Kiteboarding Trip to La Ventana, Mexico- part 2

Over the next several days the rest of the crew arrived and we continued to repeat the cycle of kite, post session dinner and conversation about the forecast, and future sessions from the next forecast. One day it did not look so good. We had caught a period where the high pressure fizzled out and the wind gradient fell apart for what appeared to be an unusually long period for the area. The wind stats are 15kts or greater 75% of the time in February, and we found the doldrums. Not to be deterred we looked into other fun things to do and booked a trip to go snorkeling with the whale sharks in La Paz.

We arrived in La Paz to meet “the whale shark diaries,” a marine scientist who studies whale sharks. Jay’s aim is to educate people and work with government agencies to identify individual whale sharks. He and other organizations upload photos to a worldwide database to monitor the population. Each whale shark has a distinct marking near the dorsal fin that is unlike any other, so they photograph that area to compare.

The Sea of Cortez is the home of many whale sharks and they have a 100% success rate of finding them during their tours. The trip was thorough, well thought out and included lunch. As a group we experienced this interaction with a gigantic species that would normally be out of sight and out of mind. Heading to this location reminds us that we are surrounded by beauty that is worth protecting. As a group of kiteboarders we learned that engagement with natures elements does not have to stop when the wind does.