Then There Were 2

Sandy Beach waiting for sunrise . . . checked whether signs were posted for Kea at his usual place up in the naupaka and yep, there he was. After a few minutes of watching, he began to stir, then turn around and make his way into the water. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement down by the rocks and guess what? Another seal thunked his way out onto the beach, but was thwarted by the steep dropoff that waves have carved into the beach. So he rolled back into the shore break and moved further down where Kea was entering the ocean. This shows them both "playing" in the water (Buster with his back to you and Kea facing his belly). They swam together further down the beach, playing with one another in the surf for about 15 minutes. They then came back and Kea came up onto the beach, but Buster swam away down the shoreline.

I had so many wonderful pictures today: one showing Kea in the naupaka curled up looking down at his wrinkled skin; Kea "mouthing off" showing lovely pink tongue; a woman in pareau with long dark flowing hair dancing hula to the rising sun; even the sunrise was a beautiful shot. All before 7:30 AM.

However, this one wins! Love Buster's flared tail flippers and the specialness of playful two.