Eskape Sea Kayaking Custom Classes and Tours

BAJA WHALE WATCHING & KAYAKING

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Baja Trip Options
New this Season, INSIDE the Lagoon! San Ignacio Lagoon Whale Camp For the first time ever, Pancho was able to obtain permits this year which allow us to camp actually inside the calving lagoon!
Kayak Surf Camp/Whale Watch Combo Practice basic surf launch skills or more advanced kayak surfing for most of the week, then head to Laguna San Ignacio for whale watching.
Sea of Cortez/Whale Watch Combo Top off a week of Cortez kayak touring, snorkeling and skills instruction with whale watching at either San Ignacio or Bahia Magdalena calving lagoons.

Do Baja differently this winter.
Nothing beats the feel of cruising these rugged shores in your own sleek, single kayak (doubles available on request). Dramatic desert scenery, dolphins, frigate birds, blue-footed boobies and other marine wildlife abound above water, and superb snorkeling will dazzle you below. Join other paddlers in single kayaks and build skills while touring with ACA Instructor Trainer Roger Schumann, the award-winning co-author of Guide to Sea Kayaking Central and Northern California and Sea Kayak Rescue in addition to many articles in Sea Kayaker magazine. Exploring the waters between Mulegé and Loreto, we'll camp on remote beaches, filling our days with paddling, snorkeling, hiking and just plain relaxing. Informal kayak-skills sessions, a trademark of Roger’s trips, available on request. Work on your kayak roll, if you like or just work on your tan. It's not a trip for everybody, but it may be just the trip for you.

•  Improve Your Paddling Skills Skills development is a trademark of Roger's tours. He is an American Canoe Association certified Instructor Trainer who has helped thousands to polish their paddling skills at every level from first-time beginners to instructor certification. Throughout the trip he offers informal instruction on a variety of topics. Fine tune your forward stroke for speed and efficiency; improve boat-handling skills with Dufeks, draws and other “fancy strokes"; work on braces, rolls, towing or rough water rescues; practice kayak navigation and trip planning.

•  Our Itinerary: Options Abound
The Basic Plan: On traveling days we typically break camp and get on the water between 8 and 10 am, and paddle until lunch time, stopping now and again to stretch our legs, gawk at wildlife, etc. After lunch we sometimes opt to take a hike (or a nap) or to work on paddling skills or snorkel before getting back on the water. We generally make camp between 3 and 5 pm, to leave time for optional activities like hiking, reading, relaxing, tide pooling, beach combing, and evening paddles in an unloaded boat, or working on kayak rolls and other paddling skills. After dinner we'll share stories and a mug of wine or cocoa beneath a sky full of desert stars. We usually take a couple layover days during the trip, so we can leave camp set up to explore by kayak and work on skills in unloaded boats. We know the area well, so options abound.

•  About the Boats
We'll be using a mix of both single kayaks, with double sea kayaks available in order to make the trip more accessible to less-experienced paddlers. Those with more experience should specifically request a single kayak upon registration (you'll have first choice, but hopefully you'll be open to sharing your single occasionally with those who may want to learn more skills).

During surf camp we'll have a mixture of single sea kayaks and river/surf kayaks. It may be possible for me to transport your surf kayak to Baja if you are open to letting others try it.

Suggested Prerequisites:

For Sea of Cortes: Beginning class with basic strokes and rescues or equivalent; suggested: a surf zone class or additional training will make you that much more prepared to work on more advanced skills if desired.

For Surf Camp: Surf Zone Intro required; more experience desired. Pacific Coast Surf Camp and Whales!

•  General Baja Gear List, Weather and Travel Info.

Gear List: You bring--camping gear, clothes, snorkeling gear, wetsuit. Complete list available w/ registration. All campsites are beach front and scenic but primitive (i.e. with no "facilities”) so some previous backpacking-type experience is suggested.

•  Weather Although warm, sun-filled days are the rule, winter weather in Baja can vary. Expect cool evenings in the mid 50s and pleasant daytime temps from the mid 60s to low 80s. On rare occasion, storm systems passing to the north sometimes sprinkle us with scattered showers, so we recommend bringing light rain gear (which can double as windbreaker). Water temperature in winter averages in the mid 60s, refreshing for a short swim, but we recommend wetsuits for longer snorkeling sessions or for practicing kayak rescues or Eskimo rolls.
By Springtime, the air temps should warm up by another 10 degrees or so, and the water could rise into the high 60s to low 70s.

•  Your Guides/Instructors
Roger Schumann, owner-operator of Eskape Sea Kayaking, is among a small cadre of ACA Instructor Trainer Educators nationwide (the ACA's highest level trainer). Roger is known for his regular articles in Sea Kayaker magazine, and he co-authored Guide to Sea Kayaking Central and Northern California and Sea Kayak Rescue. He is trained as a Wilderness First Responder (10-day intensive course) and has extensive experience teaching kayaking and guiding trips in Baja over the past 15 years.

Pancho Mayoral, grew up in San Ignacio Lagoon, and was literally born into being a whale watching guide under the legacy of his father's "first contact." He has also worked as a kayak instructor for 8 years, including working as the sea kayaking program coordinator for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) Baja. He, too, is a Wilderness First Responder. Please read the profile on Pancho in the Feb. '06 issue of Sea Kayaker magazine.

•  Baja Travel Info/Logistics Overview
Getting to Loreto: There is usually only one flight each day into Loreto Airport (LTO); it leaves from Los Angeles (LAX). You'll need to get to Loreto at least one day prior to the start of the kayak trip. We'll meet you at the Loreto Airport and taxi you to our hotel. We'll have a brief pre-trip orientation and hand out dry bags, so you can pack up your gear and have it ready to go in the morning. The hotel that you stay at has a security room and they will let you leave luggage and extra clothes for you to return to at the end of the trip. We usually take our passports and money along and no one has ever had any problem with their things.

TWO IMPORTANT TRAVEL REMINDERS
1. BOOK EARLY. Flights to Baja, especially over Christmas time fill quickly and the cheap seats go months in advance. The longer you wait to book, the more expensive the ticket.
2. HAND CARRY YOUR LUGGAGE FROM YOUR L. A. FLIGHT TO THE AEROCAL CHECK-IN COUNTER. DO NOT trust AeroCal to check it through, or it may not arrive for several days. (Yes this has happened to us more than once). This means you'll need to arrive in LAX in plenty of time to get you and your luggage over to the international terminal.

Getting on the Water: We'll meet for breakfast the next morning, then head to the put in, pack boats (this always takes longer than you think it will), and launch. The first day is a short paddle to our camp, less than 5 miles, for a leisurely “now-you-are-really-in-Baja” start.

Getting Home and Whale Watching: On the last paddling day, we'll pack up camp and paddle to the pick up site by early afternoon to give us time to sort gear and check into a hotel for a shower before going out to dinner in Loreto together. The next morning, those on the Sea of Cortez/ Whale Watching Combo will be picked up by van for the 2 hr. trip to Magdalena Bay, for 2 hours of whale watching in a small skiff or panga.

The last morning you're on your own to breakfast and shop in town before catching your plane. The taxis are easy, plentiful, and inexpensive. Often people like to take a couple extra days to explore the area on their own, arrangements can be made for mule rides or a tour of a beautiful mission in the mountains or to see cave paintings. Re-entry to the work-a-day world is sometimes easier after being in town for a day or two. Moving too quickly from the magic of the desert beach to the demands of 21st century USA can strain the recharging process. Que será.

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