Aloha Friday

 I learned how to surf and stand up paddle near here way back when. A good friend was my teacher and happy to see that I picked up techniques on working a SUP rather quickly shortly after we started. About halfway through the lesson we took our boards out a little further and he trailed me about ten feet off to my left. Suddenly he said, 'Kneel down on your board for a second.' I said jokingly, 'Ok, why? Is there a shark?' He said, 'No, but it looks like a BIG eagle ray.' I looked back and it was gone. I asked if he was kidding and he replied he was serious. Hmm. So I've kept that in my mind ever since. As time goes on, I still see smaller spotted eagle rays dart under my board out on the reef while waiting for waves, but never bigger ones like say, a manta ray.

Earlier this year, I was heading out with my nephew on our boards at this location and decided to take our SUPs along a route near the reef wall before heading out to surf. Well just before we made a turn to go out to the reef where the waves were, I looked behind me and I saw the top of a huge shark head and body with a white fin right behind my board just cruising in my wake. I didn't panic, but I looked over to my nephew who was about ten feet slightly ahead and to my right and said that there was a white tip shark behind me. I estimated that it was at least six to eight feet long. Immediately after that I looked behind me just as the shark slowed and dove down. I looked back up at my nephew and he looked at me like I was joking. He just shrugged and since it didn't phase either of us, we continued on and had a great time out there. When I mentioned that episode to my friend who taught me how to SUP, he said when he spearfishes near here, he and his partners occasionally get to see the 'resident' fifteen foot tiger shark that cruises the reef.

What?! There are more varieties of sea life out here than one would think when looking at this picture.

So today at lunch, Mrs Lenman and I were out on the beach taking pictures near this location when she asked me to sit down near the lifeguard tower as she set up the angle for another picture. Just as I sat down, I looked out towards the reef and this huge eagle ray jumped straight out of the water - as in it looked like it shot straight up from the bottom like a rocket, and then came back down with a huge splash! Right as I saw that, I shouted to ML what I saw and she was able to look out just in time to see the huge splash.

I couldn't believe what I just saw!

I'm not kidding when I say that ray must've had a 'wingspan' of at least nine feet or more. ...and that's being conservative. I immediately tried to gauge the size because I go out SUP and surfing in that area so much that it couldn't have been smaller than what I estimated it to be. I also thought back to my buddy and that initial SUP lesson. I guess he really did see a large ray! It was funny because just before that happened, ML was talking about how I haven't taken our son out recently on his SUP and that it's just 'wasting away' not being used. ...that we should've just rented a board for him each time if he wanted to go out with me rather than buy him one. Well right after that, she changed her tune and said something to the effect of '...that's ok, he can use his SUP on the lake back on the mainland when we move back there.'

Anyway, back to seeing that ray jumping out of the water the way it did - what a once in a lifetime opportunity! As a legend in my own mind of being a feng shui practitioner, I am a believer in auspicious events and this was one I feel very strongly about. Where's the PowerBall ticket when I need to buy one?

Aloha Friday!