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BAJA: BAJA LOVE  

Windsurfing legend Kevin Pritchard, coach Jem Hall and wave sailors Rachel Tucker and James Mellor, all share their love for Baja and its long, peeling Pacific point breaks. 

WORDS – Kevin Pritchard, Jem Hall, Rachel Tucker, James Mellor // PHOTOS – Kevin Pritchard, Clark Merritt. 

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Sometimes we need an escape. I know what you are thinking, escape from Maui? But sometimes the desire to get off the ‘rock’ and explore feels like a good idea. And Baja always sounds like a great idea. I have been going to Baja for almost 30 years, back when my brother and I were kids, travelling there with our family. It always brings good memories and good times. Usually though, I always tend to go with others who take the lead for the cooking, packing and decision making. How much water should we take? Where are we going to go? Where is the swell going to hit best, is 200 degrees SSW too steep of a swell angle for southern Baja? When the pressure is on to make those decisions, it is not easy. I generally prepare for everything, hope for the best, jump in the van and head south.

Head south

Baja is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a rugged, rough, dry, sandy, hot desert. That combined with its cold, resilient, timeless landscape can destruct even the strongest of adventurers. But with the toughness comes the beauty, the lure of untouched, uncrowded waves. Head south my friend, head south. 
I asked my friend “Mr. Baja”, windsurfing legend Brian Caserio, for some of his local knowledge, and he filled me in on some of his secrets. One of them was to go through Mexicali instead of Tijuana. If you are ever heading south past Cataviña, and have a pretty dirt worthy vehicle, that is the way to go! Long and straight, no turns, no trucks, no towns, and epic beauty driving along the Sea of Cortez. The Sea of Cortez side is pretty incredible. There are no waves, but its beauty is amazing. The bright blue water with the contrasting desert landscape makes for awesome scenery. Cactus against tropical blue water makes for the ultimate contrast.
And the further south you go, the less people there are and the more the escape. The funny thing about Mexico is that the more south you go the nicer the people seem to be also. You break away from knowing what the outside world has and accepting what the locals have and enjoying life. I go down those long dusty roads and see a little kid in the middle of the dessert and think wow, that must be a tough life, but then you see their genuine smile and you start to wonder, maybe these people are the lucky ones.  

Dream place

I kinda feel bad exposing Baja to the world. It’s a dream place and one of the last ‘frontiers’ of the west. You can’t get this sort of serene aloneness anywhere else I think. Wind, waves, and uncrowded point breaks. I remember at this one point break I found, I was the only windsurfer out riding some of the best waves of my life. Just me and my mind, trying to release my inner demons by hitting the lip harder and harder. Soreness sets in from wave rides that are too long and too many! 

Baja mode

It takes me 4 days to get into Baja mode. Take some deep breaths, slow down the mind, slow down the rush, slow down the mode, and get into the simple life. Wind and waves and camping out of a little space. It is something to go from living in a house in Maui with all of life’s luxuries to a 14-foot van filled with enough supplies to last 14 days. Life gets simpler and slower, and you get to know yourself, and your travel companions that’s for sure. And the windsurfing is amazing.  

Dolphins jumping and seals playing in the bright blue water help you forget the 18-hour drive and how much effort went into the trip. But as cool as it is to find an isolated spot in Baja and score perfect waves with nobody on them, Baja with friends is also awesome and that’s where the famous Punta San Carlos camp comes into its own. Solitude is good, but meeting up with old friends at the camp is really fun. Sailing till nearly dark, going wave for wave and just getting into that Baja spirit. The good memories from trips to Baja make all the preparation and stress of getting off the couch and finding those soul searching swells worth it. 

Be prepared 

The biggest tip I can give for Baja is to be prepared for everything. Be over prepared. Things can and do go wrong, so be ready for everything. 

If you are driving in Baja, don’t put all your money in one spot. Have a special spot for most of your money. If you get pulled over, you only want to have around 20-40$ around, just in case. Despite being the middle of the desert, it is pretty much cold all day and all night. Bring your jackets and your full wetsuit – you’re gonna need them! As far as windsurfing gear goes, I brought 5.0 to 4.1 and used every size. Later in the fall you can get away with maybe some bigger sails, but it can crank the entire time there in spring. 

The best and only food in the area is Solo Sports. If you don’t sign up for the San Carlos Solo Sports luxury camping, be prepared to bring all your food, water, ice and a tent, as there is literally nothing available. You can make friends with the local fishermen, but sometimes they are not around and you could have to do the 2-hour dirt road back into town to get your supplies, as well as miss the best day of waves your entire trip, if you’re not organised. 

I believe it is best to go on a forecast. The south swells can be predicted almost two weeks out, so it is enough time to get yourself together and be ready for the best windsurfing you can possibly have. I use Windguru and it usually works pretty good. For car rental, sundiegocarrental.com in San Diego seems to have the best rental plan for Baja. On the drive down there are tons of spots to stop at. I hate stopping because I always want to get there as soon as I can, so I can’t recommend any spots to stop at! 

Jem Hall 

I love Punta San Carlos and with so many people asking me which is my favourite coaching clinic venue, I can now come clean and say this is it. The place has such a variety of conditions, the waves are clean and uncrowded and you can really improve here in both surf / SUP and wave sailing. I also love the adventure of getting here from San Diego in the small 4-seater prop planes.  

