The last few days have brought a few more signs of winter to Maui. I usually am fortunate to go to bed with the sound of palm fronds swaying in the wind. It is a great white noise for soothing you to sleep. The last few nights I have heard a new white noise more common to winter. The crash of heavy surf has been distinct in my neighborhood. The distant thunder of waves crashing along the shore has returned over the last few nights. The place where I live is about 500 yards or so as the crow flies from the surf yet the sounds is pretty distinct. When our biggest surf hits the north shore, waves can be heard miles inland from the ocean.

There was a quick blurb in the Maui News that the first whale of the season was spotted yesterday. Humpback whales are abundant in local waters during the winter time. The prime season for whales is December through April, but we usually see our first whale sometime around mid to late October.

Sunday I posted a story about Dave Kalama and Laird Hamilton’s big paddle and peddle adventure to raise awareness for autism. The expedition which started at the Southernmost tip of the Big Island was to go all the way to Kauai. There were some doubts as to whether Kalama and Hamilton would be able to make the trek when they were faced with less than ideal conditions. After an epic crossing of roughly 18 hours between Oahu and Kauai, the duo of super watermen completed their journey. Congrats to Laird and Dave for their efforts for a good cause.