1/17/2024 0 Comments Bay breeze paddle adventuresIt was so peaceful and there was so much to see and do I would gladly have stayed there every day I was on the island. A busy reddish egret chased small fish in the shallows of the lagoon. I watched the rich morning light falling warm and colorful on the mountains of the peninsula. However, I didn’t see a sign of coyotes while out there. I’d forgotten to ask the island office staff if there were any coyotes on the island, so I secured my kayak and gear as if there were. I slept soundly and uninterrupted in my tent. I enjoyed lovely views east across the Canal de las Ballenas, and west, back through the lagoon to “mainland” Baja. It was a warm, calm, “shorts” evening with just enough breeze to keep the bugs away. I could easily launch my kayak in either direction. Even though the lagoon didn’t completely bisect Smith Island, I liked having options. When I checked out a sandy campsite at the lagoon’s head I saw it was also on a beach in a lovely sheltered bay facing Guardian Angel Island. The number of large bat rays in the water got my attention. But inside, the lagoon opened up and seemed to reach to the other side of the island. At low tide the entrance was narrow and shallow. My overloaded kayak was more suitable for coast running-I’d paddled it from Bahía Gonzaga to La Paz mainly by keeping less than 200 yards from shore and watching continuously for any sign of an incipient blow.Īfter half an hour of hard paddling I started to relax as I approached the island and the lagoon which is hard to spot from the water. After sitting in my kayak five minutes off Punta La Gringa looking across at the Island I decided to go for it, heading for a low point about three-quarters the way down the island which would give me access to a sheltered lagoon.Ĭrossing an open body of water always makes me a little nervous. I was prepared to spend the night at La Gringa and head over on Sunday if necessary.īy the time I got to La Gringa, the winds were already coming from every direction but that forecast, and vacillating from almost calm to surprisingly strong.įor safety, I had a SPOT satellite device and a VHF marine radio instantly at hand on the deck. So I set off Saturday morning for La Gringa which would be my point of departure for the island. And west wind conditions can be particularly unpredictable and dangerous for boaters and kayakers. I took comfort from the concurring forecasts, but I never totally trust weather forecasts in the Bahía de los Ángeles area experience has taught me that there can be huge disparities in conditions just a mile or two apart. By Tuesday, April 30 it should have calmed down enough to allow me to paddle back to the peninsula and make my way to my point of departure a mile south of town. I planned on heading out Saturday, April 27 when winds should be moderate, as they should still be for most of that Sunday, but Sunday night through Monday the winds were forecast to be strong and westerly. I’d already consulted two other online forecasts. But I had an annual pass, a credit card sized “pasaporte” that covers all the national parks and protected area in Mexico-it costs about $20 US and, as well as money, saves a lot of messing with registration and wrist bands.Īt my request the office staff provided the wind and weather forecast for the days I’d be out there. Normally, one pays for a permit for $4 or $5 US a day. I paid a visit to the “Islas del Golfo de California” Biosphere Reserve office on the main street in town. The island, like all the islands in the Gulf of California, is protected and one needs a permit to be out there. I planned to put that right, paddling out there on my sit-on-top Cobra Fish n’ Dive kayak and camping for a few days. I’d been around the five mile-long island several times by boat enjoying multiple finback whale encounters, but I’d never set foot on the island. The cone-shape volcano at the north end of Smith Island, or Isla Coronado, is a familiar sight for visitors to Bahía de los Ángeles. About Discover Baja Mexican Auto Insurance Policies.
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