Baja Lighthouses

which one do you think is the best looking lighthouse in Baja?

last I counted we have around 150 old and new lighthouses
sometimes I I find a new to me in random Baja videos on youtube
like the one below at Punta Lobo

btw, Tijuana, Guerrero Negro and San Felipe style are almost identical

seen this one?

Punta Marquez

Where is it?





[Edited on 8-12-2021 by JZ]

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

here are the lighthouses I have so far if you are on the water a lot and know more - please let us know

Punta Baja (near El Rosario)

Quote: Originally posted by JZ

Where is it? [Edited on 8-12-2021 by JZ]

Quote: Originally posted by David K

There is a lighthouse at El Vergel, Km. 35 south of San Felipe. It has been there since the 1980s.

Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc   tell me where I found most on Google Earth and not in person I cheated, thats a movie set at the old Fox studios south of Rosarito next to the Popotla fishing village!

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

Quote: Originally posted by David K   There is a lighthouse at El Vergel, Km. 35 south of San Felipe. It has been there since the 1980s. not detectable on Google Earth do you have a lat/long?

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

looks like Isla el Granito to me 29.562436°, -113.534708°

Quote: Originally posted by JZ

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc   looks like Isla el Granito to me 29.562436°, -113.534708° That's it. Huge sea lion colony to the left. It can be seen at the 3:06 mark here:

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff

I'm now wondering why it isn't Punta Loca?

Punta El Loco seems straight forward correct



[Edited on 8-14-2021 by 4x4abc]

Anyone notice the new Baja Atlas from Benchmark has symbols for lighthouses... I now count six in this corner of Baja (thanks to Harald):



[Edited on 8-14-2021 by David K]

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Anyone notice the new Baja Atlas from Benchmark has symbols for lighthouses... I count 5 in this corner of Baja:

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

Quote: Originally posted by David K   Anyone notice the new Baja Atlas from Benchmark has symbols for lighthouses... I count 5 in this corner of Baja: I count 6

old 250k map

Understand that the Benchmark map comes from government sources like INEGI (Mexico), as did the Baja Almanac. From those Mexican base maps, we (Almanac and Atlas) then add (or fix) content.

If the 'El' is that important, let us add it to the edits for the 2nd Edition Benchmark Atlas!
'Crazy Point' to 'The Crazy Point'

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by David K   'Crazy Point' to 'The Crazy Point' Uh, uh. More like "Crasy Point" to "Crazy Man Point". As the Expert on All Things Baja, your ignorance of the local language seems... weird.

Atlas version of Punta Loco
I count 5 Lighthouses on the image.
And the Punta Loco is really at El Chebo?

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Goat, the term 'lighthouse' in Baja is rarely a structure like we see along the coast of Maine. It is more often an automated beacon. I think we know it here means a navigation aid for ships. Take it up with Harald, who made a list of them.

As SFandH mentions, each lighthouse (or beacon) has unique flash and pause sequences, listed on the charts, so captains know which coastal light they are seeing. Naturally, most sailors rely on the satellites our nation's military put in space for safe navigation, ie. GPS.

Speaking of lighthouses... here is one in Baja, owned by a Nomad and you can sleep in it. Where am I, in 2019?

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Atlas version of Punta Loco I count 5 Lighthouses on the image. And the Punta Loco is really at El Chebo?

The San Felipe Lighthouse (off the Matomi 2001 video by El Camote):

The Laguna Guerrero Negro lighthouse:

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Indeed... and nobody guessed the answer! Bob & Susan's Playa Frambes Lighthouse Resort on Bahía Concepción www.mulege.org

Quote: Originally posted by David K

The Laguna Guerrero Negro lighthouse:

Quote: Originally posted by David K

The San Felipe Lighthouse (off the Matomi 2001 video by El Camote):

The Tijuana lighthouse is in the same style

Puerto Guerrero Negro is similar in concept

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

where did the image of EL Chebo lighthouse go?

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff

This is the lighthouse in Sventoji.

Installation inside the lighthouse.

Antenna for the radio relay system.

After looking at many interesting lighthouses here, I would also like to make a small contribution
to the topic. The oldest lighthouse in Germany is in Travemünde and was mentioned in a document
as being built in 1316. Over the decades this lighthouse was completely destroyed by warfare,
struck by lightning, burned out, but repeatedly rebuilt. For many decades, such beacons were
operated as open fires. In 1903 the beacon was switched from petroleum lamps to electric light
with carbon arc lamps. From 1937 onwards, a cylindrical concave mirror (1.2 m wide and 55 cm high)
increased the light from the incandescent lamp, which replaced the arc lamp from 1903. A lamp
changing device with 1000 W / 24 V lamps was available for quick replacement of defective lamps.
The nominal range was 16 nautical miles.Germany's longest-serving lighthouse ceased operations
in 1972 because the view was obscured by the new construction of the Maritim Hotel in Travemünde.
The old lighthouse is now a technical monument and has been a museum since 2004, in which,
among other things, historical shipping signs as well as equipment from lightships and lighthouses
are shown. Models of lightships, sea lanterns and lighting systems from other lighthouses can be
seen on eight floors. On the top floor, which can be reached via 142 steps, the functional system
of the old Travemünde lighthouse with its 1000 watt incandescent lamps has been preserved.
The tower and museum are open to visitors.

