Winds and oceanic currents control the climate, water, and shorelines of Baja where only the more durable rock that is resistant enough to erosion remains and forms the islands. The heating of the hot desert and the cooling of the cold ocean water create predictable daily wind patterns which usually increase in the afternoon and are usually from the land.
El Norte is a strong wind that periodically gallops down the coastline of the Sea of Cortez like a runaway bull. (4)
From December to March the winter northerlies, which are the strongest winds and are called “El Norte,” come up very quickly at sea. The worst winter wind storms make paddling impossible for three days at a stretch. In the desert they can cover a truck with sand in less than an hour. (1)
At the little seaside fishing village of Loreto we met up with Ginni Callahan of Sea Kayak Baja and her local guide, Ramon Elias Arce Espinoza, who would be accompanying us. Sea Kayak Baja not only provided us with local knowledge, but nice equipment including NDK fiberglass boats and carbon paddles.
On our first day we had a few hours in the morning to walk around the town to see the sights and have breakfast together in a local restaurant where I enjoyed dining with a local Chihuahua that sat near our table while I caught up on the local news in the “Gringo Gazette.”
Downtown Loreto
Our hotel, the La Damiana Inn, a historic casa, was built in the 1930s for the family of a Mexican army general who was transferred to Loreto. Located directly across the street from Sea Kayak Baja, La Damaina Inn has a charming outdoor kitchen, patio and garden area where we enjoyed morning coffee and an evening glass of wine together.
Ramon, Allison, Paul, Mary, Marybeth, Sue.
We had a short and leisurely paddle from the Bay of Loreto up to Isla Coronados on our first day. Within the first half hour of our paddle we could see the water was clouded with tiny plankton. Fish, plankton and other nutrients are mixed around creating what is the known as the richest body of water on the planet here. The nutrients are affected by different currents and movements throughout the sea which keeps the fish populations well fed.
The Sea of Cortez is too small to have much of a real lunar tide of its own, but the sea does produce a very strong tidal flow. The lunar tides of the Pacific cause strong currents in the sea which actually occur as a lifting motion. The speed of these currents is determined in part by the width of the shore, the depth of the water, and the contour of the bottom. The long narrow shape of the gulf creates a dramatic effect on the northern Cortez where two highs and two lows race with impressive speed each day. A funnel-like effect can be caused also, depending on the bottom and the currents.
The waters around Loreto and the beaches of its nearby islands are part of the Loreto Bay National Marine Park. The Park was established by the federal government in 1996 to help preserve the area biosphere. There are concerns today as tourism and populations increase, as to how there can be significant development allowed around the shores of a marine park when there is a symbiotic relationship between the land and the water. A big push was made to get commercial fishing trawlers out of the area; it was successful for awhile, but the directive isn't always obeyed.
Los Metate; Isla Coronados.
The shoreline at our first campsite on Isla Coronados was a gorgeous aqua-marine blue and very shallow with white sand and it seemed like a perfect protected spot to explore. Our local guide, Ramon, thought I could find starfish by the volcanic boulders that bordered our campsite. I stayed back to explore while everyone else began emptying their boats to set up camp. Soon, I spotted black crabs scrambling across the boulders and then some beautiful red colored ones that are called Sally Lightfoot crabs. It wasn’t long before I found the starfish, too! What a great first campsite.
Sally Lightfoot crab perched on volcanic rocks; Isla Coronados.
Isla Coronados has a 500' volcano. There are low beaches on the SW corner to large rock formations on the steep northern end. On calm days you can park on the rocks on the outside of the island and go snorkeling.
Gulf of California Expedition: Last February researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute began three months of study of the active volcanic region near the mouth of the gulf called the Alarcon Rise. Volcanic "spreading centers" such as the Alarcon Rise in the Sea of Cortez are hotbeds of volcanic activity where underwater volcanoes spread lava across the seafloor and hydrothermal vents spout out water heated by magma beneath the seafloor to over 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The hydrothermal vents transport heat and chemicals into the ocean, providing an energy source that supports a large community of sea organisms, many of which are not found anywhere else. MBARI’s flagship research vessel, Western Flyer, was named after the boat that writer John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts used for a groundbreaking expedition to the gulf in 1940. Their journey of scientific discovery and adventure is recorded in the book The Log from the Sea of Cortez.
