Tiburon Kayak - 1992
Although I couldn't even spell Tiburon when my friend Howard Booth asked me if I wanted to kayak around Tiburon Island, it sounded very interesting. I also did not know that Tiburon means shark in Spanish. The largest Island in Mexico, Tiburon is located just west of the Sonoran Coast separated from the mainland by a shallow channel. Shifting sandbars and swift tidal currents have caused this channel to be known as Canal el paddling (Channel of Hell). Kino Bay, the starting point for the paddle, is located 225 miles south of Nogales, Arizona, and is about 850 miles from Los Angeles. A circumnavigation of the island required 98 miles.
Tiburon was once populated by the Seri Indian Tribe. Accounts of encounters with the Seris have been recorded as early as the 16th century. As Mexican cattle rangers encroached on the Seri territory in the mid 19th century, there was considerable violence. There were even reports that the Seris practiced cannibalism. Today, the island is unpopulated except for 3 small coastal military outposts. The remaining Seris live on the mainland mostly in the area north of Kino Bay.
Mitch Helbrecht and I left Los Angeles on Friday evening, Nov 20, 1992. The following day we met Howard Booth and Peter de Beauchamp in Phoenix, where we added their kayaks and gear into Mitch's van and headed for the border. We had 2 Sea Lions, a Mariner, and Peter's homebuilt wooden Pygmy. On Sunday, we crossed the border, drove through Hermosilla and Kino Bay, and camped at a Seri Indian Village at Punta Chueca, about 18 miles north of Kino Bay.
On Monday we started our 10-day circumnavigation of the island. Our boats were loaded down with 7 ½ gallons of water each since we were unaware of any reliable water source on the island. We crossed the Canal el Infiernillo easily and paddled in a counter clockwise direction. The attached map shows our route and the location of our camps.
A long narrow sandbar extends 2 ¼ miles out from the island at the northeast corner, which can be easily portaged at high tide. The north and west coasts offer very little protection from a northwest wind which is common from November through March. We spent 3 nights pined down at the northwest corner when high winds caused extremely big surf. There are large cliffs with few places to land on this part of the island. After rounding the Northwest corner of the island, a major landmark is Queen's Rock, a guano covered rock, which is visible offshore about 12 miles south. Our camp 6 was about 4 miles past this rock and was partially protected.
After rounding Punta Willard on the Southwest corner, the coast is protected from northwest winds and there are many camping and landing spots. The east side is mostly sand beaches. However, mountains in the interior can be seen from all shorelines.
We had planned to avoid the 3 military outposts since we did not have official permission to camp on the island. It is unclear how to obtain permission; rumor has it that you have to obtain it in Mexico City. However, during the storm when we were stuck at the Northwest corner, we hiked to the outpost in Agua Dulce Bay to see if there was water there. Although we had heard that the post might be occupied only intermittently, the soldiers were there and were quite friendly. They had their drinking water boated in, as the spring close by was salty.
During the 10-day trip, we were on the water for 8 days and had adverse conditions on 4 of them. Huge swells were encountered on the west side and 30-knot winds blew on the south. No capsizes occurred but bracing was required at times to stay upright.
We saw dolphins, seals, a whale, and the usual array of shore birds, which abound in the Sea of Cortez. Signs of bighorn sheep were present (including an old horn), but none were sighted. Two mice, 2 jack rabbits, and 1 mule deer constituted our mammal sightings on the island. The campsites and hiking were wonderful. On the final day of our circuit, we paddled through Estero Santa Rosa, which is about 3 miles south of Punta Chueca on the mainland near the lighthouse at Punta Granito. The combination of mangrove lined channels with the desert cactus and sand made a striking contrast. It looked like a scene from The African Queen.
At Punta Chueca, we unpacked our boats to a crowd of Seri Indians with very nice native necklaces, ironwood carvings, and beautifully woven baskets to sell. We all bought some souvenirs before spending the night camped in the desert near Bahia Kino. To our surprise, it started raining about midnight, with light showers and sprinkles continuing all night and the following day throughout our drive to the border.
