Pups on Patrol...

If you remember from yesterday I told you we were out on Pup Patrol. If you look really close you will see one of the 1100 Hawaiian Monk Seals left on earth.  Can you see him??

 

Let me help you....

 

 I'll let mom zoom in for you.

This little guy is known as 8HY or as we like to call him

8 Hotel Yankee!!  We don't know how old he is for sure, but his size indicates that he is probably . 3-4 years of age. He has been hanging out on these rocks since Saturday. Just sleeping all day and then he heads out on adventures or to eat during the evening.  He is really green, probably getting ready to molt (he will shed his entry outer fur and skin) then he will be a shinny new gray/silver color.

It's a stressful time for them and they need lots of rest during this process.

 

 

and then....

 

Remember SAM ???

Well not only did we have 8HY, but we also found Sam snoozing just

 a short distance down the beach. He's looking great.

 

 

Enjoying a nice late afternoon snooze. 

 

 wow, you can almost count all his whiskers.

 

 If you are wondering, we were not allowed out of the car while mom was checking on these guys. It's dangerous for both us and the seals. We all carry icky germs that could be potentially life threatening so mom let's us view from the car and then took us home so she could come back and take these photos.  We like to abide by the rules!!

Wednesday Seal Update: 8HY was again out on the outer rocks snoozing and unfortunately Sam was no where to be found and believe me, we LOOKED!!! Maybe tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed Pups on Patrol!!

 

Love, Gracie and Schatzie

Sunday with Sam...

 

This past sunday started out normal but ended with me realizing how quickly your life can change.

 

My monk seal mentor Mary, called me to join her and check on Sam, (aka RT12), he was napping on Aliomanu Beach. Sam is in the final stages of his molt (annual shedding of his outer layer of skin and fur.) This is a rather stressful time for the seal, they don't eat, don't feel well and just wanna rest. So we go out to ensure that they are left undisturbed.  As Mary and I sat under this tree observing Sam we were sharing monk seal stories and experiences when we heard a woman yell from the house behind us...."is that guy okay?? He just flipped his kayak in those large waves!!"

This is where Mary and I were sitting. You can see the waves break to the left side of this photos. This would be the area where the young man got dumped out of his kayak--with NO lifejacket!!

We came out from under the tree to see the young man clinging to the kayak as it thrashed around in a vertical position in  the waves. Mary who knows the east side of Kauai like the back of her hand called 911 and I kept an eye on him through my binoculars. It was heart breaking to watch as he clung to that kayak for his life.  I really didn't think this was going to end well.

 

Meanwhile Sam continued to stretch

 

and catch a few rays

 

After nearly 45 minutes of watching this unfold...

Kauai Fire and Ocean rescue arrived and two of our brave lifeguards paddled and kayaked out into the surf to rescue this young man.

 

 

I truly believe that God puts us in places we need to be at the right time.

Sunday was one of those days...

A woman from Texas who saw the man struggling

2 monk seal volunteers--one who knew the area and could instruct rescue as to how to get there,

the other who kept watch with binoculars that are normally used to monitor monk seals.

rescue personal who do their job SO well, and

SAM, yes Sam, a little monk seal who was just resting on that beach.

That seal brought a whole bunch of folks together in just the right time and place.

Some may say this was luck, I think it was all God's plan.

 

 

The young man was battered and exhausted, but alive!!

He attended his friend's wedding on Monday at a beach house just

yards from where he struggled for his life in the waves.



I'm going to call him SAM...

 

I'd like you to meet RT12--well that's his science name.

 I'm going to call him SAM!!

 

more about SAM in the upcoming days.