for several minutes, I looked back up at the beach and was completely shocked to see a sleeping Monk Seal (an endangered species) lying on the beach about 20 feet from where I got in the water.  I got out and told Bori.  It was more than 6 feet long, and hard to miss, but neither of us had seen it.  Bewildered, I inquired from a nearby beachgoer how long the seal had been there, and was told it had been there quite a while. 

Earlier, I heard and then saw a Hawaiian Stilt (another endangered species) fly overhead.  Two endangered species at one site.

My motto du jour: Pay attention!

A little snorkeling

This morning, we went snorkeling early, which we prefer.  Currents were strong, and there were not many people in the bay.  We saw some lovely fish, and two turtles.

A pair of Moorish idols (Kihikihi)

A pair of threadfin butterflyfish (Kikakapu)

After about 50 minutes, we headed back to the beach.  As we were getting out, the lifeguard was making an announcement for the surfers on the north side of the bay to get out of the water, as there was a large tiger shark in the surfing area, in 10 feet of water, heading into the bay.  By the time we were completely out of the water, the lifeguards were telling all snorkelers to get out of the bay as well.

The bay without snorkelers and surfers

The beach closure notice

The beach was closed, following large-shark protocol.  The closure was scheduled to last for 2 hours.  After 2 hours, a helicopter flyover verified that the shark was no longer present, and the bay was reopened.  Many people left early.  Others waited it out and were able to return to the water.  We headed home just as the lifeguard announced the re-opening of the bay.

The helicopter as it inspected the bay