https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clrukb2Deqk
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By dawn that morning, Marc and I were ready to sail the Pacific again, with our fourteen-foot inflatable boat and motor as the means to do so. We were still hoping to see dolphins or maybe even a few humpback whales!
The Pacific is an unpredictable ocean that changes its mood quickly, its swell can soar and become the huge waves that surfers struggle so hard to ride here on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii. I often feel very small in my boat on this blue vastness, but my desire to see and photograph these immense marine mammals prevails and I prefer to try to overcome my fear. In fact, when I see a wave rising from the horizon and breaking in my direction, I cling very tightly to the boat, as if I had a tsunami in front of my eyes every time.
That morning in January, the sea is calm and the sky is blue at Anini Beach, everything leads us to believe that the expedition will be perfect and easy. We manage to get out of the bay by the narrow path identified by a barely visible floating buoy. The last time we sailed this way, we were unlucky, we had tried to exit a little too far from the buoy. In three seconds, a wave had taken us by surprise, and we had a big rush of adrenaline and fear when we had to face the wave head-on, and we had flown, glided and the landing had not been the most pleasant. Today is another day and we are in the right place at the right time. My captain is confident and I said yes when he invited me to go to Bird Island, in front of Kilauea Lighthouse.
We approached the goal at a slow speed and it was peaceful. The water is dark blue and you can no longer see the bottom of the ocean or its coral heads. We follow the coast of Secret beach at a distance of about half a kilometer, some Royal Tern and other local seabirds accompany us and harmoniously cut the blue of the sky from their immaculate white. Secret beach is known for its extreme strong currents, dolphins and seals are often seen in the surrounding area. In front of us, the view from the lighthouse of my village is impressive, I had never seen this place from this angle before. After taking a few pictures, we turn back, crossing Kapukaamoi Pointe towards Hanalei, which is for me the most beautiful place I have ever seen, a real little earthly paradise.
On the way back, the sailing is smoother with this wind pushing us behind our backs. The view is more impressive on this side, with the sharp mountains of the Napali Coast in the distance and the water now a bright and transparent turquoise. A few times, a turtle passes in front of us, they are huge offshore and each time it is a wonder to meet them.
Our daughter Beatrice has spent the night at a friend's house in Hanalei and we have the sudden idea to pick her up directly there by boat instead of stopping in Anini as planned, I manage to talk to her and we fix an appointment on the quay for the boat. We have another fifteen minutes of navigation to go north to get there, on our left, the town of Princeville is slowly taking shape, the wild beaches appear one by one and each one is full of memories. How many times, since our arrival on the island in 2013, have we gone down its cliffs to camp one night, to relax but especially to snorkel and photograph this magnificent Hawaiian underwater life.
Continuing on our way to Hanalei, Marc notices a strong splash of water in the distance, we approach quietly and I get absolutely annoyed at the sight of what appears to be a dolphin. Slowly, the details begin to appear and by surprise we identify its joyful presence, that of a humpback whale calf! Its black and white tail hits the water with such enthusiasm, this cheerful baby seems barely a month old. Keeping a good distance, we observe and I photograph the beauty of the scene...at the same time, I really wonder where his mother is? After about eight minutes alone with the calf, a long breath is finally heard followed by the usual powerful jet of air, she is finally there, right behind her baby, immense, moving gently and with so much grace.
We keep our distance without moving because these two whales are too intimidating to do anything other than stand still and watch. We had a few more seconds of spectacle before the end came and, in a whirlpool motion, the mother and her calf joined together to dive, at exactly the same time, forming a perfectly synchronized duel. Then, nothing more, they were gone...
What a chance or happy coincidence it was for Marc and I that morning to have been patient, to have risked, to have continued and also to have been able to change our initial plan to return to Anini.
And for me this morning meeting in this place of tropical beauty had been worth all its trouble...the boat, its maintenance, our fears, the swell, everything, everything, everything, everything!