Trip Information and Logistics
1. Two days were needed to drive from Los Angeles. Most people recommend not driving in Mexico at night. A passport or birth certificate is required to get a tourist card at the border. A vehicle permit is issued there for $11. You also need a valid car registration and credit card with the same name as on your vehicle registration. The requirements for going into mainland Mexico are more stringent than for Baja.
2. Information about Tiburon is scarce. Howard talked to Ed Gillet of Southwest Sea Kayaks in San Diego who was the best source of information. Ed has taken groups to southeast region of Tiburon. He gave us data about where to launch, the military bases, and the lack of water.
3. We paid $1/day to leave our van safely parked at the Seri Indian village at Punta Chueca (fee was negotiable).
4. We took 30 gallons of water for the 10-day trip for 4 people. We used only 21 gallons, which averaged about 2.2 quarts/day/person. This was very low and was due in part to the time of year. The weather was cool - highs around 70 degrees F and lows were 45 degrees F in the early morning. We also took food with high water content (vegetables, canned goods, etc.) and used sea water to cook where feasible. We used 1/3 sea water with 2/3 fresh water to cook rice. Five liters of wine in a box were a welcome addition! By far, we have found from this and other trips that the best water containers are the 5 liter wine skins. They almost never leak. Our normal water planning for Baja kayak trips is 3 quarts/person/day. A good way to measure your water consumption is to weigh the water before and after the trip, using 1 gallon = 8.33 lbs.
5. We took 2 Whisperlite stoves and used 58 oz. of fuel for 4 people - 1.6 oz./day/person. We had several cold breakfast days and grilled fish over wood fires.
6. If it is windy, the north and west coasts can be difficult to land on. You need
good bracing skills and group rescue knowledge. Being able to roll your loaded kayak is desirable. We found the wind to be a much bigger factor than the tidal current though flood tide currents were going with us in northern Infiernillo. Tide tables are very useful, especially to insure reaching the spit on the northeast corner at high tide. Water temperature was 65 degrees F on the east and 62 degrees F on the west. Wetsuits are advised to cope with possible adverse winter conditions.
References
A. The Baja Adventure Book by Walt Peterson. Chapter 12 has some information about the Seri Indians and the island.
B. The Baja Catch by Neil Kelly and Gene Kira. This is the book to use when fishing in Mexico. There is good fishing at Tiburon! We enjoyed fish caught both by spinning gear and free diving (spear guns) a number of evenings.
C. Sea Kayaker Magazine, Winter 1991. Article on Kayaking the Sonoran Coast.
Read MoreTiburon was once populated by the Seri Indian Tribe. Accounts of encounters with the Seris have been recorded as early as the 16th century. As Mexican cattle rangers encroached on the Seri territory in the mid 19th century, there was considerable violence. There were even reports that the Seris practiced cannibalism. Today, the island is unpopulated except for 3 small coastal military outposts. The remaining Seris live on the mainland mostly in the area north of Kino Bay.
Mitch Helbrecht and I left Los Angeles on Friday evening, Nov 20, 1992. The following day we met Howard Booth and Peter de Beauchamp in Phoenix, where we added their kayaks and gear into Mitch's van and headed for the border. We had 2 Sea Lions, a Mariner, and Peter's homebuilt wooden Pygmy. On Sunday, we crossed the border, drove through Hermosilla and Kino Bay, and camped at a Seri Indian Village at Punta Chueca, about 18 miles north of Kino Bay.
On Monday we started our 10-day circumnavigation of the island. Our boats were loaded down with 7 ½ gallons of water each since we were unaware of any reliable water source on the island. We crossed the Canal el Infiernillo easily and paddled in a counter clockwise direction. The attached map shows our route and the location of our camps.
A long narrow sandbar extends 2 ¼ miles out from the island at the northeast corner, which can be easily portaged at high tide. The north and west coasts offer very little protection from a northwest wind which is common from November through March. We spent 3 nights pined down at the northwest corner when high winds caused extremely big surf. There are large cliffs with few places to land on this part of the island. After rounding the Northwest corner of the island, a major landmark is Queen's Rock, a guano covered rock, which is visible offshore about 12 miles south. Our camp 6 was about 4 miles past this rock and was partially protected.
After rounding Punta Willard on the Southwest corner, the coast is protected from northwest winds and there are many camping and landing spots. The east side is mostly sand beaches. However, mountains in the interior can be seen from all shorelines.