When I hiked over to the west end of the beach of Los Metate I discovered a lot of dried-up heads of hammer-head sharks, trigger fish, and manta rays. There was what looked to be a fish camp there and, sure enough, later that night a fishing boat came up and camped there. After bringing a few of the interesting dried “teethed- specimens” over for the group to see we all began to lay out our tarps and sleeping bags on the beach for the night. Just as we were about settled, there where spouting noises echoing across our small bay as about a dozen large dolphins began to jump and entertain us. We sat on our tarps and enjoyed the show!
After a quick hike we had fresh sea bass for dinner and then settled in our sleeping bags for the night. A strong wind began to pick up—even in our protected bay. We decided to turn our kayaks sideways and lay beside them for some protection.
When I hiked over to the west end of the beach of Los Metate I discovered a lot of dried-up heads of hammer-head sharks, trigger fish, and manta rays. There was what looked to be a fish camp there and, sure enough, later that night a fishing boat came up and camped there. After bringing a few of the interesting dried “teethed- specimens” over for the group to see we all began to lay out our tarps and sleeping bags on the beach for the night. Just as we were about settled, there where spouting noises echoing across our small bay as about a dozen large dolphins began to jump and entertain us. We sat on our tarps and enjoyed the show!
After a quick hike we had fresh sea bass for dinner and then settled in our sleeping bags for the night. A strong wind began to pick up—even in our protected bay. We decided to turn our kayaks sideways and lay beside them for some protection.
On our second day we headed around the north end of the island and the marine report had a west wind in our favor so we didn’t mind that it was to be 15kts+. The north end is the surf exposed end of the island where conflicting currents create confused seas. We leisurely enjoyed the sights as we first headed around the north end. First, Allison spotted a large sea turtle. Then, near the northeast corner of the island there was a sea lion rookery.
“The shallow Carmen channel gets active in a wind.”(2, p. 160.)
After our sight-seeing had ended on Isla Coronados, we began to prepare to make our crossing which led to Isla Carmen. It was the first of what would be many discrepancies in the marine forecasts. A steady southwest wind gusting to 15+mph was surprisingly funneling up the channel between Isla Coronado and Isla Carmen creating 3-4’ beam seas with occasional whitecaps and 5’ waves. Whitecaps usually appear sooner on saltwater, but as a rule they usually appear with wind above 15kts.
We paired up for the crossing and I teamed up with Sue. Occasionally we would lose sight of each other behind the seas. It was really fun to put to practice paddling in a beam sea for us. We had been working on refining our strokes and this was a good test because we needed to find our range and hang in there for sustained wind gusts for seven nautical miles. My mantra was “paddle, paddle-rudder…. paddle, paddle-rudder…” I took down my upwind leg and pressed up with the other knee to keep the perfect boat lean into the waves. The key is to always lean into the waves for stability.
About half way through the crossing we began to spot dolphins surrounding and circling us. It was really fun to be paddling along with them.
About half way through the crossing we began to spot dolphins surrounding and circling us. It was really fun to be paddling along with them.
We had four campsites on the mountainous Isla Carmen. The 19-mile-long island is privately owned, at least in part by the salt company that built the small town on its east side and mined the flats there. Isla Carmen's long north end is comprised of three distinct points: Puntas, Cholla, Tintorera, and Lobos. These points and the distance between them create a potential navigational hazard if the weather comes from the north. (2, p. 160.)
After our third night of continual winds often coming from all directions we just prepared for it the best we could usually by bundling up and sometimes retreating to our sleeping bags to warm up. Throughout the night wind gusts would swirl around our faces and we often totally tucked our heads in. Nothing would block the wind. While paddling we knew to expect only rare breaks from the wind that would not last long. We had chap lips early on in the trip and I found keeping a bandana around my neck was the best way to wipe my continually watery eyes. Whatever we needed to wash out or dry did not take long in the wind at camp, too. We only had a brief issue with dew on our sleeping bags when there was a slight break in the overnight wind--but, by the time we had to pack the morning wind and sun sufficiently dried everything again.
