Bahia de Los Angeles
Sea Kayaking Baja, Mexico

July 17

I arrive in San Diego, California with arrangements for Luke and Bryan to pick me up at the airport.  Walking outside, I get a glimpse of  a red Ford Ranger truck with a homemade wooden rack on the bed engineered with 8” x 8” oak posts with PVC pipe rails on top reinforced with steel rebar inside.  Right away, two things were obvious:  1) that had to be Luke and Bryan and 2) this was going to be an incredible trip.

We head to the gear outfitter to pick up our kayaks.  After loading the rack with the boats and strapping them down, a few slight last minute modifications are made to the rack with nothing other than a hammer and nails. 

July 18

We get an early start to beat the San Diego traffic and head south to the boarder of Tiajuana.  The border crossing goes off without a hitch.  Luke finds Baja Hwy 1 and we are on our way, 400 miles south to Bahia de Los Angeles.  The scenery is both cluttered and beautiful.  In the border towns of Tiajuana continuing south to Ensenada, run down shacks are interlaced with a few scattered condos and hotels along the gorgeous coastline of the Pacific Ocean.

San Quintin is about the 200 mile mark and we stop at the Pemex for fuel and lunch.  We stopped in this little café and I ordered the fish taco plate for $42 pesos (about $4 US).  Expecting a few small tacos, I received fresh chips and salsa, homemade soup, and a full plate of fish tacos complete with all the fixings on the side. 

As we get close to Bahia de Los Angeles, I catch my first glimpse of the bay!  The view was astounding!  Small islands laced the calm bay protected by Isla Angel de la Guardia way off in the distance.   We continue on and stop at Guillermos for supper and grab a table outside right next to the water and order a round of Coronas and Margaritas.  A local, Herman, comes by our table and joins us in conversation.  We all eat like kings as Herman fills us in on the town history and places to paddle.  He warns us of the strong currents and winds that sneak up without warning.  After dinner, we drive just outside of town and make camp near the water to sort out gear for the next 2 days.  I lay here staring up at zillions of stars with the sounds of sea lions barking and birds talking off in the distance.

July 19

As the sun breaks the horizon line, we slowly start to gather our gear and pack dry bags. Food rations for 3 people / 2 days are sorted and stowed in dry bags in the hull of our kayaks.  Sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and other camp essentials are also packed like intricate puzzle pieces and strapped into place on the stern of Bryan’s and my boat.  Water is calculated at roughly 1 gallon per person per day.  This should accommodate our cooking needs as well.  It is very hot in Baja this time of year so it is important to stay hydrated.

Sea kayaking in the Sea of Cortez around Bahia de Los Angeles is based primarily on visual navigation with your maps.  No GPS device was taken.  The islands are close enough that we can constantly locate our position with respect to the sea.

We are off!  The shore slowly gets smaller and smaller as we set course to Isla la Ventana.  The goal is to run along the west side of the island from south to north en route to small cove that supposedly offers superb snorkeling.  The water is crystal clear as we enter the cove.  We beach our kayaks and gear up with a diving mask, snorkel, and fins.  The cove is protected from the sea and therefore abundant with sea life.  We discovered starfish, a variety of fish, and manta ray’s camouflaged in the sandy floor. Lunch is prepared on the beach of the island and soon we are headed off to the narrow channel between Isla la Bota and Isla la Pata. 

The water that sits between these two islands is a rich emerald green in comparison to the darker blue water of the surrounding sea.  Bryan, Luke, and I scrambled up the scree field face of Isla la Pata.  The view was magnificent!   Once we climbed down, we spent some time swimming in the channel and snorkeling.  Soon we depart for Isla Coronado, our campsite destination for the day.

As we paddle our way to Isla Coronado, Volcan Coronado (Coronado Volcano) looms in the distance.  There was at one point talk of trying to scale this volcano, but as we paddle closer, the discussion is tabled without argument as we realize the climb would be quite an undertaking.  A lone sailboat is anchored in one of the coves.  We slowly approach the sailboat and find a middle aged clean shaven guy with his feet propped up on the rail reading a book under the security of an overhead shade screen.  During our conversation, we learned that he had lived on his sailboat for 7 years and can completely self support from his boat.  Solar panels power his mini-fridge and other small electronics, a water purification system converts the unpalatable salt water into fresh drinking water, and a spear gun, diving mask, snorkel, and fishing poles satisfy his need for lobster, crabs and other tasty seafood.  We are all jealous!

A thin isthmus connecting two sections of the island is where we make our camp for the evening.  The sea is at high tide and we soon discover the large crabs in the shallow waters near our camp.  Most are too fast to catch with our hands so we used the hatch cover on our boat, a round piece of heavy rubber with a small lip to it, and toss it just like a frisbee trapping the crab underneath.  Then, I used the paddle blade to scoop under the hatch cover sandwiching the crab between.  The crabs made for a tasty appetizer while we boiled pasta for dinner.

The sunset was spectacular and after dark we discovered the bioluminescence in the water.  As we disturbed the surface of the water, a neon green glow followed our movement. Bryan and I were a little timid swimming in the water on the side of the island facing the open sea as we had numerous jelly fish stings earlier in the day.  We jumped in anyways.

July 20

Oatmeal served as a nutritious breakfast and soon we packed our boats.  Our route back to the mainland was going to be along the backside of the islands we paddled through the previous day and around Isla la Ventana back to Bahia de Los Angeles.  The current was a bit stronger today or maybe we were just tired from the day before. 

As we approached Isla la Calvera, shaped almost like a human skull, the sound of barking sea lions resonated through the air.  Upon closer inspection, there were hundreds of sea lions, some in the water, some basking in the sun on the rocky island.  It was obvious they were threatened by our presence and so we glided a little closer as I got my camera ready.  After snapping some pictures we paddled away a bit and snorkeled in the nearby waters.  A couple of curious sea lions swam close enough for a look before darting away.  They circled back around and this time got even closer.  The experience was amazing as were in the sea and not some zoo or amusement park with trained animals. We made our way around the rest of the islands and discovered the huge window that gave Isla la Ventana its name. 

My arms were relieved as we beached our kayaks back on mainland baja.  We unpacked our kayaks and loaded them on Luke’s truck.  It was not long before we found a few cold Mexican beers and a few gallons of gas to start our journey back home. 

We camped on the beach halfway up the peninsula and feast on dinner fit for a king.  There was one lone restaurant and I think we all ordered crab claws, the house special.  The chips and salsa were delicious which were washed down with numerous beers and margaritas.  Needless to say, none of us had a problem sleeping that night.

The flight home allowed for a little sleep which proved how exhausted I was from the extended weekend of sea kayaking and exploring.  The plane would not get into Dallas until very late knowing full well I had to be at the office by 8am.  I would have it no other way!

- Gabe Steger