That eagerly awaited event took place late last week.  Over the course of 2 days possibly over 100 baby turtles dug their way out of the nest and took their first steps toward the sea.

Following a few more days of observation members of the Hawaii Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project returned to the site, their aim to locate any unopened eggs or trapped live baby turtles.

From about a foot down a few unopened eggs were uncovered. As they went deeper egg shells became more prevalent. The sand was now getting hard indicating the bottom of the hole. Then just as we thought it was all over a baby turtle emerged.  It was down over 2 feet and would surely not have found it’s way to the surface.

After waiting for the sun to set and the lucky turtle time to regain it’s strength the baby was released and as we all watched in awe it made it’s way to the ocean. Time after time getting washed back up onto the beach. Time after time pushing a bit further out before the next wave undid all it’s hard work. But after a few more tries it had figured out the swimming thing.  It’s all about being under the water. One or two experimental efforts. Then a big push and it was gone. Home to the ocean.

We all cheered.

Magic!

Yeh baby the waves are back…well they actually never really left…but this time with no wind. Or sometimes slight Kona’s.

Nothing over the top..although we did see one fairly decent Jaws day a few weeks ago.

No, this has been perfect back yard and Kanaha weather. As witness the number of SUPers and surfers from dawn till dusk on our web cams.
This is the time the NorthShore of Maui looks and feels it’s best. Super clear skies and awesome views of the West Maui Mountains.
Glassy water till mid morning, then again at dusk. Heaven!

Although some mild trades have returned, the forecast calls for more no wind days next week. So while I’ll try to keep up my 2-3 a week blog promise …. you know what has to come first, so apologies in advance.
Sevin says sorry too!

First and foremost is our mascot and uber waterdog Sevin. His person is mauiwindcam founder, Ray Masters. Ray woke up on the morning of his birthday 2 years ago to discover his new best friend abandoned and chained to a neighbors mail box. This was a life changing experience for both dog and man. Since that minute they have been inseparable. You can follow the many adventures of Sevin on mauiwindcam as he and Ray play on the water either swimming, SUP’ing, windsurfing or playing frisbee.

Before Sevin arrived the most visible dog on mauiwindcam was Henry. This funny black dog could be seen lounging on the beach or picnic table almost every day. Since his owners moved off the beach he has become less visible but no less a part of our ‘hood. Henry is not much of a waterdog but he is a very loved part of our community and a great guard dog…..sometimes too great!

The gold colored Shar-Pei is Roxy. She has been on the beach longer than all our current furry residents. She is getting on in years but still enjoys sunbathing and playing in the sand. She has the most wonderful and gentle demeanor and is a favorite of all visitors to Friendly Beach.

Finally, the new dog in town is Sidney. Owned by resident sail maker Jeff Henderson of Hot Sails Maui. Sidney is the puppy of the beach and a bundle of fun loving, tail wagging energy. This black mix breed was a pound rescue and has taken to his new life on the beach with verve and constant excitement. He can be seen sailing on Jeff’s Hobie Cat or romping with Sevin, his play friend.

From time to time you will see other playful pets on the cams including Patch, Bidu and Ziggy.  So from our very doggy beach……woof woof to you all!

Utilizing a windsurf mast, two half booms a windsurf sail and some ingenuity, Hot Sails boss man Jeff Henderson has pieced together a cool watercraft for some fun sailing in his back yard.

The mast is located by using two half booms. Each one is attached to the mast just under the normal boom position. They are then fixed to the deck pad each side so as to hold the mast upright. Then another full boom is attached to the Hot Sails Super Freak sail in it’s usual windsurfing position. The outhaul is blocked so that the sail can be sheeted. Just like a normal sailboat boom set up.

Jeff can be seen having fun with his kids and his dog on those perfect balmy light days we love so much. A sweet drop of lemonade indeed!

Photo courtesy Neil Pryde

If you’ve been a long term mauiwindcam watcher you might recognize our featured water man, Cody Young. Cody is a 10 year old surfer who lives on Maui and has grown up playing on the water right in front of our Camp One cam.

Cody is the son of Scott and Andrea Young proprietors of Maui Surf and Turf a local vacation rental agency.

This is a young man to keep an eye on as he has shown a great flair for surfing and over the past 2 years is beginning to score some very impressive results in the big local competitions.

This is Cody’s first year competing in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA). He has already placed 1st at Sunset Beach, and 3rd at Turtle Bay. He recently competed against last year’s National Champion along with other Oahu kids at Sunset Beach on Oct. 10, 2009 and walked away in 1st place.

Cody also competes in the Maui Surf Ohana series and is ranked # 2 overall Menehune division for 2009/2010. Cody has 1 more year in this division based on age and is expected to excel next year as many of his competers are older and moving up to the next division.

Some highlights include placing 2nd at Honolua Bay, Legends of the Bay contest. Cody has actually placed in the top 3 in all events so far this year. Last month Cody placed 4th in Hawaii for the regional championship on Oahu and is now qualified for the Nationals in Huntington Beach California for the “NSSA National Championship” in June. He placed 2nd last weekend in the Ian Walsh Red Bull contest at Hookipa.

Cody at Honolua Bay

Cody works very hard at excelling at both sports and school. He has had a 4.0 average from 1st -5th grade. He also enjoys and has competed in windsurfing, dirt biking, volley ball , jujitsu, and football. Cody has been a sports model for Neil Pyde Sails and JP Boards since he was 5 years old.

Cody is sponsored by Quiksilver, Kazuma Surfboards and DaKine.

Check out Cody surfing in this YouTube video.

Here’s a short movie clip showing everything we captured.

The clip covers the 15 minute period at sunset from the moment it crawls out of the ocean and makes its way up the beach.

Cool stuff!

Rope Tree and Kachina featured in the September 28th issue of MauiTime Weekly; check This Week in Review for Sep 24/25.