BajaNomad

Intro - Hello from Santa Barbara, CA

sbsyncro - 1-30-2015 at 12:46 PM

Hi everyone. I finally took the plunge after several years of casually lurking on the site and signed up today. I'm looking forward to becoming part of the community here.

Growing up in So Cal, I took my first Baja trips with my Dad back in the early and mid 70's in our family VW camper or my Dad's '69 Buick.

I attended college in San Diego in the early 80's and spent a lot of time in norther Baja on surf and dive trips, often leading groups of friends on adventures down the Pacific Coast in our Jeeps.

Then came marriage, kids, and a career... Alas, it was a LONG time before I visited Baja. 20+ years in fact, when I took a trip to Mag Bay in 2103 and fell in love with Baja again.

Now the kids are grown up and the Baja bug has once again bitten me hard. Last summer I took an overland trip to Tortugas and Bahia de Los Angeles for 10 days and that "sealed the deal" for me.

I'm now planning several trips for this spring, summer and fall, and hope to introduce my 15 year old to the magic of Baja (his Mom finally says its OK!). My next trip will probably be to BOLA or perhaps to PSF. I have a 14' inflatable on a trailer for Baja trips, and hoping to drag it down to PSF for some camping and spearfishing, either during Spring Break (Semana Santa) or May/June.

I'm an avid spear fisherman and "regular" fisherman, and love boating, kayaking, surfing, diving, and pretty much anything related to the ocean. I also LOVE TO COOK and EAT, so of course Baja is the perfect place for me! I speak a bit of Spanish (it is coming back gradually as I revisit Mexico).

Just wanted to introduce myself before I began jumping in and posting threads asking questions, etc. I'm looking forward to being part of a community where everyone understands the vibe of Baja!

Cheers,

Brent

Bob53 - 1-30-2015 at 12:55 PM

Welcome to the forum!

woody with a view - 1-30-2015 at 01:00 PM

Good times await!

Barry A. - 1-30-2015 at 01:23 PM

What a super intro, Brent.

We mostly love new input and members, and look forward to hearing about you and your Son's etc. adventures.

Barry

David K - 1-30-2015 at 01:25 PM

Welcome Brent! Yes, a super introduction... we await a future trip report and photos (sized to no more than 800 pixels, lol)!

Katiejay99 - 1-30-2015 at 02:18 PM

Welcome to Namadlandia.

Don't forget about Southern Baja, we have some great towns, beaches, etc here, too.

Martyman - 1-30-2015 at 03:18 PM

Everything sounds good except for the part about taking your boat trailer to San Francisquito. Boat trailers get trashed on roads like that. Can you deflate the boat and put it in your vehicle?

Bob H - 1-30-2015 at 03:44 PM

Welcome aboard Brent! We will all be looking forward to your future trip reports.

durrelllrobert - 1-30-2015 at 04:10 PM

Welcome and when you come would you bring me some BBQ Tri-tip?

Maron - 1-30-2015 at 04:24 PM

Welcome, great intro, I'm sure you will be providing excellent reports. Glad you are introducing you son to the "wonders" of Baja.

woody with a view - 1-30-2015 at 07:16 PM

Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert  
Welcome and when you come would you bring me some BBQ Tri-tip?


Santa Maria Style!

shari - 1-30-2015 at 07:29 PM

Hola Brent and glad you have taken the plunge into the sandbox! It was really nice to introduce yourself so we know a little bit about you and look forward to having you back in baja again!

sbsyncro - 1-31-2015 at 12:33 AM

Thanks everyone! I'll post up some pix of my last couple of trips when I'm in front of my computer. And I'll definitely trade tri-tip for good Intel or cold pacificos and lobster any time! :-D

Regarding the trailer to PSFO I wondered about that and would like to get more info, but was planning to post a new thread in the appropriate forum. I've wanted to hit that spot for years but have always heard that getting a panguero is not very likely so wanted to bring my own boat.

