Our family has a “spot” on the beach near our home. Sara walked over yesterday morning for a little beach time and quickly sent me a text that someone was sunbathing in our spot:
This is the Hawaiian Monk Seal, specifically an 11 year old female. Since she is a member of an endangered species, there were signs posted around her to remind her adoring public that she needs her space and should not be disturbed. I didn’t think taking a couple of pictures would disturb her, but the surf didn’t cooperate with her snooze:
We’ve had a pretty good swell going on the south shore for the past couple of days, and apparently she didn’t calculate enough distance for herself. She got a good soaking, rolled about 3 times (not easy for a girl her size!) and moved up the beach a little:
It’s a bit of a pity that I didn’t have a video camera on me. Although she is graceful in the water, her locomotion on the sand is what I would call galumphing.
Once she moved past the (present) high tide mark, she settled comfortably on the sand but kept an eye on me:
Volunteers from the community were on the beach providing information about the Hawaiian Monk Seal (and making sure the two-leggers kept their distance.) They assured me that this seal was healthy and had likely selected this spot (Our spot!) for a little R&R while she went through molting. All that lovely green algae growing in her fur will be shed in the next few weeks as she drops that coat and a new one comes in.
I’ll keep you posted.
The Maui Stamper 
How interesting, I didn’t know she would have fur..and she shed it. Amazing, learn something new everyday. TFS
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One more beautiful thing in beautiful Maui! What a special treat to see this seal. I do want to know if she had a stamp in her flipper and was doing ‘algae stamping’ on the beach!!! Ha ha ha!
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Loved your pictures, thanks for sharing them with us! Thanks also for respecting “her space”! 🙂
Vicky
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oh Anne, this was sooooooooo interesting…. I am looking forward to the continuing saga…. I do hope everyone leaves her alone, bless her heart…. Thank you for sharing your little corner of the world….
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How cool! Thanks so much for sharing! I didn’t know that seals molt. Always something new to learn! Beautiful pictures!!
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very neat it must be beautiful living in Maui some day I will make it there
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That is just TOO AWESOME! Thanks for sharing. It’s my dream to visit Hawaii some day!! In fact, I was hoping it would be the Grand Vacation this year. I can keep dreaming! 🙂
Thanks for writing your blog; I really enjoy reading it.
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Thanks for the neat photos and information. How awesome to get to see such a special thing in nature! Thanks for sharing this as well as your fab creations. 🙂
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