Not my adventure, but got permission from the original author to post this here. Enjoy!
______________
Baja Surf Fishing Adventure Video......
Well, after all the hoopla that followed our adventure down the Baja coast in search of spotfin and corbina, I have finally put together the video of
our trip.
I shot hours of video on my cell phone. Love taking my other cameras for
filming, but it is such a hassle at times. Having a cell phone in your backpack makes getting footage very easy. It is a bit shaky at times, but
otherwise works just fine.
We had just a spectacular time on this trip, even with the mishap. In fact, as you will see, it really defined our adventure. Could have done without
it, but
the three extra days. despite being stressful at times, were actually very eye opening. We met some great people on those days, and made some great
friends that we will surely visit in the future.
The video is quit long (1 hour and 8 minutes), but there was just so much that happened, I wanted to tell the entire story.
[Edited on 12-9-2012 by bajaandy]woody with a view - 12-9-2012 at 12:33 PM
that hurt watching my truck's cousin get wet....DianaT - 12-9-2012 at 01:10 PM
Thanks for sharing that ---- good to see them:
-- catching lots of fish
-- enjoying the beautiful landscape
-- Marshall just enjoying all the experiences
It was also good to see our good friend Victor.
But it was not good seeing that poor truck out surfing.Iflyfish - 12-9-2012 at 01:42 PM
Whoa!~~~ What an epic!~~ God bless Mexican Mechanics!
Iflyfish
toy surfing & fish
captkw - 12-9-2012 at 01:44 PM
Damn sorry about your truck!! hell of a fishing trip and a good vid..whats gonna happen with the truck ???? a day at pickin pull grapping all relays
and a ecm armed with a can of Deoxit might save her...what did your insuere say ????? talk about smacking some fish !!....... K&Tluv2fish - 12-9-2012 at 01:46 PM
That was an excellent video. Sorry for the truck, how did you end up getting it nob ??bajaandy - 12-9-2012 at 02:16 PM
Glad you all like the video, but as I said in the OP, it's not my video. Not my truck. Not my adventure. Not my loss. According to the owner, the
truck is still somewhere in Mexico and was a total loss.luv2fish - 12-9-2012 at 03:03 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by bajaandy
Glad you all like the video, but as I said in the OP, it's not my video. Not my truck. Not my adventure. Not my loss. According to the owner, the
truck is still somewhere in Mexico and was a total loss.
Wow, well thanks for posting. A few of us that are physically unable to take this adventure sure are grateful...vgabndo - 12-9-2012 at 05:07 PM
A darned nice piece of work for a telephone!
I spent a fine hour in vicarious pleasure. Marc - 12-9-2012 at 07:58 PM
Wow! Good thing they kept their wits about them.
[Edited on 12-10-2012 by Marc]RenoJoe - 12-9-2012 at 10:54 PM
A great adventure. I hope all those fish that were caught went to good use. I love baja and its people.dtbushpilot - 12-9-2012 at 11:21 PM
Great job on the video and the surf fishing, sorry about the truck. Thanks for sharing your adventure....BornFisher - 12-9-2012 at 11:22 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
that hurt watching my truck's cousin get wet....
Geeeeze Woody...... forget about your truck`s cousin!! What about your brother??? I`m convinced Marshall has to be your brother, catching spotfin and
drinking Tecate like that!
Andy-- I read this earlier on BD, thanks for the link here. woody with a view - 12-10-2012 at 08:37 AM
Marshall is a better man than me. i don't think i could take seeing my truck swimming in the ocean. almost happened at a beach north of La Bocana a
year ago when i sank into the sandy shell quicksand right at the tide line. good thing it was going out cuz the waves were coming to within 4 feet of
the tires as i deflated them and crawled out.CortezBlue - 12-10-2012 at 08:41 AM
a great story
He did a good job of editing, I am assuming using Pro Show software, many of the Ken Burn's style effects.Skipjack Joe - 12-10-2012 at 08:55 AM
I really enjoyed this video.
If anyone knows the technique used to show a moving route on a map like he did, please post.Meany - 12-10-2012 at 09:02 AM
WOW!! Guy's what a Geat Video and Trip. It shows how Great the people are in Baja...TMW - 12-10-2012 at 11:02 AM
Excellent, thanks.Russ - 12-10-2012 at 11:05 AM
Damn! I have to watch this after midnight. HughesNet restrictionsCurt63 - 12-10-2012 at 11:31 AM
What an adventure! Great fishing. Great crew. Great times.
Sorry about the truck. Those deep shell beds in that area are bizarre and now we know just how bad.
I'd bet my last dollar someone (Mexican Mechanic) gets that truck going and ends up with a crusty gemFinchaser2020 - 12-10-2012 at 01:29 PM
Hi all,
This is Capt. Kirk (now Finchaser2020 on Baja Nomad).
It was the one who did the video that Bajaandy was so nice to post here.
Very nice to hear all the comments. We had just a wonderful time on this trip, even with the truck incident. In fact, the truck mishap actually
defined the trip, and really educated us on just what Baja is all about.
A lot of people on the other boards had asked just how we got stuck. This was my response......
