In a message dated 1/22/2003 12:55:25 PM Central Standard Time, Stephen.Davis_at_gems4.gov.bc.ca writes: > It's pouring here and I'm dreaming of Baja. I would like to take a month off > of work and head down there next fall/winter. I have to book my vacation > days and was wondering when the best time would be to go - weather wise? It > looks like either November 2003 or January 2004 (unfortunately now is out > of the question). Is one month better than the other? I've been to Baja six times and about 3 months total time and have yet to be rained on (although I have seen rain in the distance during a thunderstorm). Rarely has it even been cloudy. To answer the question, Yes! November is the best time to visit the Sea of Cortez. Hurricane season is over. The air temperature has decreased to a non-oppressive level. The water (for snorkeling) is still warm from the hot summer and fall weather and the El Norte winds that blow much of the time from December to mid-March haven't started yet. During good weather in those months the wind is likely to come up in the late morning and blow at over 30 MPH all afternoon and then settle down in the evening again. During the common 3 or 4 day long storms during that season the winds blow a steady 30 to 40 and gusting to well over 50 all day and night. Always from the North and rarely a cloud in the sky. During the less windy times the water is clearer for snorkeling as well because the wind waves of El Norte (imagine 8' tall whitecaps that look like ocean breakers but in deep water) churn up a lot of fine sand in the waters near shore. Next best paddling time is mid-March to mid-April. The water is a lot colder and the air temperature may get up into the nineties during the day but El Norte has settled down. Bring shade with you, as you can't always find it when you need it. Nights can get pretty cold in the desert too so be prepared for night temperatures into the thirties. Summer heat would be unbearable for someone from dank Victoria and did I mention the Hurricanes. Lots of great places to paddle. Your mode of transportation may determine which will be best for you. If you are on a private self-supported trip the new park status of many of the prime paddling areas around Loreto may become a bureaucratic hassle. Waters in the Baja de Los Angeles area are much colder than elsewhere in Baja due to the upwelling there (because of the strong current flow through that more restricted channels in that area). That area is also subject to the Elephantine winds that occur when a cold front approaches from the Pacific and cold air flows over the crest and down the steep Eastern shore of Baja into the Sea of Cortez. I measured gusts that pinned my wind meter at 65 MPH. It blew down and collapsed tents and tipped over coolers, then covered them with sand. My pockets started filling up with windblown sand. I'm glad I was off the water during the worst of it (and I like paddling in extreme conditions). It was a major problem for two strong paddlers to get our kayaks tied down on the Van in that wind. Standing up was a bit of a challenge as well. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Jan 23 2003 - 20:14:11 PST
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