BajaGringo - 12-21-2008 at 09:08 PM
Approaching the island located approximately 5 km off San Quintin's Pacific shoreline.
BajaGringo - 12-21-2008 at 09:11 PM
Harbor buoy marooned on the island beach
BajaGringo - 12-21-2008 at 09:12 PM
Shot taken from the island beach looking east towards the mainland
BajaGringo - 12-21-2008 at 09:15 PM
Sharing a hot cup of coffee (with tequila) on a cold windy afternoon inside a local fisherman's shack on the island. I decided not to use a flash so
as to capture the real lighting effect inside
BajaGringo - 12-21-2008 at 09:16 PM
Looking north along the island beach
Packoderm - 12-21-2008 at 09:21 PM
An idea: Keep the photo of the fishing shack and give printed copies to the men about twenty years from now.
BajaGringo - 12-21-2008 at 09:53 PM
Great idea...
Gaucho - 12-21-2008 at 11:04 PM
Nice photos. Thanks BG. It looks like some of the fisherman use old wooden dorys and some use pangas.
jeans - 12-21-2008 at 11:13 PM
Those are exceptionally sharp pictures. I love the framing of the first one and...is that a two-burner hot plate on top of the stove?
castaway$ - 12-21-2008 at 11:15 PM
Thats an awsome shot in the fishing shack it has a genuine feel to it, the real drama of life.
Hook - 12-22-2008 at 06:39 AM
Is that beach at Caleta Hassler? It's been many years since I've been there.
BG, what ISO did you "push" that to? Such low light, and yet no slow shutter smear. Or the guys happened to be motionless.
David K - 12-22-2008 at 11:24 AM
Good job BG! Seeing interesting places on maps or in photos makes me want to go there!
[Edited on 12-22-2008 by David K]
toneart - 12-22-2008 at 11:54 AM
Great Photos, BG! That photo inside the fishcamp shack has so much character. How cool to capture that!
I am trying to figure out what those images are to the right of the man standing next to the window. It looks like two frames of photos; maybe women.
That effect of back lighting and/or front lighting almost looks like flames. That same effect is not only within the frames, but also surrounding
them. Do you recall the details of that?
Besides that, the lighting of the whole photo is very well done.
It looks like a great fishing spot. David K's map shows the reef. Did the local fishermen let you fish too?
BajaGringo - 12-22-2008 at 12:36 PM
Thanks for the nice comments and I'll try to answer your questions.
The fishermen use a variety of boats based on whether they are working in the harbor or out around the island where the sea is more demanding.
In the picture of the fish shack you can see a two burner propane stove on top of the oven. They told me the old stove had rusted through and was no
longer safe to use.
The fish camp is at Hassler Cove and in the photo the ISO was set at 1600 due to low lighting. That is also why it is a bit grainy. It was very dark
inside.
The images you see in the photo next to Lupe who was making coffee is light coming through a window that was covered over with an old yellow tarp. The
shelf in front had some odd shapes to it and created the "images" you see. When I first entered the shack it took some time for my eyes to adjust to
the low light and my first impression was much like yours.
I do get to fish as well as dive around the island. One of the gentlemen in the photo is a very close friend who was just awarded the fishing
concession for the entire island and with that comes a responsibility to clean and preserve the island. I have attended many work parties out to the
island doing just that these past few months. A lot has been accomplished but even more remains to be done. The next step will be to raze most of the
old and dilapidated fishing shacks. The Navy is going to help us with moving garbage out that has collected over decades on the island and hopefully
we will have the island looking much as it did before. It is a very challenging but rewarding project and I feel very honored to have been allowed to
participate. After the island is cleaned up there will remain a few fishing shacks that are fixed up with solar/wind generated power and manned 365
days a year to tend the abalone that will be seeded early next year. I have been invited to participate in that adventure and I am really excited
about that.
Just south of Hassler Cove is a lagoon. That is a spectacular place as well and within short walking distance of the camp. I will post some photos of
the lagoon in another thread.
Gaucho - 12-22-2008 at 02:17 PM
Very, very cool BG. What a great experience!
desertcpl - 12-22-2008 at 03:05 PM
out standing,, I really enjoyed your post and photos
k-rico - 12-22-2008 at 05:15 PM
I like the volcanic crater almost right in the middle of the island. At least that's what I think it is. If so, I wonder when it last erupted.
BajaGringo - 12-22-2008 at 05:33 PM
The volcano which is now San Martin Island is part of the San Quintin volcanic field which consists of 11 volcano's which all originally began
submarine. There are differing opinions as to the last eruption and they range from 3 to 20 thousand years ago.
BajaGringo - 12-22-2008 at 07:31 PM
Photo taken from island peak towards the mainland with the cove visible below.
BajaGringo - 12-22-2008 at 07:33 PM
One of the island's lava tubes.
oladulce - 12-23-2008 at 12:44 AM
Enjoyed these, and the pictures of your future home site BajaGringo. You're opening the window to a place i'll probably never get out to see myself,
and I love the perspectives looking back at the mainland where I can pick out landmarks that are familiar. Crystal clear quality too.
Hope you'll continue to post some more.
I'm sure I'm not the only one to wonder if a right and a left ever peel off the little point in your shot taken from up on the hill on the island. But
you recently posted something about the men-in-the-gray-flannel-suits that patrol the area, and besides it's probably butt-cold out there, so never
mind!
EMAM - 12-23-2008 at 09:20 AM
Baja Gringo, thanks for the pictures and the awesome story that goes along with them!
Gotta love a good set of story boards!
Looks like you have your work cut out for you and it should be very rewarding
BajaGringo - 12-23-2008 at 10:25 AM
Actually the water on the east side in Hassler's Cove is not too cold. I went free diving wearing only a shorty suit a week ago and was able to stay
in the water for over an hour comfortably.
You can access the island with permission. Many have done it in the past as the enforcement was very lax. Now that the fishing concession has been
awarded the control will be tighter but I can easily get that permission for any of you that are seriously interested.