Seeing as how we were rookies in the driving on the beach scene, we were not aware of the lowering tire pressure trick, but you can bet that were are
now.
But that would probably not have helped us in the spot we got stuck. It was the wet shell bed that got us.
Below is a picture of the exact spot we got stuck. I pulled the photo from a video frame that I took heading down the beach the day before. This photo
is looking south.
The square shows the large rock that we ended up tying the truck to in order to secure in and move it up the beach. The circle shows where the truck
got stuck. Now the day before there were no shells right were we got stuck. There are shells higher up the beach, but not in the hole. I believe it
was the shells higher up the beach that filled that hole.
During one of the two high tides between when we drove past this spot, and the time we got stuck, that small drop off in the circle filled with
shells. So it was a hole that was filled with shells and the tide was rising and the bottom of the hole was filled with water. We sunk like a rock
when we went over it. Like I have mentioned, it looked no different from the other hundreds of shell beds we drove over during the week. Looking south
past the hole you can see how it is level, then heading north you run over the hole. Unfortunately for us, it had filled with shells and water. Lower
tire pressure probably would not have helped us here, we just sunk too deep.
The darn hole was the reason we stopped in the first place. Caught some nice corbina there...
I will know what to look for next time....and there will be many more next times.
Live and learn. Would not trade the trip for anything!
Curt63 - 12-10-2012 at 02:32 PM
Welcome aboard Kirk. You're just the kind we need on this board.
Post lots of pics, ask lots of questions, and share those tips and tricks for shorefishing.
See you on the beach......David K - 12-10-2012 at 04:17 PM
Welcome to Nomad Capt. Kirk!
Can you tell us how the Mexican auto insurance took care of you guys (if you even had it or called the agent/ what company)? Did they come to Punta
Prieta and do an examination and total the Tundra?
Your video was just wonderful and your moods were amazing considering that Baja exerted such a hefty fine for your visit!
You guys have the Viva Baja spirit! Finchaser2020 - 12-10-2012 at 04:58 PM
David,
I did have Mexican Insurance. I believe it was ABC and I purchased it through the Discover Baja Website.
It was a very difficult procedure to deal with them. By the time I was at a phone where I could call, we were in El Socorro. I had talked to my
good friend in the US who is a State Farm Agent and he had researched the policy from top to bottom, and informed me that the damage would not be
covered. Water damage was excluded.
So the hours that I actually spent on the phone with the insurance reps, getting transfered from here to there and back again, was just an exercise
in frustration. I needed to make a claim before I left the country, but I was not with the truck and it was difficult explaining the whole incident
to them to begin with. So basically, I just considered it a loss.
I am not really all that upset about the truck. I got another truck after getting back in the states.
This new truck will surely become a Baja veteran, and hopefully a long lived one..
KirkDavid K - 12-10-2012 at 05:03 PM
Understood...
Glad you now know about deflating tires for sand driving!
In July, 2010, I posted this:
We returned to our favorite beach in Baja last Saturday (July 17, 2010) with a heavy load of camping gear including two full ice chests and 6 gallon
tank of water.
Two weeks earlier we discovered with the heat and heavy load, the Traction Control in H4 alone couldn't keep us moving (as it had last winter with a
light load).
Again, we did cross the expanse of sand to the water's edge, but the truck struggled in the sand. I also tried A-TRAC in L4, but it still wanted to
dig in. Once the air pressure was dropped to 15 PSI, I moved on with ease (in H4).
I took photos where I deflated the tires and seeing the two sides is pretty dramatic.
32 PSI the truck was digging in and slightly sideways on the steep beach. Once deflated to 15 PSI, the truck 'floated' on the sand and drove straight.
I circled back to take these photos.
Marc - 12-10-2012 at 05:29 PM
One never stops learning.bajaandy - 12-10-2012 at 07:13 PM
Hey Kirk, welcome. Thanks for letting me post your video here. Glad you decided to join the Nomad family. I think you'll like this board... lot's of
good info and plenty of interesting topics.Ateo - 12-10-2012 at 07:16 PM
Thanks for posting the video bajaandy and welcome to the board Kirk. That video made my Sunday afternoon enjoyable. I ate lunch and watched this
journey.
I too wondered about the insurance issue.
I'm amazed the truck even ran (for a while) after the dunking it took.woody with a view - 12-10-2012 at 08:51 PM
"I'm amazed the truck even ran (for a while) after the dunking it took."
yeah, no chiite! it is a toyota tho.....Iflyfish - 12-10-2012 at 10:26 PM
Thanks for sharing this great video and welcome aboard.
Got a question for you.....you obviously know how to read your water. You mentioned that you saw a "hole" in the pic of the beach where you thought
there might be good fishing. What do you look for??? I don't know how to read surf for shore fishing. On second thought I will post this question
under another topic and not bogart this one.
IflyfishSkipjack Joe - 12-10-2012 at 10:30 PM
Finchaser,
How useful was that neckgaitor that Marshall was wearing? I see him with it in the beginning of the video but he's not wearing it later on?DavidT - 12-10-2012 at 11:06 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Finchaser,
How useful was that neckgaitor that Marshall was wearing? I see him with it in the beginning of the video but he's not wearing it later on?
