SKA Blog

Thought that I would just give you all a little summary of one of the most incredible experiences I have had in all these many years. Took a trip with Sea Kayak Adventures, Inc.  

This was their 3 x 3 Combo to the Baja of Mexico which included 3 days of kayaking -- the SEA of CORTEZ, followed by 3 days of whale watching --- MAGDALENA BAY on the Pacific side. And they run a really good trip.

We were met by our amazing guides, Edgar and Axel in Loreto, distributed dry bags for our gear for the kayaking.  And I became "Cactus" Kay.  All bags contained labels of local vegetation/sea life/shells, etc. so we could easily tell what was ours.

Kayaks are state of the art doubles, top of the line gear.  We met our boats, all doubles, and ours became "Lemon Lightening".  This became a self fulfilling prophecy as Laurie and I always seemed to be out in front of the pack.  We had to blame it on the boat as I was the oldest in the group.  Twelve of us, a great, compatible bunch of people.  Youngest was 28, the oldest was ME!

Our guests on our Dec 4-9, 2011 yoga kayak tour in Loreto Bay National Marine Park had the time of their lives! Yoga on the beach as the sun rose and set each day, kayaking and snorkeling in turquoise waters, hiking, watching frolicking dolphins!

We do still have a few spots on our YOGA GRAY WHALE CAMP Feb 10-14, 2012 - yoga, sand dunes, gray whale moms & babies - join us!

Sea Kayak Adventures office staff member and first time kayaker Amber Crane just returned from a tour in Baja (Oct 30-Nov 4, 2011).  She will chronicle her adventures in a new blog series:

Voyage of a Novice Kayaker

Part 2: Do as I say, not as I did – Trip Preparation

I didn’t do everything wrong on my Baja trip.  After all, I had the time of my life!  I just don’t recommend pinning the success of your tour on my misadventures. Consequently, I bestow this blog to fellow nervous-novices that you might glean from it the fruits of my foibles.

As mentioned in my last blog, took a proactive approach to my upcoming trip that worked quite well, initially. I familiarized myself with a sea kayak prior to my departure and increased my upper body strength.  I talked through my concerns and asked questions about anything of which I was unsure. (I must confess, I didn’t even know what a ‘dry bag’ was when I started working for Sea Kayak Adventures!)  I joined a trip that had motorboat-support, which was a luxurious addition and support to make up for my minimal camping and paddling experience.  I read through the pre-trip e-mail and thoroughly combed through every page of the trip guide with devotion and studious measure.

…Okay, okay, I actually just browsed through the first through pages, tore out the pack list, and then flipped through to look at all of the animal pictures.

If you are considering a kayaking and/or gray whale tour in sunny Baja, give us a call for friendly advice about the best trip itinerary or location to meet your needs.  We are happy to answer all of your questions, and please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-616-1943 directly - we're always eager to chat about all things Baja!

1.  Do you and your staff run the trip, or do you contract with another company?
We own the permits and operate the tours ourselves. Co-owners Terry Prichard and Nancy Mertz started as guides in the Baja area in the 80s, and are still very much in love with the area. One or both spend much of the season at their home base of operations in Loreto.

2.  What is the minimum/maximum number of people you take on each trip?  What is your participant to guide ratio?
We have the highest (that we know of) guide-to-guest ratio in the area, with a guide per every 3-4 guests.    We have a minimum of 6 guests and a maximum of 13.  Most of our trips have 3 guides on them, so that two can be preparing food while one is leading a hike, helping snorkelers, or giving a nature talk.

Sea Kayak Adventures office staff member and first time kayaker Amber Crane just returned from a tour in Baja (Oct 30-Nov 4, 2011).  She will chronicle her adventures in a new blog series:

Voyage of a Novice Kayaker

Part 1: Wait, what do you mean by ‘sea kayak?’

Kayak? On the ocean?  Like, where the big fish live?

I confess, when I first joined the office staff at Sea Kayak Adventures this past August and received the generous opportunity to join a trip this fall to Baja, my first thoughts were not of starlit sand or diving dolphins. 26 years of media influence and land-locked living ensured I possessed a healthy caution of open waters and the untamed inhabitants therein.  Consequently, the thought of strapping myself into a sliver of fiberglass and hovering like a delectable hors d'oeuvre above hundreds of feet of water containing what I could only assume would be a swirling mass of “things-that-might-eat-me” seemed, quite simply, impractical.

That SKA owners Terry Prichard and Nancy Mertz have led kayak expeditions in the Sea of Cortez for over 25 years (and operated their business there with thousands of guests since 1993) without anyone swallowed by a whale (most of which, I later learned, are of the peaceful baleen variety) didn’t soothe the stirrings of my survival instinct. As much as I aimed for intellectual suppression of my irrational fears, I remained committed the administrative end of the Baja sunshine: from the safety of my computer screen with my feet firmly on solid ground.

And then I saw the pictures.