We had planned to avoid the 3 military outposts since we did not have official permission to camp on the island. It is unclear how to obtain permission; rumor has it that you have to obtain it in Mexico City. However, during the storm when we were stuck at the Northwest corner, we hiked to the outpost in Agua Dulce Bay to see if there was water there. Although we had heard that the post might be occupied only intermittently, the soldiers were there and were quite friendly. They had their drinking water boated in, as the spring close by was salty.
During the 10-day trip, we were on the water for 8 days and had adverse conditions on 4 of them. Huge swells were encountered on the west side and 30-knot winds blew on the south. No capsizes occurred but bracing was required at times to stay upright.
We saw dolphins, seals, a whale, and the usual array of shore birds, which abound in the Sea of Cortez. Signs of bighorn sheep were present (including an old horn), but none were sighted. Two mice, 2 jack rabbits, and 1 mule deer constituted our mammal sightings on the island. The campsites and hiking were wonderful. On the final day of our circuit, we paddled through Estero Santa Rosa, which is about 3 miles south of Punta Chueca on the mainland near the lighthouse at Punta Granito. The combination of mangrove lined channels with the desert cactus and sand made a striking contrast. It looked like a scene from The African Queen.
At Punta Chueca, we unpacked our boats to a crowd of Seri Indians with very nice native necklaces, ironwood carvings, and beautifully woven baskets to sell. We all bought some souvenirs before spending the night camped in the desert near Bahia Kino. To our surprise, it started raining about midnight, with light showers and sprinkles continuing all night and the following day throughout our drive to the border.
Trip Information and Logistics
1. Two days were needed to drive from Los Angeles. Most people recommend not driving in Mexico at night. A passport or birth certificate is required to get a tourist card at the border. A vehicle permit is issued there for $11. You also need a valid car registration and credit card with the same name as on your vehicle registration. The requirements for going into mainland Mexico are more stringent than for Baja.
2. Information about Tiburon is scarce. Howard talked to Ed Gillet of Southwest Sea Kayaks in San Diego who was the best source of information. Ed has taken groups to southeast region of Tiburon. He gave us data about where to launch, the military bases, and the lack of water.
3. We paid $1/day to leave our van safely parked at the Seri Indian village at Punta Chueca (fee was negotiable).
4. We took 30 gallons of water for the 10-day trip for 4 people. We used only 21 gallons, which averaged about 2.2 quarts/day/person. This was very low and was due in part to the time of year. The weather was cool - highs around 70 degrees F and lows were 45 degrees F in the early morning. We also took food with high water content (vegetables, canned goods, etc.) and used sea water to cook where feasible. We used 1/3 sea water with 2/3 fresh water to cook rice. Five liters of wine in a box were a welcome addition! By far, we have found from this and other trips that the best water containers are the 5 liter wine skins. They almost never leak. Our normal water planning for Baja kayak trips is 3 quarts/person/day. A good way to measure your water consumption is to weigh the water before and after the trip, using 1 gallon = 8.33 lbs.
5. We took 2 Whisperlite stoves and used 58 oz. of fuel for 4 people - 1.6 oz./day/person. We had several cold breakfast days and grilled fish over wood fires.
6. If it is windy, the north and west coasts can be difficult to land on. You need
good bracing skills and group rescue knowledge. Being able to roll your loaded kayak is desirable. We found the wind to be a much bigger factor than the tidal current though flood tide currents were going with us in northern Infiernillo. Tide tables are very useful, especially to insure reaching the spit on the northeast corner at high tide. Water temperature was 65 degrees F on the east and 62 degrees F on the west. Wetsuits are advised to cope with possible adverse winter conditions.
References
A. The Baja Adventure Book by Walt Peterson. Chapter 12 has some information about the Seri Indians and the island.
B. The Baja Catch by Neil Kelly and Gene Kira. This is the book to use when fishing in Mexico. There is good fishing at Tiburon! We enjoyed fish caught both by spinning gear and free diving (spear guns) a number of evenings.
C. Sea Kayaker Magazine, Winter 1991. Article on Kayaking the Sonoran Coast.