Very useful, once you get comfortable with them.absinvestor - 12-11-2012 at 11:42 AM
Leccion aprendida- no fotografiar el dia de los muertos!!! (Lesson learned- don't photograph the day of the dead!!!) Thanks for the video- great
work!!tunaeater - 12-11-2012 at 07:40 PM
WOW!! Adventure is correct. One for the memory books for sure. So happy to see the great attitude and the go with the flow cause that's all you can do
sometimes.
I thought there was no way I would watch it all but enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks for sharing you made some baja friends for life on this
adventure.
Saladin's Whelk
Skipjack Joe - 12-11-2012 at 08:34 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by DavidT
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Finchaser,
How useful was that neckgaitor that Marshall was wearing? I see him with it in the beginning of the video but he's not wearing it later on?
Really interesting! You guys showed class despite the loss of the truck. It was apparent you enjoyed your trip.Finchaser2020 - 12-15-2012 at 12:01 PM
We both wear the buff for protection from the sun. I, being a fair skinned gringo, have had a few bouts with skin cancer. We started using them at
a lake in Mexico called Baccarac a few years back. We fish there during some hot weather.
The buff takes a little bit of getting used to, but after awhile, you can hardly do without it. Lost mine for a half day once, and all I could think
about was finding the darn thing. You would actually think that they would make you hotter, but they do not. It actually cools you down because it
keeps the sun from baking on you. I buy the ones with UPF sun protection material, same with my shirts.
Wish I had been using one for the past 40 years.
KirkFinchaser2020 - 8-27-2013 at 02:36 PM
Well we have pretty much scheduled another trip down the Pacific side of Baja for fishing and learning more about the people and culture of Baja
California.
It looks like the beginning of October this year. Not sure how many days, but it will be at least 10. Will make it to at least La Bocana, but are
thinking on traveling a bit further south this time.
With all the things we learned on our first trip, we will be much more observant of the high tide mark , deflate while on the sand, and carry much
more gear relating to off roading.
As usual I will be filming and taking pictures with reckless abandon, and will be putting together another video of this years experience. You just
never know what Baja has in store for you.
Cannot wait to meet back up with all those that we met and helped us out on our last adventure.
Kirk
[Edited on 8-27-2013 by Finchaser2020]Frank - 8-27-2013 at 03:27 PM
I cant wait to read the trip report Kirk. A quick question, did you fish sand crabs like we do up in San Diego?Skipjack Joe - 8-27-2013 at 04:20 PM
Just finished watching the 1 hour video a second time and it was just as interesting as the first.
Hope you had good insurance. I wonder if comprehensive coverage covers a submerged truck.woody with a view - 8-27-2013 at 04:37 PM
here's is my version of those bottomless shell beds. when the tide is drained out they firm up, but when the tide is just right they fill with water
(think of all of the voids down there) and become slushy and bottomless and f#*%ed up! best to stay high on the pack and drive at low tide to be safe.
or have another rig with you and a yank strap.
keep in mind, all insurance only covers your rig on "normally navigable roadways" or some such legalese. that means when you leave the dirt roadway up
a sandy arroyo or go screaming down the beach you just left your coverage behind.Curt63 - 8-27-2013 at 05:07 PM
Stay with Blanca at the La Bocana B&B. They treat you like a king! They have lots of local knowledge and Les will give you info to put you on the
bite.BajaBlanca - 8-27-2013 at 05:46 PM
What a story! I love it that they had a novel to listen to while waiting for help.....
Incredible that the truck started up. At all.
What an amazing video.
Tell them to stop by our place next time, bajaandy!Finchaser2020 - 8-28-2013 at 10:19 AM
Sand crabs were our go to bait. Exactly how we use them up here in Southern California. We did use some krocodile baits for the halibut though.
We sure did learn a lot about the shell beds. We ran over hundreds of them, and the one we got stuck in did not look any different. But this trip we
will avoid them, thats for sure.
I think Woody answered the question on the truck. Get down on the sand, and all bets are off. But you only live once. I like rolling the dice
every once in awhile.
Would love to stop by and meet you bajaandy. Will be making our plans soon so maybe we will stay with you a few nights.
KirkBob H - 8-28-2013 at 05:51 PM
Just watched the entire video for the first time. Awesome footage of your trip !! Glad you survived all of your issues. Maybe you should stay away
from visiting those grave yards, huh?bajaandy - 8-28-2013 at 07:46 PM
Kirk,
Not that I wouldn't mind having you stop by and meet for a drink, but I'm in SoCal also. I think you meant to say that you'd like to stay with
BajaBlanca at their B&B in La Bocana. La Bocana is a great place to visit, and you have more than one choice of who you want to stay with if the
rooms are full.
Hope you have another adventure when you go!
BajaAndyFinchaser2020 - 8-29-2013 at 09:30 AM
Thanks for the heads up Andy.
Although it would have been fun rolling into town and pulling up to say, "I am here to say hi to Bajaandy!"
