Baja - swell - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

lamb · 08-12-2007, 05:16 PM

In light of some recent discussions like that guy that almost got killed when his kayak sank... and given the boards have been fed with some (white and shiny) inspirational material for heading down South, it may be good idea to throw a safety reminder about one important thing - the Baja swell.

It can be real ugly down there. The coastline is exposed so it's nothing like the Shores. 2 or 3 ft ground swell can pump up some pretty serious surf. The sets get thick and the worst of all, they break good 100+ yards away from the shore. Some serious adrenalin gets pumped up for 30-40 or so seconds launching into what seemed like a lull, paddling towards the wall of water forming in the distance trying to ride over it before it breaks.

I hated that, scared the crap out of me...

Don't forget it's an unknown territory. At least where we fished, there are some submerged reefs scattered in the area. Rolling over one of those could be pretty ugly.

With Baja, you can't be tuned into swell conditions so good as here in the US. Wetsand's Baja Norte swell watch gives you some general idea, but you never know till you get there:

http://www.wetsand.com/swellwatch/sw...7&SubCatID=857

Don't make the 5 or 6 hours of driving make you feel obligated to launch. If it seems too big, put it off for tomorrow. It may lay down.

The trips we've done so far, we made a final decision to go only a day before. If the conditions didn't look right, we had no problem postponing it for another week or so.

Have all your safety gear. It's Baja - there's no CG to come to your rescue. Wear a PFD, especially when launching and landing.

Make sure you have the company.

I'm not writing this to discourage people from going. This is just a voice of reason for folks that are heading South to keep in mind. The swell is just one of the things to be prepared for, and it shouldn't be taken too casually.

Here's a picture that Trev took of one of the tougher landings the group had on one of the previous trips. I wasn't there, their story, but you get pretty good idea by looking at it.

Stay Safe Always!!!

taggermike · 08-12-2007, 08:05 PM

I know what you're talking about. The long drive, the antisapation, the high hopes, posibly the road fatigue and you're going out no matter what. I've been bitten by this on a surf trip years ago. Sort of the opposite side of a kayak trip, way to much surf. I have a buddy who is an advid abalone diver on the central coast. At the start of every ab season there is a big rush to the coast by people who haven't been in the water since last season. I think my buddy called it "Sacramento Syndrome". Three abbers were killed at the start of this season alone. I can barely think of any thing worse than loosing a buddy on a "fun" trip to Baja. Mike

esdees · 08-12-2007, 09:38 PM

There are three kayaks in the surf in that picture...

The surf was decent when we launched, but the weather turned and this huge swell came out of nowhere. That was a very scary part of the trip and we were lucky to come out of it with just a little bit of lost gear and some damaged kayaks. Everyone was fine after sitting around the camp fire for a while.

Spinal Tap · 08-13-2007, 12:57 AM

Man that kelp bed looks close. Makes me want to just swim out from shore.

aguachico · 08-13-2007, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spinal Tap

Man that kelp bed looks close. Makes me want to just swim out from shore.

The divers that do that kelp are local. There are unmarked gill nets here so be careful.

madscientist · 08-13-2007, 08:58 AM

Just to add, the orange yak in the middle of that pic is upside down!

That one required a local diver to rescue. Me and two other guys were still outside the surf zone while this carnage was occurring. Those two took a panga ride in, I gambled with the surf. Got in but had to turn around and paddle for my life 6 or 7 times to avoid a big one. The bad news is that the launch had been fine that morning, this swell just rolled in while we were out there. Scary sheeet.

08-12-2007, 05:16 PM	#1
lamb Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,563	Baja - swell In light of some recent discussions like that guy that almost got killed when his kayak sank... and given the boards have been fed with some (white and shiny) inspirational material for heading down South, it may be good idea to throw a safety reminder about one important thing - the Baja swell. It can be real ugly down there. The coastline is exposed so it's nothing like the Shores. 2 or 3 ft ground swell can pump up some pretty serious surf. The sets get thick and the worst of all, they break good 100+ yards away from the shore. Some serious adrenalin gets pumped up for 30-40 or so seconds launching into what seemed like a lull, paddling towards the wall of water forming in the distance trying to ride over it before it breaks. I hated that, scared the crap out of me... Don't forget it's an unknown territory. At least where we fished, there are some submerged reefs scattered in the area. Rolling over one of those could be pretty ugly. With Baja, you can't be tuned into swell conditions so good as here in the US. Wetsand's Baja Norte swell watch gives you some general idea, but you never know till you get there: http://www.wetsand.com/swellwatch/sw...7&SubCatID=857 Don't make the 5 or 6 hours of driving make you feel obligated to launch. If it seems too big, put it off for tomorrow. It may lay down. The trips we've done so far, we made a final decision to go only a day before. If the conditions didn't look right, we had no problem postponing it for another week or so. Have all your safety gear. It's Baja - there's no CG to come to your rescue. Wear a PFD, especially when launching and landing. Make sure you have the company. I'm not writing this to discourage people from going. This is just a voice of reason for folks that are heading South to keep in mind. The swell is just one of the things to be prepared for, and it shouldn't be taken too casually. Here's a picture that Trev took of one of the tougher landings the group had on one of the previous trips. I wasn't there, their story, but you get pretty good idea by looking at it. Stay Safe Always!!! __________________ [------------------------ <)))< ....b-a-a-a-a

08-13-2007, 08:58 AM	#6
madscientist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,906	Just to add, the orange yak in the middle of that pic is upside down! That one required a local diver to rescue. Me and two other guys were still outside the surf zone while this carnage was occurring. Those two took a panga ride in, I gambled with the surf. Got in but had to turn around and paddle for my life 6 or 7 times to avoid a big one. The bad news is that the launch had been fine that morning, this swell just rolled in while we were out there. Scary sheeet. __________________

08-12-2007, 08:05 PM	#2
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	I know what you're talking about. The long drive, the antisapation, the high hopes, posibly the road fatigue and you're going out no matter what. I've been bitten by this on a surf trip years ago. Sort of the opposite side of a kayak trip, way to much surf. I have a buddy who is an advid abalone diver on the central coast. At the start of every ab season there is a big rush to the coast by people who haven't been in the water since last season. I think my buddy called it "Sacramento Syndrome". Three abbers were killed at the start of this season alone. I can barely think of any thing worse than loosing a buddy on a "fun" trip to Baja. Mike

08-12-2007, 09:38 PM	#3
esdees The Good Clone Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Clairemont Posts: 520	There are three kayaks in the surf in that picture... The surf was decent when we launched, but the weather turned and this huge swell came out of nowhere. That was a very scary part of the trip and we were lucky to come out of it with just a little bit of lost gear and some damaged kayaks. Everyone was fine after sitting around the camp fire for a while.

08-13-2007, 12:57 AM	#4
Spinal Tap Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 132	Man that kelp bed looks close. Makes me want to just swim out from shore.