Regards,

Brent

msteve1014 - 1-31-2015 at 07:56 AM

Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view  
Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert  
Welcome and when you come would you bring me some BBQ Tri-tip?


Santa Maria Style!


All you need is Susie Q and the right beans.:bounce:

Whale-ista - 1-31-2015 at 08:41 AM

Welcome to Nomad and thanks for describing your history and future plans.

Wishing you many fun, fish filled adventures in the years to come!

Be sure to visit The fishmarket in Ensenada. (Sometimes it's nice to relax and enjoy other people's catch)

And if you haven't been down to see the whales in the lagoons on the Pacific side, Semana Santa would be a good time to visit. The calves will be quite large and many will have headed north by then, but there will still be a few around.

sbsyncro - 1-31-2015 at 08:44 AM

Some pix as promised

A couple of nice Cubera/Pargo from July. Took them in about 50' of water off the coast way north of BoLA



"La Vela" from the far north end of Isla Angel de la Guardia off Bay of LA. We dove this rock for about an hour and it was covered with the remaining halves of enormous scallops. The sea lions were very aggressive. We could not find any grouper down at the bottom, but it was a neat spot to see.



Dinner with Pedro Felix Torres (Cangrejo's). Pedro is a REALLY nice guy and a great panguero.



Fish processing in Punta Eugenia



Telling fish stories with "Chicharron". It was one of those "you should have been here last week" kinds of trips...



Best Fish Tacos I can remember ever having (Guerrero Negro). Definitely worth a stop, but he's not there on Sundays.



Sunset over Tortugas makes you forget about the dust


Breakfast at Las Hamacas (BOLA)


And my "take home" souvenir from the trip (what I call a "Baja tattoo"). BTW, is there an English equivalent for the word "golpe"? ("dent" just doesn't seem to convey the same meaning....) :lol:



And one of my favorite shots from my Mag Bay trip in 2013:



[Edited on 1-31-2015 by sbsyncro]

durrelllrobert - 1-31-2015 at 09:36 AM

Great photos too!

Genecag - 1-31-2015 at 09:54 AM

Great intro and welcome!!

boe4fun - 1-31-2015 at 10:17 AM

Welcome aboard Brent, Your intro reminded me of, well, me! The only thing is to subtract about 20 years as I started going down with my Dad to Ensenada in the mid 50's. That taco truck in GN is the best, Shari turned us on to it a coupla years back. Speaking of Shari, try to join her for whale watching at Ojo de Liebre when you get the chance. Also try to make a side trip to join our gang/club at Bahia Asuncion; good fishing (both surf and offshore), diving, surfing, etc., not to mention the most wonderful group of expats and locals on the peninsula!

David K - 1-31-2015 at 10:22 AM

Cool photos and all are sized to fit Nomad... Good Job, Thanks!!

sbsyncro - 1-31-2015 at 10:43 AM

Quote: Originally posted by boe4fun  
Speaking of Shari, try to join her for whale watching at Ojo de Liebre when you get the chance. Also try to make a side trip to join our gang/club at Bahia Asuncion; good fishing (both surf and offshore), diving, surfing, etc., not to mention the most wonderful group of expats and locals on the peninsula!


Thanks! Asuncion was our backup plan if Tortugas was a bust back in July (which it was) but we had friends on a last-minute jaunt to BoLA so we headed back there to meet them instead. Definitely want to visit Asuncion the next time I have a chunk of free time.

Two of the guys in these photos are local friends of mine (Ian and Max):
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=43054

And there's two things I don't do with Max (the Russian) - drink shots and play poker. Because he is much better at both than me and I always regret it!


[Edited on 1-31-2015 by sbsyncro]

bajalearner - 1-31-2015 at 10:55 AM

Hello. What's your username meaning? There's no "o" between the S and B so I'm guessing it's Santa Barbara :light: But what the "syncro"?

sbsyncro - 1-31-2015 at 11:07 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajalearner  
Hello. What's your username meaning? There's no "o" between the S and B so I'm guessing it's Santa Barbara :light: But what the "syncro"?


