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    « 2009 Stevenson Launch Spring Cleanup | Main | La Ventana Girls Camp #1: Wind, Sun, and Progression! »
    Thursday
    Mar052009

    Baja Ladies Camp #2... Swimming with Whale Sharks, Stand-up Paddling, Fresh Sashimi, and lots of Kiteboarding

    DateThursday, March 5, 2009 at 11:50AM

    The adventure continues in La Ventana, Baja Sur Mexico, as we go into the Ladies' Kiteboarding Camp #2 this week. I couldn't wait until the end of the camp to post because there is just so much to talk about! The ladies flew in on Monday night, jumped into cocktail hour with Palapas Ventana's superb margaritas, then... the plan for the week!

    Day 1: The forecast was for light winds, so Tim our host from Palapas Ventana gave us some options for the day..."We can go snorkeling with sea lions at Cerravalo Island or... we can go swim with Whale Sharks in Bahia de La Paz !!!" I don't think Tim even finished his sentence as bursts of excitement filled the room ... "WHALE SHARKS!!" Well, twist everyone's arm... I guess that's what we're doing!

    Day 2: We skip 7am Pilates this morning to eat breakfast early and leave for La Paz at 8. We arrive at the La Paz marina at 9:15am and depart the docks for the Bay. On route to see the sharks, we are surrounded by dolphins jumping all around the boat, swimming at the bow and stern, along for the ride. Everyone was ready to jump in with the dolphins right then and there!

    Paul, our whale shark researcher and guide, scouts for signs of the sharks... changes in the current, huge dark shadows below the water surface, and... dorsal fins! He spots one...and we're in! Tango, one of this "tagged" sharks that he has been following for research, is scaveging just below the surface. Tango is 26 feet long and as big around as a bus.

    One of the smaller sharks we ran into. Nadia, Sarah, and Tonia all smiles after getting out of the water.

    Swimming with the biggest fish in the sea is daunting. You feel like it could eat you and your friends together in one bite, but is in fact very docile and humble. With the body characteristics, fins, and tail of a shark, but the movement of a whale, we were all a bit hesitant to swim so close to it. The more time I swam with Tango, the more comfortable I felt, swimming closer and closer with it, then free-diving down to be right at it's pectoral fin.

    Tonia down low with Tango, a 26-foot whale shark. The mouth is like a vaccuum, sucking in plankton and filtering out its' gills.

    Day 3, 4 & 5: Pilates 7am! It was a bear to get the girls rallied for 7am Pilates, but core strengthening as well as balance, flexibility, and an open and relaxed body positioning is essential for kiteboarding!

    The sun rises from the eastern edge of the Sea of Cortez. 7am Pilates with Tonia to strengthen the core!

    After Pilates, Breakfast at 8:30! Kayaking and snorkeling until.... Wind o'clock! We head down to the beach in front of Kitemasters Kite School with our wonderful school hosts Arnaud, Justin, and Ozzie. One thing that is really nice about teaching and learning in La Ventana.... big sandy beaches and a big arching bay to collect everyone that goes downwind. It's the best place to learn to kiteboard.

    Tonia demonstrates how to execute a heelside transition with Melissa. All lessons by Tonia and the Kitemaster crew were done via radio to students' waterproof radio-controlled helmets.... nice!! The only way to learn.

    Beach and water lessons consumed our days from 10:30 to 5. Tips on body-drags, board starts, kite control, and transitions were passed around the group casually throughout the camp, each level of rider learning something from the next level above. Beginners learned from the intermediates. Advanced riders learned some things from beginners! It was a daynamic environment for sharing and learning over kiteboarding!

    Kitemasters uses Headzone radio-controlled helmets for teaching... hands-down the best teaching tool ever for kiteboarding!! Cascade Kiteboarding will be adding the Headzone helmets to the teaching repetoire this year in Stevenson!

    Sarah excited about her new 6m Liquid Force Havoc. The girls gather and mingle over the ever-popular "harness talk."

    No-Fluff Kiteboarding for Women... As Marilyn from Michigan said at the beginning of the camp, "I was nervous about doing a women's-only camp because I thought it would be fluffy and watered-down." Nadia from Texas echoed Marilyn's concern, but added, "When I saw that Tonia was running the camp, I knew I didn't have to worry about this being a fluffy girls' camp! And it wasn't at all."

    The girls after a long day of wind, sun, lessons and kiteboarding.

    Our gratious hosts at Palapas Ventana treated us like queens! Fresh caught Yellowtail sashimi, authentic chile rellenos, huevos rancheros, tamales, chilaquiles, and the best margaritas in Baja. Thanks to Tim, Karen, and Jimana, Eric our Cabana Boy, and the amazing kitchen crew who cooked the most unbelievable meals 3 times a day!!

    "Cabana Boy" Eric (who also happens to be Dive Master and Boat Captain) about to go for a spear fish. Tim makes the catch of the day, Pargo, the day the girls leave.

    At the end of the camp, the kiteboarding addiction was in everyone's blood. Four girls went home with new kites, a board, a harness, and enthusiasm for more lessons. In fact, the overwhelming feedback was for a Women's Kiteboarding REUNION Camp! Stay tuned for 2010 dates in Mexico!!

    Photos by our wonderful Cabana Boy, Eric Smail. That's the guy up there on the left with the spear gun, just before he went out and slayed a few Pargo for dinner.

     

    AuthorTonia Farman | Comment12 Comments | Reference1 Reference |

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      Response: Tango Noticias Tenerife
      at Tango Noticias Tenerife on July 9, 2009
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