Notes From The Field: February 2008

Oahu and the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl...

Nana and I left Maui on Sunday the 10th and flew over to Oahu for the Pro-Bowl. We had great seats and enjoyed a great game. It was fantastic to see all your favorite athletes playing together and generally having a good time. The weather was perfect although the traffic both arriving and leaving the stadium was a nightmare.

The NFC beat the AFC, 42-30...

Sunset on Waikiki...

There's a person in that curl...

Windward side beach...

Riding the big waves on the north shore...

NFL Cheerleaders at Waimea Bay...

Our last evening in the islands...

While photographing the big waves and the surfers at Waimea Bay, Nana noticed a group of beautiful women arrive with an escort. The escort was wearing Pro-Bowl credentials. Nana learned this was a group of the NFL Cheerleaders out for some fun. The gals started playing in the surf and were trying to get their escort to take some photos of them with all their digital cameras. He was having some difficulty doing so. Nana went over and started chatting with the ladies and soon was waving me over. I had just been recruited to handle the photography chores. For the next hour or so, I was the luckiest guy in the world.

Take care all and Mahalo...

Bill

Humpback Whales, Maui...

Updated with more photos - Feb 9th, 12:00pm...

I have had the opportunity to photograph Humpback Whales off the west coast of Maui the last three mornings. The first morning, we started out in the pre-dawn light and immediately found whales just outside the Lahaina harbor. We spent a couple of hours photographing the splendid creatures as they cruised in the warm Hawaiian waters. Unfortunately, no breeching behavior was observed nearby.

The second morning, we went out again, this time a bit later in more light. Although there was not as much whale activity, I was still able to capture some great photos.

The third morning dawned clear but a bit more windy. This hampered our ability to see the spouts and thus find the whales. We ended up heading towards the island of Lanai so that we could use it for a wind shadow. We finally found some whales and dolphins. The photo opportunities were not as abundant but still were there.

Here are a few shots...

A little fuzzy in the low light...

Nice fluke shot with good light and color...

This youngster enjoyed playing with the West Maui coastline in the background...

Young Humpback playing right in front of us...

Nice fluke coming right at us...

This big Humpback went right under our boat...

This Humpback waved goodbye as we headed back for the harbor...

Far off breech near the island of Lanai...

Some dolphins cruised along with us for a while...

Humpback calf pokes his nose out of the water...

For some additional whale shots from my trip to Mexico in February of 2005, check the archives here!

Take care,

Bill

Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii...

Nana and I are enjoying some time away in Maui, Hawaii. We are relaxing in the sun and warm temps - unlike home in the mountains of northern California where the snow is deep and the temps below zero.