The disconnect is great as you watch the ocean and have no Wi-Fi and I really notice people dial out and switch in to their surroundings. My clients learn so much about wave sailing here, be it peer group discussions, seeing their pics, analysing the video feedback or my coaching points, and also I can really tie in the knowledge gained from SUP / surf sessions to their wave riding.  

I have learnt so much about coaching here and witnessed huge improvements in people’s water skills. It is also the primary place where I have improved the most in my wave riding, and this is not only due to the conditions, but because I am inspired by everyone going for it at all levels. The high number of returning clients is testament to how good it is here and it also allows them to have continuity of coaching and conditions. Lastly, I love the simple living of sleeping in tents and only having one shower a day and the trip to the ‘outhouse’ for ablutions. It is worth noting that whilst you are camping, it is still in many ways ‘glamping’, as the food is amazing and the beer is the coldest ever, with the unlimited food and drink as part of your package. As they say, ‘you just won’t know, until you go!’  

Memorable moments include riding big waves on such a clean and consistent peeling point break and having the chance to watch my rippers work the waves as I head back out. In one of my SUP sessions I rode waves at all 4 of the breaks, I was so stoked and tired after this!  

Tips 

Use all the breaks for SUP and wave riding. 

Go jumping on the Bombie if it is small and windy at low tide.  

Bring fewer clothes than you think, but be prepared for a variety of temperatures throughout your stay and on the day. 

If you cannot as yet SUP, learn the basics before you come. The SUP sessions in Punta San Carlos teach you so much about the waves and you can really improve a lot and have so much fun too. 

Explore all the breaks, from the Bombie for jumping, to the wave riding at the Point and the Chilli Bowl (for more advanced riders).  

Walk downwind to launch at low tide and when it is big!  

Take time to tune your gear right from sail trim, to footstrap position and size, and also fin position.  

Arrive as fit and strong as humanly possible.  

Lastly, HIT IT!  

Check jemhall.com for details his wave coaching camps in Punta San Carlos, in association with Solosports Adventure Holidays, but be warned they sell out quick. Ezzy sails, RRD (boards, wetsuits & softwear), Chinook & Black Project fins sponsor Jem Hall. Get him live and direct on one of his highly acclaimed coaching holidays – check out his website www.jemhall.com for details. You can also follow him on twitter / Facebook / Instagram. 

Rachel Tucker  

Vet, South Coast UK, 20 years windsurfing. 

I get limited water time at home, so on a wave trip my priority is maximising time in the sea. Everything about Punta San Carlos (PSC) and the Solosports camp means that you get as much time in the ocean as you can handle, whether on a windsurf, SUP or surfboard. The location is remote and uncrowded, there is a toyshop of great kit and the Solosports team take care of everything to make daily life a seamless blend of surfing, chilling, eating and drinking. You will never go hungry in PSC! It’s a beautiful place to step out of daily life with a happy atmosphere. My experience of the conditions is that it can be medium to big, but on average the waves are mellow, giving fun conditions that are great for learning. 

Memorable Baja moments – dawn SUP sessions with friends, watching the pelicans glide in formation along the surf and watching seals, watching us. Catching so many cross-off windsurf waves until my arms can’t take any more, then having the best bits captured for posterity by photographer Clarke Merritt, followed by Margaritas and appetisers at the beach bar with friends, after a great day on the water. It’s the perfect opportunity to log off, with no phone signal, no Wi-Fi, no social media and limited email. 

My tips would be: 

Get as fit as you can before the trip. 

Surf/SUP before it gets windy, early glassy mornings are special. 

Go biking! The trails through the desert are unique. 

Accept that it is the Mexican desert. The camp is comfortable but basic. You will sleep in a tent on a Therm-a-Rest, take a 5-litre shower per day and experience a long drop toilet.  

James Mellor 

High Court judge, London. Married, 3 boys – all surfers but not windsurfers. 

Years windsurfing – too long (my first board was an UltraCat), but still on the journey. 

Local spot – West Wittering, an RRD and Ezzy boy. 

If you think you know how to windsurf and if you think you are fit, sailing at Punta San Carlos in Baja will tell you whether you are right. It’s the most amazing spot, but the wind and the waves will expose any faults in your technique. It is down-the-line heaven, but to sail properly here you need to step gybe Jem Hall stylee, have your fast tack nailed and be very water fit (you will get worked in the waves – even coach Jem gets a swim occasionally). You also need to be able to read the waves – SUP’ing helps a lot. A Jem Hall clinic is the way to learn how to sail (and SUP) here – you will receive a ton of information and you have to learn to process it in your own way so you can coach yourself when on the ocean – but the group vibe really helps. And when you get some bottom and top turns together in the right places on the wave, it is pure bliss. 

You can pack light because almost everything you need is here – just bring your wetsuit, harness, shorts, T-shirts and a hoody for the evenings. The food is authentic Mexican, the company is excellent, toilet facilities basic (pay special attention to hygiene), tents comfortable, mountain biking interesting and staff always ready to help, particularly with a Baja fog (Corona, Tequila & Lime) or two as dusk falls. Bear in mind that after a week here (or even two) your body will feel beaten, so the stretching/yoga classes in the morning are particularly welcome.