Well, its a bit of a holdover. I used that handle for many years (and still do) on travel or adventure-related forums. The "SB" is for Santa Barbara and the "Syncro" part comes from a VW Vanagon Syncro Westy I had for years (but alas sold a few years back). Some day I'll replace it with a diesel 4wd Sportsmobile, but until then the Tundra double cab seems to be doing the trick...

woody with a view - 1-31-2015 at 11:09 AM

Tundra's rule!

Sbsyncro

AKgringo - 1-31-2015 at 12:46 PM

I pulled a small utility trailer with 18" sides into Punta San Fransiquito last October with no problems. I run the same wheels and tires as the tow vehicle, and 10 lbs pressure gave a good profile and softer ride.
My load would be about equal to hauling your Zodiac, motor, fuel and camping gear, and would probably work out better than a standard boat trailer. Just make sure that the motor, gas cans and such are strapped down, more for the 'vados' that you don't see in time than the bad road.
By the way, I have a 14 foot MKII Zodiac with a 25 hp Johnson that I haul around in AK with a similar trailer. I mounted a cross bed toolbox on the front that comes in handy and saves a lot of digging through the tow vehicle.

Tomas Tierra - 1-31-2015 at 03:40 PM

Put a four wheel camper on that double cab tundra and call it way better than good!

TT

BajaGringo - 1-31-2015 at 07:30 PM

Welcome to Nomad Brent. Like your story, photos and attitude. You should fit right in...

Pacifico - 1-31-2015 at 09:41 PM

Welcome Brent! I gotta pick your brain on Punta Eugenia and Tortugas! We will chat more on u2u...

redhilltown - 1-31-2015 at 11:51 PM

Welcome! and don't forget the spring winds on the Cortez!!

Timinator - 2-1-2015 at 07:01 AM

We probably crossed paths in the 80's. I too went to college in San Diego in the the early 80's at SDSU. Started going to Baja then and diving and spearfishing in the mid-80's on. BOLA mostly. Our son is 17 now and although not into diving, he's old enough for me to not worry about and I've started going back to Baja and other places in Central America spearfishing. I still have roots in San Diego and spend a lot of time there so if you ever need an adventurer for a trip south, let me know.

I pulled my Zodiac/Nova Bat to BoLA many times. Even hard hull bow riders. Never a problem trailer wise. If you're not part of the Spearboard forum you should join. Lot's of Southern California divers going out locally and to Baja.

bufeo - 2-1-2015 at 08:43 AM

Welcome, sbsyncro.

Your intro and following photos are great. Thanks.

We may have seen your Syncro a time or two around Sta B., if you've lived there long. We lived in the Santa Ynez Valley for over forty years before moving to the Snake River Plain. I've always envied Syncro owners.

Thanks again, and we look forward to more journals from Baja.

Allen R.
P.S. I've always thought that the English equivalent of golpe was "blow", as in "Wow! That's quite a blow there."

BajaBlanca - 2-1-2015 at 09:14 AM

Welcome! Always fun to hear about adventures. While in Asuncion, take a day and visit La Bocana too! Find us by looking for the 2 story white house, on Erizo street. Or ask for La Maestra Blanca to any kid 12 and up. They are ALL my English students.

Your intro was great. So are your pics.

sbsyncro - 2-1-2015 at 09:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Timinator  
I too went to college in San Diego in the the early 80's at SDSU. If you're not part of the Spearboard forum you should join. Lot's of Southern California divers going out locally and to Baja.


Thanks - went to UCSD, but lived in OB most of the time.

I used to be pretty active on Spearboard, but not so much any more. There's a couple of other forums I frequent, but mostly its the "rubber band telegraph" I actually used to go to a lot of the San Diego Freediver's club meetings because I had some clients in SD. Dove with a number of good guys down there.


and THANKS everyone for the warm welcome - its really amazing!!

[Edited on 2-1-2015 by sbsyncro]

wetto - 2-1-2015 at 11:12 AM

Welcome!

Good intro and photos.
See you in Baja.