Typically, you will first notice huge blasts of wind in the middle of the night that announce the arrival of El Norte. These winds roar down the middle of the Sea of Cortez.
Scouting from a cliff to see if it was a "no go" morning; Isla Carmen.
Weather and local conditions, more than your experience level in kayaking, usually determines the difficulty of a route. Most important is your decision to stay on land or go. Our group decided to reverse the direction of our route to avoid up wind paddling as much as possible.
According to a local wind surfing website, the strong El Norte wind patterns pack gusty winds in the 20-30 kt. range every several weeks in winter. These winds occur after a storm passes over California and high pressure that follows the storm settles for a day or two in the four corners (where all the square states meet in the US). This creates a strong pressure gradient from the four corners to low pressure south of Baja. This high pressure is strongest at night when the frigid airs of the four corners strengthen the high pressure. Typically, you will first notice huge blasts of wind in the middle of the night that announce the arrival of El Norte. These winds roar down the middle of the Sea of Cortez. A lot of the force of El Norte is from winds just aloft that make the surface wind up and down. Sometimes the wind just aloft is NNW which tends to blow the El Norte surface wind away from shore. This often means on and off wind at the beaches. (4)
According to a local wind surfing website, the strong El Norte wind patterns pack gusty winds in the 20-30 kt. range every several weeks in winter. These winds occur after a storm passes over California and high pressure that follows the storm settles for a day or two in the four corners (where all the square states meet in the US). This creates a strong pressure gradient from the four corners to low pressure south of Baja. This high pressure is strongest at night when the frigid airs of the four corners strengthen the high pressure. Typically, you will first notice huge blasts of wind in the middle of the night that announce the arrival of El Norte. These winds roar down the middle of the Sea of Cortez. A lot of the force of El Norte is from winds just aloft that make the surface wind up and down. Sometimes the wind just aloft is NNW which tends to blow the El Norte surface wind away from shore. This often means on and off wind at the beaches. (4)
Sue Gjerset demonstrates her speed launch; Punta Baja Norte.
Punta Baja Norte, our last campsite on Isla Carmen, was the most sheltered and the warmest. We actually got hot in the mid-day sun and played and practiced rolls and rescues that day until the wind started up again. In the morning we had a fairly calm crossing over to Isla Danzante.
Ramon had a nice little nook off the kitchen area on Punta Baja Norte.
Many of us heard it, but Ramon was the only one to see the tail of a whale as we made our crossing from Isla Carmen to Isla Danzante. From January to March pregnant California Gray whales give birth and nurture their young in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez before returning to the Bering Sea.
Portions of the Sea of Cortez are also recognized as important nursery areas for great white sharks. According to the publisher of Baja Life Magazine, however, the local fishermen have been targeting them for their fins and jaws. He reported last April that 13 large sharks had been killed in just a few weeks alone. Shark jaws are sold locally for about $1,500 per set, then re-sold by more entrepeneurial types and some fishermen north of Loreto use baited hooks beneath air-filled barrels which tire and drown the sharks before they take them to shore. The popular dive spot about 40 miles north of Loreto off Isla Ildefonso is said to be a popular fishing spot.
This past December there was a celebration of the tagging and study of the life history of 4 female Guadalupe white sharks. All 4 sharks gave their full two year migratory routes, identifying when and where they breed, where they feed and where they give birth. Now there is a concern to push for added protection of the white sharks in the Sea of Cortez and the rest of Mexico where they are under a lot of pressure. (5)
Surfers, swimmers, snorkelers, spearfishermen even a stand-up paddler have all fallen victim to shark attacks in the past year. Randy Honebrink, a DLNR shark expert, reported that there is definitely more bites this year than any other year he's seen. We don't know a lot about the great whites yet, but generally, sharks are a negligible danger when you are boating or diving. Spear-fishing is dangerous because shark hone in on prey using sound, smell, and vision. They are attracted by rythmic vibrations such as those by a fish struggling on a spear--possibly a kayaker's paddling or movements to re-enter their boat. Sharks are also very sensitive to blood trails--perhaps even a women's menstrual cycle--that is carried by tidal currents. Visually they are excited by a thrashing or helpless fish.