English:
Perfect synchronicity in Hanalei
That morning at dawn, Marc and I were ready to sail the Pacific again, with our 14 foot inflatable boat and engine as a means of doing so. We were still hoping to meet dolphins or maybe even have a chance to meet some humpback whales!
The Pacific is an unpredictable ocean that changes mood quickly, it's swell can soar and become the huge waves that surfers are looking for so much here on the north shore of Kauai, in Hawaii. I often feel very small in my boat on this blue immensity, but my desire to see and photograph these huge marine mammals wins and I prefer to try to dominate my fear. Indeed, when I see a wave emerging from the horizon while breaking in my direction, I cling very strongly to the boat, as if I had each time, a tsunami in front of the eyes.
This January morning, the sea is calm and the sky is blue in Anini Beach, everything suggests that the expedition will be perfect and easy. We manage to get out of the bay by the narrow path identified by a barely visible floating buoy. The last time we sailed here, we had no luck, we tried the exit a little too far from the buoy. In three seconds, a wave had taken us by surprise, and we had a big rush of adrenaline and fear when we had to face the wave head on, and we had flown, hovered and the landing had not been most pleasant. Today is another day and we are in the right place at the right time. My captain has confidence and I told him yes, when he invited me to go to Bird Island, opposite the Kilauea lighthouse.
We approached the goal at a slow speed and it was peaceful. The water is dark blue and we no longer see the bottom of the ocean or its coral heads. We drive along the coast of Secret beach at a distance of about half a kilometer, some Royal Tern and other species of local seabirds accompany us and cut harmoniously the blue of the sky of their immaculate white. Secret beach is known for its extreme strong currents, dolphins and seals are often seen nearby. In front of us, the sight of the lighthouse of my village is impressive, never I saw this place of this angle there. After taking some pictures, we turn back, crossing Kapukaamoi Pointe to Hanalei, which is for me the most beautiful place I've ever seen, a real little paradise on earth.
On return, navigation is more smooth with the wind that pushes us in the back. The view is more impressive on this side, with the sharp mountains of the Napali Coast as a background and the water, now become a bright and transparent turquoise. A few times, a turtle passes in front of us, they are huge offshore and each time, it is a wonder to meet them.
Our daughter Béatrice spent the night at a friend's house in Hanalei and we have the sudden idea to pick her up directly there by boat instead of stopping at Anini as planned, I manage to talk to her and we make an appointment on the dock of Hanalei. We have fifteen minutes of additional navigation north to get there, on our left, the city of Princeville draws quietly, wild beaches appear one by one and each has many memories. How many times since we arrived on the island in 2013, have we descended its cliffs to camp one evening, to relax but especially to snorkel and photograph this beautiful Hawaiian underwater life.
Continuing our journey towards Hanalei, Marc notices a strong splash of water in the distance, we approach quietly and I become absolutely excited at the sight of what seems to be a dolphin. Gently, the details begin to appear and by surprise, we identify his happy presence, that of a humpback whale! His black and white tail hits the water with such enthusiasm, this playful baby seems to be barely a month old. By always keeping a good distance, we observe and I photograph the beauty of the scene...at the same time, I really wonder where is his mother? After about eight minutes alone with the calf, a long breath is finally heard followed by this powerful jet of air, she is finally there, just behind her baby, huge, moving slowly and with such grace.
We keep our distance without moving because these two whales are too intimidating for us to do anything other than stay frozen and watch. We were treated to a few more seconds of spectacle before the end appeared and in a whirlwind movement, the mother and her baby uniting to dive, exactly at the same time, forming a synchronized duel to perfection. Then, nothing, they had disappeared...
How lucky or fortunate, Marc and I was, that morning, to have been patient, to have risked, to continue and to have also been able to change our initial plan to return to Anini.
And for me this morning meeting in this place of tropical beauty had amply appreciated, all its trouble...the boat, its maintenance, our fears, the swell, everything, everything, everything!