Baja Sea-Kayaking Adventure

Overview

Explore the stunning coastline of Mexico's Sea of Cortez on a 15-day sea-kayaking expedition led by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), one of the most respected sources for wilderness education. NOLS instructors teach you to lead rather than simply drift behind a guide. Each day, we’ll kayak in small groups through waters rich in sea lions, dolphins, marine turtles, and migratory whales; if we're fortunate, we'll see vaquita (the world's smallest porpoise) and manta rays. We'll have ample time out of the boats to snorkel coastal reefs and hike the lunar landscape of the Baja Peninsula. At night, we’ll make camp on the shoreline wilderness, cook on camp stoves, and sleep under the stars. Graduates of NOLS courses refer to the experience as "transformative." Whether drawn to its educational, recreational, or experiential element, you’ll come to view this interim as that unique moment in your college career when you accomplished something unexpected and experienced something unforgettable.

Details

Day-to-Day. We want to spend as much time as possible in Baja, so we'll fly out of Charlotte on 1/9, four days after interim begins. As soon as we arrive in Loreto on 1/10, Baking with a Twiggy Fire we'll shuttle to NOLS-Baja headquarters in Mulege and begin preparations for our expedition. Over the next 15 days, you'll learn to maneuver kayaks in a variety of conditions: surf, sheltered water such as bays, and open water. Typically, we'll paddle early in the day to avoid afternoon and evening winds. When we're not moving camp, we'll learn braces (ways to stabilize a kayak) and self-rescue (the ability to roll a capsized kayak upright without exiting it). You'll come to love the way kayaks allow you to share the water with marine wildlife and to cover distances quickly and efficiently. In addition to kayaking, you'll learn to camp and cook in a wilderness setting. NOLS supplies the ingredients, but you and the members of your cook group will be responsible for your meals, which aren't MREs or freeze-dried stroganoff. Wilderness cooking doesn't have to be boring and flavorless. Pizza with yeast crust, enchilada casserole, and pancakes are all on the menu. We'll beach our sea kayaks for the last time on 1/24, having spent an amazing two weeks immersed in this incredible location and experience–a world of sea, sun, and sand shared with people you will have come to know and depend on and without laptops, tablets, and cellphones. We'll fly out of Loreto on 1/25. Back on campus, we'll have three days to prepare personal journals that reflect your experience during the expedition and "two-to-tell" presentations that share your experience with a general audience.

Outcomes

What will you gain from this experience? To some extent, the answer will vary according to participant. However, everyone will learn the skills of sea-kayaking and wilderness camping, so Sea Lion all participants will be able of plan and lead their own sea-kayaking adventures–whether along North Carolina's Outer Banks, Alaska's Prince William Sound, Maine's Bar Harbor, or Michigan's Boundary Waters. Moreover, the interpersonal skills developed during these expeditions are so valuable that NOLS leads courses for groups as diverse as the National Park Service, NASA, Google, and Harvard's School of Business. See the NOLS website for more details on sea-kayaking in Baja.

Cost

The cost-per-student for this interim is $5600.00. That cost includes travel to and from all airports, airfare, the NOLS course itself (including logistical support, sea-kayaking equipment, instruction, and meals during the trip), a deposit on equipment required by and rented from NOLS, and international travel insurance. I expect additional costs that are not billed by Wofford's Business Office to total $100.00-$235.00. The additional costs total includes an estimate of the money, $100.00, participants might spend on food in airports as we travel to and from Loreto and some money participants might carry on the course, 200-400 pesos ($15-30), since we might encounter coastal residents with items for sale. Travel to Mexico requires a valid passport. New adult United States passports cost $135.00. These additional costs do not include the purchase or rental of items that are required by NOLS for the sea-kayaking trip, but are not available for rental from NOLS. NOLS provides an extensive list of equipment used on their sea-kayaking courses. Students are responsible for studying the list to determine what required equipment they have and what they will need to either purchase, rent, or borrow before leaving for Baja.

Experience

This course is not designed for experienced kayakers, those with a great deal of camping experience, or endurance athletes. More than anything, an interest in learning the skills described above and a desire to participate in 15-day expedition led by some of the most well-trained outdoor educators in the world is more important than any other qualification. Having said that,participants must be prepared for physically strenuous activity in a remote area and 15 days in a wilderness setting.

Navigation

Application

Instructor permission is required for enrollment. Interested students must complete and submit the Wofford College Interim Travel/Study Application, which includes both a faculty recommendation and a deposit of $1000. Should there be more interest than availability, the faculty sponsor will determine enrollment on the basis of these applications. The faculty sponsor will provide overrides for registration. Students may apply for Wofford Travel Grants to assist in meeting the costs of the course.

Expectations and Assessment

Grades are on H/P/U scale. Students must successfully complete the NOLS course, turn in a personal journal at the end of the semester, and give a "two-to-tell" presentation at the end of the semester. Satisfactory completion of the NOLS course requires students to complete the 15-day course in a manner that reflects awareness of the NOLS curriculum. Satisfactory completion of the journal requires 13 distinct entries of 300 words or more, each of which is accompanied by an image. Satisfactory completion of the "two-to-tell" presentation requires an engaging presentation that captures some aspect of the student's experience.

Recent News on Baja and the Sea of Cortez

Sea Lion in Sea of Cortez

From the New York Times: "Mexico, Eco Concerns Where Sea Lions Romp": "Some environmentalists are concerned that a new resort could threaten a delicate slice of Baja California, home to more than 200 fish species and a singular coral reef." For full article, see http://goo.gl/uJG3c

Canoe & Kayak goes to Baja: we won't kayak rockgardens on our interim, but it looks like fun! http://youtu.be/ZX-hfqJmxhM

National Geographic features vaquita on list of "Loneliest Animals Looking for Love". For more on the vaquita, see http://worldwildlife.org/species/vaquita .

False Killer Whales make surprise appearance in the Sea of Cortez: http://goo.gl/eD3Zk . Erik Boomer in the Gulf of California

Although no surprise, dolphins are always cool: http://vimeo.com/65525768.

Baja draws young adventurers: What Is West.

Baja also draws fashionistas: FlightGirl Fashion.

A short video on the activities at NOLS Mexico: http://youtu.be/i-RCS_LI2sE .

Great footage of sea lions and swordfish in the Sea of Corez: http://youtu.be/KxrXE-64j9s.

More great images from the waters off the Baja peninsula at The Pelagic Life.

Required Forms

The following six forms are required by those admitted to this interim. All forms need to be completed and returned to me at our first meeting, which takes place on Tuesday, November 26 at 11:00 am. Sea Kayak at Sunrise

Vaquita In addition to these required forms, NOLS has both a course description and some information about travel and logistics that you should be aware of.