Tiburon Kayak 2015
Tiburon is the largest Island in Mexico. It is separated from the mainland by a shallow channel. Shifting sandbars and swift tidal currents have caused this channel to be known as the Canal el Infierno (Channel of Hell). The starting point for the paddle is a small village called Punta Chueca which is not far from Kino Bay. Kino Bay is 225 mile south of Nogales, Arizona and about 850 miles from Los Angeles. A circumnavigation of Tiburon is about 100 miles. There are no services on the island and no water. Other than a military base, no one lives there.
On Nov 7, 2015, Dave Erskine, Craig Miller, and I left Redondo Beach in my van to attempt a circumnavigation. This was my second visit to Tiburon. In Nov 1992, I had completed a counterclockwise circumnavigation in 10 days with 3 other paddlers. On that trip, we were stormbound for 2 days on the Northwest corner of the Island. This time we planned to paddle in a clockwise direction.
We encountered high winds on the southern part of the Island. We decided we didn’t have enough time to complete the paddle and turned back at that point and returned to Punta Chueca. We spent a leisurely 4 days returning. Although we failed to make it around the island, we enjoyed the remote camping and the amazing bird life. We paddled about 31 miles before turning around. Total paddling was about 62 miles. We also did some short hikes into the interior.
The map in the first photo shows the camps for both the 1992 and the 2015 trips. The photos show nice calm conditions and great birdlife. When conditions are rough, there are few photos.
ITINERARY
Day 1 - Drive from Redondo Beach to Tucson
Day 2 - Drive into Mexico to Punta Chueca
Day 3 - Kayak 1 - Paddled 2 miles - Gully camp on mainland
Day 4 - Kayak 2 - Paddled 15 miles - Cross channel - Old Road Camp
Day 5 - Kayak 3 - Paddled 14 miles - W of Punta Risco Colorado Camp
Day 6 - Kayak 4 - Layover day
Day 7 - Kayak 5 - Paddled 11 miles + Paddled around Isla Turner - Cross Camp
Day 8 - Kayak 6 - Layover day
Day 9 - Kayak 7 - Paddled 13 miles - South of Spit Camp
Day 10 - Kayak 8 - Paddled 5 miles - Cross channel - Gully Camp again
Day 11 - Kayak 9 - Paddled 2 miles - Return to Punta Chueca and drive to Tucson
Day 12 - Drive to Redondo Beach
Read MoreOn Nov 7, 2015, Dave Erskine, Craig Miller, and I left Redondo Beach in my van to attempt a circumnavigation. This was my second visit to Tiburon. In Nov 1992, I had completed a counterclockwise circumnavigation in 10 days with 3 other paddlers. On that trip, we were stormbound for 2 days on the Northwest corner of the Island. This time we planned to paddle in a clockwise direction.
We encountered high winds on the southern part of the Island. We decided we didn’t have enough time to complete the paddle and turned back at that point and returned to Punta Chueca. We spent a leisurely 4 days returning. Although we failed to make it around the island, we enjoyed the remote camping and the amazing bird life. We paddled about 31 miles before turning around. Total paddling was about 62 miles. We also did some short hikes into the interior.
The map in the first photo shows the camps for both the 1992 and the 2015 trips. The photos show nice calm conditions and great birdlife. When conditions are rough, there are few photos.
ITINERARY
Day 1 - Drive from Redondo Beach to Tucson
Day 2 - Drive into Mexico to Punta Chueca
Day 3 - Kayak 1 - Paddled 2 miles - Gully camp on mainland
Day 4 - Kayak 2 - Paddled 15 miles - Cross channel - Old Road Camp
Day 5 - Kayak 3 - Paddled 14 miles - W of Punta Risco Colorado Camp
Day 6 - Kayak 4 - Layover day
Day 7 - Kayak 5 - Paddled 11 miles + Paddled around Isla Turner - Cross Camp
Day 8 - Kayak 6 - Layover day
Day 9 - Kayak 7 - Paddled 13 miles - South of Spit Camp
Day 10 - Kayak 8 - Paddled 5 miles - Cross channel - Gully Camp again
Day 11 - Kayak 9 - Paddled 2 miles - Return to Punta Chueca and drive to Tucson
Day 12 - Drive to Redondo Beach