Surfer Magazine, May 2012: “I’ve been surfing here for 19 years now, and ...something just doesn’t feel right here anymore,” says Marais. “We are interfering way too much with the great whites, with chumming the waters and cage diving, and I believe this may be causing the sharks to behave unnaturally.” ...False Bay and nearby Gansbaai are home to one of the largest great white populations in the world, thanks to the booming seal population there. Currently, there are 11 licensed shark cage diving businesses operating within this 60-mile stretch, with another two operators in Mossel Bay, a small coastal town a couple hundred miles away. Operators use a bloody mixture of sardines, tuna heads and fish oil to lure sharks closer to their boats so tourists can observe them from a cage lowered into the water. Anti-chummers have long maintained that this encourages an unnatural association between sharks, humans, and the promise of food, altering the behavior of sharks and leading to more shark-human interaction. On the other hand, local shark scientists and operators refute this, claiming the amounts of chum are so small they are negligible and that no significant conditioning takes place.
While cage diving in Australia is confined to the remote Neptune Islands, False Bay sits in the middle of Cape Town, the second largest city in South Africa with a population of 3.5 million. A week before the attack on Lilienfeld, authorities granted an additional permit to the reality show Sharkmen, led by the controversial Chris Fischer, to conduct shark-tagging research aboard the Ocearch vessel. The research entailed great whites being hooked, sedated, hauled out of the water, measured and sampled, then tagged with electronic transmitters and released again. The Ocearch permit allowed for five tons of chum to be used over a 20-day period between False Bay and Gansbaai. The official daily chum limit is usually 55 pounds per operator. The Ocearch permit sparked public outrage after Dr. Dirk Schmidt, a wildlife photographer and author of the renowned book White Sharks, questioned why the public weren’t informed or consulted.... While authorities continue to assure the public their concerns are unfounded (while excluding them from any decision making process), many surfers remain unconvinced. As lifelong False Bay local, Philip Nel says “The question that I will mull over while driving to Caves next time is not if, but to what extent the cage diving industry have already conditioned our shark population’s behavior.” Surf Magazine
There is a pleasant sense of wonder when you take in the natural world and realize how much you do not know. It is so easy to give into mystical thinking when you realize how vast the expanse is of things yet unsolved.
At one time the Baja peninsula was thought to be an island where, according to legend, gold and pearls were controlled by Amazon women and men were only used for procreation. After conquering Mexico, Hernan Cortez set out to conquer this island but was unsuccessful.
When early missionaries to Baja inquired about the cave paintings in the area, the native people answered that they were painted by an ancient race of giants...
Just prior to his travels in the Sea of Cortez, novelist John Steinbeck wrote "The Grapes of Wrath" which portrayed the farm families from western Oklahoma who went to California in search of jobs. Most families, however, did not experience the hardships that he presented in his novel. Although the Hollywood movie version was an attempt at showing the sufferings of the "typical" American, it backfired. Rather than believing that free enterprise in America had failed, Russians left thier theaters envious of the poor Okies because they all had cars and trucks. Far from being starving refugees, the Okies even had money or found work along the way to pay for the gas needed on their long trip to California.
As you paddle and explore in the unique beauty of Baja, you will be infused with awe and have the opportunity to learn more about the world. Stay thirsty my friend....
-
References/Related
- Romano-Lax, Andromeda; Sea Kayaking In Baja; 1995.
- Eckardt, Dave; The Guide to Baja Sea Kayaking; 2008.
- Washburne, Randel; The Coastal Kayaker’s Manual; 1998.
- Wind and Weather and Some Baja Rules; I Wind Surf.com
- Expert Reveals Reasons Behind Recent Shark Attacks, Brianne Randle, 12/5/12.
- Surfer Injured in Shark Attack on Oahu's North Shore; Brianne Randle, 4/3/13.
- Great White Shark Circles Fishing Boat Off Oahu, Hawaii. Huffington Post, 1/14/12
- Hawaii Shark Encounters
- Shark attacks in Hawaii may be on the increase because of spear fishermen
- Encountering Predators While Kayaking, Athena Holty. Topkayaker.net