bajarich
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Paddling with Whales
In 1992, I bought two sea kayaks and planned a trip to Baja with the express purpose of kayaking with some whales. We headed for Guerrero Negro and
went out to the whalewatching beach where we pulled in after dark. We were dismayed to find a sign when we got there that said "No canoes or kayaks
allowed on the Lagoon". We were really disappointed. It was Christmas and the whalewatching trips were not running off the beach there, and other
campers told us that it was ok to kayak along the shore. We did that and of course we headed out into the bay where we managed to see 1 whale at a
distance of 100 yards. We were delighted. We then went on to Mulege and had our first memorable trip to Baja.
A couple of years later we made another trip. This time we took our kayaks out to Laguna San Ignacio, where, after the 3-1/2 drive on possibly the
worst washboard I have ever experienced, we again found a sign telling us we couldn't kayak out with the whales. We settled for a trip out with one
of the guides in a panga which was a wondeful experience despite the fact that we couldn't do it ourselves in our kayaks.
Both places we were told that it was because kayaks would "scare" the whales and that the whales "knew" the sound of the guides' motor boats and were
not afraid of them. The signs that were posted were from "Sematur" which I later discovered was the government branch promoting tourism, and all of
this so called protecting the whales from the kayaks was strictly about protecting the whalewatching businesses. It turns out that you can kayak with
the whales without disturbing them if you pay big bucks to one of the American or Canadian outfitters that will take you out on the Lagoon.
We have paid for several whalewatching trips over the years because we believe in supporting the local pangueros, but the idea that kayaks somehow do
the whales harm while it is ok for the guides to chase the whales around all day with their polluting 2-cycle motors is litterally "just blowing
smoke"
They call it "Ecotourism", but in fact, it is just plain "Tourism" until they switch to 4-cycle motors that don't dump oil in the water. In the
future, we will look for boats with 4-cycle motors and I encourage others to do the same.
As it turns out I was lucky enough to go paddling with some whales in another area, and believe me, the whales weren't the ones who were scared.
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osoflojo
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Nothing for nothing but I believe SEMETUR is the Ferry company and FONATUR is the department of government that promotes tourism. That being said it
does not change your story.
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bajarich
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You are correct, I was writting from what I thought I remembered way back then.
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bajarich
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correction "writing"
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sancho
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I'll sneak or is it sneek, my 2 centavos worth in,
hope no one is checking my spelling
as I'm only a Saddleback JC graduate,
I 'believe' you can still paddle Mag Bay,
out from Ciudad Const., Lopez Mateos
area, to catch the whales
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wilderone
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Most likely signed by SEMARNAT: "The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Secretar?a del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT)
is a government agency whose main purpose is to create a State environmental protection policy reversing the tendencies of ecological deterioration
and establishing the bases for a sustainable development in the country."
I can just see a pod of inexperienced kayakers being overturned in the lagoon by a whale (certainly not a remote possibility), and needing rescue
and/or worse. You can kayak out to the mouth of Laguna Manuela where whales sometime congregate.
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tehag
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whale paddling
Very arduous paddling from Constitucion.
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Don Alley
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Whale smashes boat. Maybe a gray...
Or maybe a hunchback.
http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/forum/dcboard.php?az=sho...
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bajarich
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That whale must have been mad for some reason. When you read the acounts of the whaling expeditions is Scammon's Lagoon, the whales charged the boats
when they were threatened. I haven't heard of them charging either kayaks or pangas there lately, probably because they are not threatened.
I did have a nice day kayaking with whales out of Lopez Mateos. I did not ask if it was ok, but it was not posted. We rented a whalewatch tour the
day before so I learned where the whales were and we paddled out an spent an hour among the whales. The pangas went by but no one said anything. The
whales were good to us and it was quite an experience--very humbling!
I can roll my kayak, plus I have rescue gear to get myself and my friend out of trouble. The two of us have about 60 years of whitewater experience
between us including having run the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, me in an open canoe, which I can also roll. We might need to be rescued
sometime, but it would be the last resort as it would be a supreme embarassment for either of us.
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Pompano
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We see a variety of whales almost every day we go fishing out of Mulege. Of course it would be easy to paddle amongst them, but rather a long kayak
ride in most cases. Most all private groups and paid NOLS kayak courses (2-4 weeks long) report numerous whale sightings from Conception Bay (Coyote
Bay) to Pt. Conception to Pt. Pulpito to Agua Verde.
Yesterday we spotted the first one was just off Sta. Inez. It was a mature finback that was very lazily moving along the surface. Many species of
great whales have traveled throughout the Cortez and our own bay over the years we have spent here, although the grey is rarely seen in our waters,
preferring the Aluetian-Pacific routes and sheltering bays.
One of our frequent treats here on our seaside patio in Coyote Bay is to watch our neighbors, NOLS, with a training course of newly-arrived students
learning the 'kayak roll'....something I learned and did as a BoyScout a few years back. The new NOLS students have a delightful time mastering this
manuever with the right body & paddle flick. Sometimes the porpoise come cruising by to join in the fun...or maybe just to have a chuckle.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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tehag
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whales
Saw finbacks, one large and one small, day before yesterday about 200 yards off Punta Nopol?. 1st of the year for me. Watching for blue whale spouts
now, too. Haven't seen any yet, but...
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Bob and Susan
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Thu Feb 2, 8:22 PM ET SANTA BARBARA, CA
A whale smashed into a 27-foot boat, destroying the cabin, steering and radar, and injuring one passenger, the boat's owner said.
The Bayliner was cruising off the Santa Barbara coast to catch the sunset Wednesday when the whale came up from below and belly-flopped onto the boat,
owner Jerry Gormley said.
The whale emerged again, and its tail toppled the vessel's railings and knocked over a passenger. Bob Thornburgh, 50, was later treated for cracked
ribs, his wife said.
The whale was estimated to be about 30 feet long.
Wayne Perryman, a researcher with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the boaters probably encountered a gray whale, which rarely show
aggressive behavior and are common off California this time of year.
It could have been a coincidence that the whale surfaced where the boat was, he said.
The whales are also known for approaching boats out of curiosity, he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060203/ap_on_re_us/whale_vs_boa...
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pangamadness
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I have been told by the locals that the intent is that no person is allowed on the bay without a licensed guide and the guides must go through a
training course and receive a license before they are allowed to take you out on the water to see the whales. That is for the safety of both the
whales and the tourists. The environmentalists and the marine biologist have had a lot of input to this also. I have also heard this only applies
during the berthing & breading season. If the environmentalist had there way I think we would all be kept off the bay.
But if you really want to kayak with whales go to San Diego and paddle off shore from La Jolla. That?s a good place to see the whales from a kayak.
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bajarich
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I still think it's more about money that caring for the whales.
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