Loreto Islands 21-day Challenge - part two

We made it to Isla Monserrate, the first commercial sea kayaking outfitters to do so, that I know of. Hot, calm weather turned quickly to the first Norte of the season, and we scooted back to the shelter of Danzante Island. There we played and practiced rescues in 20-knot wind. We also explored the beaches for plants and were rewarded with the sight of the elusive Inside-Out Flower, and predatory green spiders lurking on its blossoms. And the even rarer Cholla Beach Dragon and Ring-Necked Blue Goose.

On our final day, we launched into the setting full moon at sunrise. Lovely!

Check our calendar for upcoming trips!  

Loreto Islands 21-day Challenge - part one

The biggest challenge of the Loreto Islands Challenge, Part 1, was keeping cool.

We snorkeled a lot! Seargent Majors are everywhere, but this is the first I've seen a cormorant under water.

Calm weather also gave us opportunity to explore Coronados, Carmen, and Danzante Islands in intimate detail including caves, arches, and graceful rockhopping.

Dynamic geology reminded us that we ride on a living planet. In this case, the dynamic was primarily erosion, but the colorful and unique formations tell a tale of volcanoes past, and of ancient sea floors raised up. Personally, I'm happy to be a close witness to the occasional erosion instead of the other options. In Ballandra, a cove, this used to be a beach backed by a sandy dry arroyo. The rains blasted out a channel that we could paddle for half a kilometer.

Where the dark water line stops, a section of this wall has fallen into the sea.

For the final segment of our 21-day Loreto Islands Challenge, we're heading out to the more remote islands of Monserrate and Santa Catalina, weather permitting. Looking forward to the simple camp life for another 10 days!

Mulege to Loreto - (next trip: October 29th - November 7th, 2014)

Mulege to Loreto is one of the classic Sea of Cortez paddling routes in Baja and one of our favorite trips.  From the rock formations to the wildlife, the hiking opportunities to the clear water, this route has just about everything.  To showcase this trip a little bit, we're adopting the age old saying that pictures speak louder than words.  Enjoy some of these photos from a past SKBM Mulege to Loreto trip with Santiago Berrueta and Matt Palmariello.  If you are interested in joining us on the next Mulege to Loreto adventure October 29th - November 7th led by Marcos Simental, check out seakayakbajamexico.com and drop us a line at registration@seakayakbajamexico.com.

rolling practice in the warm, clear water of the Sea of Cortez

Wind waves

Sunset over the mountains

morning in Baja

paddling into the Baja sunrise

Isla Coronados

Beautiful rock formations on the Sea of Cortez

Baja team-building

SKBM attends Baja Kayak Festival

Over 1,000km north of Loreto is a wonderful Baja paddling destination on the Pacific Coast called Punta Banda.  Situated just south of the point is La Bufadora, a small coastal village that boasts one of the largest marine geysers in North America.  Being close to Ensenada, it's popular among tourists and becoming more and more popular with paddlers each season thanks to its incredible rocky coastline, caves, arches, waves, pocket beaches and marine life.

Victor Leon runs a paddling company called Baja Aquatics out of La Bufadora and together with Jen Kleck of Aqua Adventures in San Diego, they organize the Baja Kayak Festival.  Baja Kayak Fest joined the West Coast symposium trifecta in 2013 with Lumpy Waters on the Oregon Coast and the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium in San Francisco.  The three events share characteristics encouraging rough water play, safe exploration and leadership.  You'll run into many of the same faces at each event and all three are leading the way for sea kayaking on the West Coast.  As a company, Sea Kayak Baja Mexico tries to attend these events as much as possible to coach new students and further train current staff.

This year Ramon Arce & Marcos Simental attended Baja Kayak Festival for Sea Kayak Baja Mexico and had a great experience.  Marcos passed his British Canoe Union Four Star Sea Leader assessment with flying colors and became one of very few Mexican 4* sea leaders.  That is a very worthy accomplishment for any paddler and should be a goal for many.  Congratulations Marcos!

Ramon furthered his leadership training and is ready for BCU four star assessment soon.  Great job Ramon!  Marcos & Ramon round out the SKBM expedition guides with Ginni Callahan & Santiago Berrueta.

4 Star Sea Leader and Sea Kayak Baja Mexico Guide Marcos Simental 

Rockhop Primer Trip Report

Ginni Callahan & Marcos Simental recently co-led a Rockhop Primer out of Loreto.  The trip was focused on learning more about rock hopping, padding close-in to shorelines and refining timing & technique.  In addition to some playful moments around the rocks, one of the special highlights of this last week was the Natural History focus that Andrew Emlen brought to the trip. Andrew is a co-owner at Columbia River Kayaking, a keen birder and an outdoor educator.  Next season, Andrew will return to Loreto to co-lead a Natural History trip with Sea Kayak Baja Mexico. 

"We saw blue footed boobies, magnificent frigate birds, least sandpipers, yellow-legged gulls; blue and humpback whales at a distance, a Bryde's whale fairly close, bottle-nosed dolphins, scorpionfish, and much more!"

Marcos is an accomplished fisherman and added a delicious fresh touch to some of the dinners. He's also an ace whale spotter and knowledgeable about all manners of sea creatures.  Look for another Rockhop Primer on our schedule in the future and join us on a Sea of Cortez paddling expedition.  

Acupuncturists Without Borders visits Loreto

Acupuncturists Without Borders (acuwithoutborders.org) recently traveled to Loreto with a group of healers.  While in Baja they gave free clinics in the community and enjoyed professional development & spiritual refreshment on the Loreto islands with Ginni Callahan and Sea Kayak Baja Mexico.  

Ginni reflects "It was a very different trip to our usual expeditions.  Spiritual teachings, Qigong, practice clinics on the beach, a medicinal plant walk, motor support, kitchen tables, coolers with ice. Was it because there was an animal communicator in our group that the dolphins came several times a day to visit?  Or were we just lucky?"

"The clinics involved 5 needles in each ear, for general relaxation and health.  Participants then sat for 45 minutes and relaxed.  Dozens of townspeople came out for both of the clinics in Loreto.  Traditional healers are on the wane in modern times, and acupuncture has yet to become established here. People wanted to know when the acupuncturists would be back."

Many of the healers found their time on the islands to be transformational because of the support of likeminded practitioners, the special spirit of the place, the dolphins, and the time allowed to reflect and breathe while in Baja and on the Sea of Cortez.  

February on the Sea of Cortez

Some notes & photos from Ginni Callahan on a recent Sea Kayak Baja Mexico trip...

"This trip we paddled down the inside, west, side of Isla San Jose, which was terrific!  Whales cavorted in the channel, leaping, hanging out, passing by.  The lighting was perfect, and the whales so close and mellow near the surface, that we clearly saw it through the water." 

"We passed through the mangroves, a very different experience to the open sea. The tide was dropping, and we made it through the other side just in time to walk our boats down a little bit of whitewater.  After lunching on a dramatic point, we passed close by Isla Coyote, a tiny community of fishermen & their families perched on a little rock. This was most people's favorite day on the trip, for its incredible variety."