...then its back to work, and I am just about ready. Hawaii has been cool and I have enjoyed the break from training but my body hasn't quite recovered the way it should. I have been doing a large volume of water activity, surfing, diving, spearfishing, boogie boarding, body surfing...you name it, I have been doing it. Unfortunately, I haven't rested quite as much as I would have liked and I'm going to do my best to get back to the theme of this trip which was "do less".
My roomate, Brad Walker, and I relocated to the west side of Maui last week and it was a great move. The water on the west side (Lahina) is much more suited for underwater activities and we have speared enough fish to feed us both every night. Lahina is a tourist town, much like most of Maui... but Lahina is virtually all tourists and resorts so the atmosphere and mood over here is much more relaxed and enjoyable. I have just about had my fill with the local "attitudes" and was delighted to hang out with a more pleasant crowd.
The last week was a whirlwind of activities, with alot of help from the Pacific Whale foundation. The week started off with a snorkel tour of Molikini crater and "turtle town" followed by a dolphin cruise out to the island of Lanai. It was a great tour because I saw all 3 species of dolphins out here, bottle nose, spinner and spotted dolphins. The spotted dolphin pod was over 100 in size and they put on an impressive aerial display, jumping out of the water over 10 feet high. Next was a submarine tour of the bottom of reef outside Lahina at 130ft deep and a para-sailing boat ride that was cut short due to a rainstorm. Since then I have been spearfishing everyday for several hours and have collected enough fish to live on for several days, and have gotten a few surf sessions in on the north-west swell that came in the middle of the week.
My coach, Ty Sevin gets to Maui for his vacation tomorrow morning so it will be fun to hang with him and show him around and probably get some quality golfing in. I have exactly 7 days left on Maui and am looking forward to getting back to San Diego and starting my training for the 2011 season. The High Tech High track team should be in mid-fall training and I cant wait to line up a full schedule of training and workouts at the Olympic Training Center. The only remaining question is the condition of my knee...only time will tell if it holds up when I start training...here is me, holding my breath and crossing my fingers.
M++
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Howsit Bah !?
...still getting used to the local lingo around here...this is my 2nd blog entry from Maui, not much has changed. Its more like groundhog day around here. Wake up to the same weather, same birds, same waves...spend the day underwater, on top of water and underwater again looking for food. The only thing that has really changed is my tan and my facebook friends list ;) I have met some really cool people over here and am still trying to get a grip on how people go about their lives. Its an interesting perspective and one that I appreciate but I also know that its not for me. Its fun for now, but eventually I think that people will grow out of the Hawaii phase and move on with their lives. Its a story that I have heard over here, and its all to common.
Most of the people that I have met over here seemed to have what most people would consider "normal" lives back in the mainland, and for this reason or that, they decided to leave everything behind and join the island life. The reactions are all the same, "I will eventually go back, but for now I am here and loving it".
I have been staying on the north side of Maui for 2 weeks now and everyday I find myself driving to the south part of the island looking for better water and bigger fish...I guess its what the locals call "the search" although they are looking for waves, Im looking for lack there-of. Brad and I are about to relocate to the west side of the island, near Lahina. I visited Lahina this week and fell in love with it. Asides from being on the other side of the island and the weather being different (sunsets and no rain) the attitudes of the locals are completely different.
Its a sore subject around here and I wont go into too much detail, but certain parts of the island aren't too friendly to outsiders and sometimes can be EXTREMELY racist, or reverse racism if you can call it that. I have seen a few shirts and stickers around here that say "don't come to Maui, we are full" and one that said "kill howlie!" (howlie is slang for white guy not from here) Its confusing for me to see people act such a way when its the exact people who they hate who put clothes on their back and food on the table with the tourism they bring in.
Anyways, Lahina is virtually all tourists and its hard to find that attitude there because....everyone is on vacation! Whos in a bad mood on vacation!
Brad and I have upgraded our spear fishing equipment to state of the art spear guns and have snagged a few nice sized fish already, unfortunatly we ate them before I remebered to take pictures of them... I do have a few pics of the last few fish however. 3 more weeks left on the island and its time to get back to work and for once, I feel like Im ready to get home...
until next time, M++
Fire Dancers at sunset:
Coconuts from the front yard
Trigger Fish
More Trigger Fish
Goatfish and Parot Fish
Spraying for Invasive Species with the Maui Hunting Club
Most of the people that I have met over here seemed to have what most people would consider "normal" lives back in the mainland, and for this reason or that, they decided to leave everything behind and join the island life. The reactions are all the same, "I will eventually go back, but for now I am here and loving it".
I have been staying on the north side of Maui for 2 weeks now and everyday I find myself driving to the south part of the island looking for better water and bigger fish...I guess its what the locals call "the search" although they are looking for waves, Im looking for lack there-of. Brad and I are about to relocate to the west side of the island, near Lahina. I visited Lahina this week and fell in love with it. Asides from being on the other side of the island and the weather being different (sunsets and no rain) the attitudes of the locals are completely different.
Its a sore subject around here and I wont go into too much detail, but certain parts of the island aren't too friendly to outsiders and sometimes can be EXTREMELY racist, or reverse racism if you can call it that. I have seen a few shirts and stickers around here that say "don't come to Maui, we are full" and one that said "kill howlie!" (howlie is slang for white guy not from here) Its confusing for me to see people act such a way when its the exact people who they hate who put clothes on their back and food on the table with the tourism they bring in.
Anyways, Lahina is virtually all tourists and its hard to find that attitude there because....everyone is on vacation! Whos in a bad mood on vacation!
Brad and I have upgraded our spear fishing equipment to state of the art spear guns and have snagged a few nice sized fish already, unfortunatly we ate them before I remebered to take pictures of them... I do have a few pics of the last few fish however. 3 more weeks left on the island and its time to get back to work and for once, I feel like Im ready to get home...
until next time, M++
Fire Dancers at sunset:
Coconuts from the front yard
Trigger Fish
More Trigger Fish
Goatfish and Parot Fish
Spraying for Invasive Species with the Maui Hunting Club
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