Diving with a Monk Seal!

This Saturday I had a fabulous drift dive in between two of my favorite dive sites, and about 10 minutes into the dive, we were joined by an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal! We didn't approach him, and attempted, with the current we were trapped in, to not scare or move towards him, but the seal was very interested in us! He would sneak up behind someone, then, when he was discovered, he would check out the diver head to toe, play with the bubbles, shoot to the surface, bounce the mooring ball, and otherwise show fun, curious behavior! It was really amazing.
He had a transmitter on his back, and his flipper-feet were tagged with #42-43. I called NOAA and let them know.
On Sunday I dove with this fabulous jewelry designer! Check out her stuff!
(Cute Monk Seal Photo courtesy NOAA.)

Lookit What My Bro is Digging About In!

My awesomely smart and handsome brother (lookit him!) is keeping this BLOG as an assignment for his selection in the NASA Spaceward Bound! Mojave 2007 program! From what I understand, it is a program that mimics the type of scientific research that is/will be happening in space exploration. Among other things, it is meant to encourage future or current Science educators to teach the future students of astrophysics...and the future employees of NASA! Right on!

Moored Sailing Canoe, Sunset, Lahaina Maui

Vampyr Slayer?

Did you guys see this?
Vampire slayer impales Milosevic to stop return
Apparently, in the witching hour of the eve of the first anniversary of his death in UN Prison, Milosevic got a 3 foot Hawthorne stake driven through his heart. Apparently this was to keep him from returning from the dead and sucking even more blood from (former) Yugoslavia.
I cannot imagine the pain that area must be in, and I hope this somehow, strangely, helped. Evil really does walk among us!

Coconut Bombs

Yup.
That's a guy (Phil) who climbs coconut trees and saws off old frond branches and precarious clusters of coconuts. Very entertaining to watch coconuts crashing to earth, bouncing along the ground, and bursting open. Tasty fresh coconut water!

Whales of March

On Saturday, leading dives with Kohala Divers, the Whales were singing. On the surface, we saw many curious calves and their protective mom's and male escorts. The baby whales are getting big enough to try out the moves: little spy hops and sounds and many curious surfacings. A friend even spied a mom teaching her calf to breach: The mom would jump out of the water and come crashing majestically down, followed by the calf struggling out and flopping down after her. So cute!
It is March, and that means these lessons in adult behavior will culminate in the whales leaving us for cooler, Northern, summertime waters. Just as I nervously anticipate their arrival in November, I dread the slow trickle as they leave the islands. Every week, the sightings decrease and the songs grow fainter; from a chorus to a solo to silence. I love to share the water with them. People in other places must feel that same awe and joy with the large creatures in their world: The bears or lions. Here we have the glimpses and songs of these leviathans. I am thankful for their visits.

TGI(n)F: Thank Goodness It's NOT February!

The Great Grey Beast is past us, and may I take this opportunity to wish you all a fabulous March! This month gets us past the dreaded February and into Spring, which brings flowers and happiness and Girl Scout Cookies!

I saw the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet company last night at the Kahilu, and it was a wonderful way to usher in the new Month!