I'd like to correspond with someone who has circumnavigated the Island of the Guardian Angel near offshore Bahia de Los Angles in Baja Mexico. I want to do this trip, and want to identify camp sites, water sites, if any and so forth.

Hi Tom,I am interested in de la Guarda too. When are you thinking of going, I hear winter can get a little windy there. What kind of craft do you boat? I am a kayaker. It sounds like you are on a mapping expedition of some sort. Have you visited the other islands in LA Bay before?

Yes, I have done day paddles around Bay LA. I have not been out to Guardian Angel. The crossing may be a bit dicey in Feb. I am thinking of doing a different trip in Feb. 06. Perhaps the Mulege-Loretto trip, with some island hopping would be a safer bet. The wind and winter conditions are my main concern.
Do you think it would be less windy down my Mulege, than in Bay LA in Feb?

quote:

Originally posted by Patches:
Hi Tom,I am interested in de la Guarda too. When are you thinking of going, I hear winter can get a little windy there. What kind of craft do you boat? I am a kayaker. It sounds like you are on a mapping expedition of some sort. Have you visited the other islands in LA Bay before?

You can try with a kayak, but the best bet is to rent a panga and scout the shores of the island. I have been from one tip to the other, on the west facing shore. didn't see much water sources, but there is an old trawler wreck, ENE of the volcano island (tortuga?).

The wind pushes water against the island, so the swells on approach are regularly 6 feet high and out from shore about 1/2 mile. There are campsites all along the shore, but protection is better from the mid to the northern end. On the north end is a shrine, and lots of seals with some grouchy males. Full of poop too , so it smells. shallow water inlet on north end, and some hiking areas

This time of year is tough sailing as the winds from the west, cresting over the baja peninsula, and sweeping down over the estrecho de las ballenas, and then lifting back upwards over the Guarda Mtns creates a phenomena known as a rotor. sort of like a tornado laying down. The largest problem is for pilots who get pulled down into it and then end ditching into the sea.

Boats are best advised to stay close to the shoreline with wind 25 mph or more. along the baja side are several fish camps up to punta final, and places to tide over (bring food or MREs), and some camping gear. Most of the shores have these sort of big gray looking cockroaches, 3-4" long, myriads of them.

The Sea of cortez was really messed up ecologically with the harvesting of sea life by the japanese fleet in the 1960's. the bottoms have been scraped clean and the lush and vibrant sea life and ecology that was the case when Jacques Cousteau used Bahia de los Angeles as an observation and study based in the years prior, have all but been obliterated.

Scammon's Lagoon, just opposite of BA on the western side of the peninsula underwent a similar fate when the whalers of the 19th century discovered the winter breeding grounds of whales and went in for wholesale slaughter. It became one of the few times that the whales went on the offensive in later years against subsequent whaling attacks.

Finally, If you go into the water of the northern part of the Sea of Cortez, the thermal layer varies from 4 feet to about 9 feet thick, as a cover, and below that, the water temp is 54-42 degrees (according to the Mexican navy). try to get to shore, dry out, and make a big smoky fire if you need rescue and have a firestarter available, as many poachers and pescadores still ply these waters on a regular basis.