I like the contrast of this pair of lighthouses at Punta Arena de la Ventana: (24.0599, -109.8325)



I love how no one stops you from messing around in dangerous places!

Quote: Originally posted by geoffff

Some resources... http://www.lighthousesrus.org/showSql.php?page=SA/MexicoW http://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/baje.htm http://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/bajs.htm Apparently the Punta Arena de la Ventana one has since been painted with red stripes. [Edited on 9-13-2021 by geoffff]

Punta San Hipolito (26.9729, -113.9886)

Forgot I had this one... April 2017:

Any guesses where it is?

Until about 1990, all lighthouses and light ships were still equipped with staff who carried
out the necessary work. During this time I was often on lightships, especially on the lightship Elbe 1.
This ship had its position in the Elbe estuary and showed ships the correct approach to the river Elbe.
I have often calibrated the radio direction finder on vessels at the river Elbe or in the North Sea.
After this work, I was brought to the fire ship together with the Elbe pilot by a service ship.
I went back with the next ship that are going to Hamburg. All lightships on the German coasts were
converted to automatic operation, I helped by planning and commissioning a radio link for remote
control between the central station and the ship.

Ultimately, all lighthouses and light ships along the German coast were switched to fully automatic and
remote-controlled operation. That worked very well with the lighthouses on land but sometimes not well
with the light ships.The reason for this was that in bad weather you couldn't get on board to fix errors.
The Elbe 1 position in the mouth of the Elbe was very important for navigating the fairway.
This lightship was not allowed to be longer out of order to guarantee a safe approach.
Another solution to the problem had to be found.

Year 1983 I introduced the first civil GPS receiver in Germany.In Germany and other countries I have
given many introductory courses on this new technology. Together with my team, we have developed a
navigation system for the sea based on this new technology. The main problem was the lack of nautical
charts in the WGS 84 format used by the GPS. World Geodetic System 84 is a global map format which
shows the correct position all over the world. Each nation had its own map date at that time. Here in
Germany, the ED map date was in use. In order to use GPS with ED maps, we have created an electronic
system which converts WGS 84 permanently into ED. Our first navigation system worked with nautical charts in ED date format.
The nautical chart was stretched in a frame. Underneath, we had constructed a mechanism which shone a
light point from below onto the card. This point of light was controlled by the converter in ED format.
This first navigation system has been continuously developed over the years.
Nowadays, all nautical charts are created in WGS 84 and are typically used directly on a monitor.

After these navigation systems worked well, lightships were no longer needed. All lightships along the
German coast were withdrawn, scrapped or used for other purposes. My special lightship Elbe 1 will
continue to be maintained by volunteer men as a museum ship.



With the exhibition truck, equipped with a lot of navigation and communication equipment,
I drove through Germany and demonstrated the new navigation system.

The tower with the beacon, behind it the antenna for the navigation signal can be seen.

The Elbe 1 light ship is now used as a museum ship but is also used for events and trips with guests.


A selection was made from various projects that I have carried out in different countries in order
to create a book from them. Under the link www.seefunk-gmdss.de you can see a short description
for each article in connection with one or two pictures. The descriptions are in German but you
can easily read it with Google Translator. A description of the project on the Baja California
at Las Barrancas can be seen with two pictures under the heading "Solar Energy Project Sonntlan".

in my search for more lighthouses I came across this arrow in the mountains of Isla Santa Margarita near Puerto Cortes.
What could it mean?

The light tower is at the bottom of the image
24°27'30.20"N, 111°48'11.32"W

It means, "Go This Way" !

David, I've been there many times! It's one of my favorite camping spots heading south. Punta Morro Santo Domingo.

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc   here are the lighthouses I have so far if you are on the water a lot and know more - please let us know There is a lighthouse at El Vergel, Km. 35 south of San Felipe. It has been there since the 1980s.

From the El Vergel Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/salvadorcastro2000/

Twin candystripes --



Edit: No guesses? Isla El Muerto aka Isla Miramar. The older lighthouse was replaced a couple of years ago but left standing.

[Edited on 3-6-2022 by bajaric]