Sea Kayaking Tours

While vacationing in Baja California with some friends, we happen to see a sign posted in our hotel travel booking desk advertising sea kayaking tours. I've always associated kayaks with small and relatively shallow bodies of water like lakes, ponds and rivers but never have I imagined that people actually use them out in the open sea.

You see people on kayaks speeding through foamy rough rivers or calm lakes and sometimes falling off not-so-high waterfalls. However these narrow and fragile looking boats do not seem fit to be used in the vast and tough open waters of the sea. My friends were ecstatic to try this new found Baja sport but I was more than just a little nervous at the idea of riding a little kayak with only a paddle and my arms as a means of propelling myself onwards.

The kayaking tour that we booked was bound for Espiritu Santo Island along the Bay of Rosarito in Baja California. There were three of us plus two tour guides and two more customers for the kayaking tour. We arrived early in the morning at the meeting point along the Bay of Rosarito and the tour guides taught us the basic of using the kayaks. We were told never to take off our life jackets since even expert swimmers might have trouble staying afloat for a long time if they fell of the kayak at sea. They also showed us the proper way of paddling and gave us tips on how to keep from tipping over in case of large waves and strong currents. We ate an early lunch after the kayaking lessons and rested for an hour along the beach before finally setting off towards Espiritu Santo.

Thankfully, the sea was not rough at all and we were able to glide ourselves over the crystal clear waters towards the island. I've tried kayaking before in rivers and streams where I and my kayak was shaken and thrown around during the entire fast paced ride. This kayak ride along the waters of Baja however, was nothing like those trips since it was more relaxing and slow-paced. Thus we had plenty of time to look around us and to appreciate the places we have passed by.

There were certain parts of the water wherein it was very shallow and you can dip your hand and touch the tops of gentle swaying seaweeds and smooth colorful rocks. One time, while we were gliding along a rather deep part of the sea, I saw a very large kind of fish swim just under my boat. I was so afraid that it might be a shark that I hurriedly told the kayaking tour guides. But they told me these were only dolphins since sharks can be found farther off the bay and the kayaking tour route does not pass over spots were colonies of shark live. The dolphins surfaced and followed us all the way towards the island during the whole while, they kept on leaping and playfully bumping the kayaks so that I quickly got over my fear and enjoyed the rest of the trip very much. It was a new and very exciting experience and I was glad to have explored the waters of Baja California that way.