“Quick, put the fish back in the water!” I yell to Bill.
A Botox-lipped fish, called a Burrito Grunt, is flopping around at my feet, covered in sand, fighting for its life.
A few minutes earlier, high in the horizon, I watched a cormorant pluck the unlucky fish from the Sea of Cortez. A large frigate bird with forked tail feathers then gave chase to the cormorant. It was like a Discovery Channel scene come alive.
Baja Sunset
With each paddle stroke, sea spray pelts my face like driving rain. In the past five minutes, I've barely moved along the limestone cliffs of the shore. My guide Terry Prichard - my partner in this two-man kayak - yells at the nearby boats, "Paddle back to shore!" We've taken too long a lunch break and the wind has picked up: we're fighting a strong headwind.
December 6, 2008
Baja sunset
Green. Eco-friendly. Carbon-neutral. These terms are thrown around all the time in today’s evolving travel industry, but what exactly do these buzz words mean for travelers, and how does one small tour operator make its own footprint even smaller?
By Nancy Schretter issueTravel World Magazine May/June 2008
The parade started at sunrise. I was standing on the bluff watching the inlet's colors turn to violet when I heard the first "phoof." A mother California Gray Whale and her baby calf were making their way through the water, less than a stone's throw away.
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Whale Watching in Baja California
Whale watching in Baja California, Mexico
By Josh Roberts
Brought to you by USA Today, September 2006
Grey Whales Baja
"It's the moment of a lifetime," says Terry Prichard, president of Sea Kayaking Adventures. Prichard is referring to the moment when friendly whales swim up and nudge the hulls of his company's motorized skiffs, which happens frequently during the four-day Gray Whales of Magdelana Bay trips that head into the deep waters of Boca de Soledad in Baja California, Mexico.
Sea Kayak Adventures has an exclusive permit to use the campsite at its Isla Santo Domingo base camp, located in the heart of a whale-calving area in Baja California. "As whales breach and spy-hop just offshore, guests can explore whalebone-littered beaches and look for herons, egrets, dolphins and spouting grays," adds Pritchard. "Boca de Soledad has the highest concentration of gray whales of any Baja lagoon, and our camp is situated at the edge of a deep channel where the whales cruise mere yards from the beach."
The "Gray Whales of Magdelana Bay" is a bargain at $799 ($719 for kids ages 17 and under). It includes camping equipment for two nights at the base camp, naturalist guides, meals, daily motorized skiff excursions, airport transfers and two nights' hotel accommodations.
"There was good food, good leadership and a variety of activities that included whale watching, bird watching, hikes and swimming," says Gary Rogers, a 66-year-old traveler from San Luis Obispo, California. "Of course seeing the whales was a highlight. They came right up to the boat and we were able to touch them."
"It was a very enjoyable and educational trip with a nice balance between free time and organized activity," agrees Susie Gillatt of Tucson, Arizona. "Great guides and good food, too."
For a few hundred dollars more, the $930 six-day Quick Adventure from Sea Kayak Adventures is a great value for travelers who want a bit more action. It includes four days of kayaking, snorkeling and hiking in the Sea of Cortez; three nights' camping; and two nights' hotel. A similar trip from Mountain Travel Sobek goes for $1,390, or almost $500 more.
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"On a scale of 1-10, I give this trip an 11. SKA is an awesome organization with friendly, knowledgeable guides and fantastic food."
