I just got back from a quick trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at the Southern most tip of the Baja Peninsula.  I was there for a wedding and couldn't miss a chance to stand up paddle while I was there.  Were were only there for 4 days, so hauling along boards did not make sense but we brought along our Kialoa paddles because they are super easy to travel with.  We just stick the paddles in a padded paddle bag and check them.  I get all kinds of questions from the baggage guys about what is in there?  The funniest comment I have heard yet was from the baggage guy leaving the Portland Airport.  He said, "What's in there?  Are those rectal thermometers for elephants?"  We all had a good laugh.

Before we left for the trip we had contacted Lee Vosburgh who lives in Cabo and is part owner of the Bahia Hotel, which they are currently remodeling.  He was nice enough to pick us up and take us to the Medano Beach Club.  He loaned us a couple of Naish boards and we had a fun adventure awaiting us.  We had planned to paddle along the rocks to the arch and then Lee was going to pick us up in a boat, what they call panga, and take us to some surf breaks and some other secret spots.

We left the beach, Playa El Medano  from the Medano Beach Club by "The Office", a famous watering hole and party spot on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.  Our friends from the wedding had experienced "The Office" the day before and I experienced it when they got back.  Wow!  I was actually happy that I had come down with a bad cold and had to miss out.  I decided not to abuse my stay in Mexico by not participating in their national past time of "siestas", one of Mexico's greatest contributions to the world.

It was a gorgeous sunny morning and the water was absolutely glowing.  The beach was pretty quiet as it was about 9am.  The jet skis, para-sailing and partiers weren't in action yet.  We headed out through some moored pangas full of pelicans sunning themselves on the roof.  It was quiet and peaceful as we headed towards "Lands End", a large cluster of granite rock formations that were carved into fantastic shapes by the wind and sea.  There were some fisherman out in "Marlin Alley" and tourists in pangas.  I saw lots of fish darting below me as I paddled from what I was told was 1000 feet deep to a couple of small beaches along the rocks you can paddle up on.  One beach is called "Playa del Amante", or lovers beach, and on the other side through the "Arch of Poseidon" an eroded passageway, our friend Lee joked is "divorce beach".  On one side is the Pacific Ocean and the other is the Sea of Cortez.  I paddled past "Neptune's Finger", a really dark and statuesque rock all alone pointing its angry finger at the sky.

We were just headed off to "El Arco" or "The Arch" the most famous site that represents Cabo, when Lee drove up next to us in a panga and told us that there had just been a major earthquake in Chile and there was a tsunami warning.  He knew one of our goals was to get some pictures at El Arco, so we loaded the boards in the panga, hopped in and drove there.  It is absolutely stunning and mysterious, hard to explain unless you have been there.  From a distance it doesn't look that large.  But up close and personal it becomes obvious how big it really is.  As I hopped out of the boat onto my board I was amazed by the power of the water in there.  Right there is where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet.  You can feel the push and pull of the two almost as if there was a struggle for power, it was magical and eerie.  

We got word then that if the tsunami was going to hit, that it could be in 30 to 45 minutes and it was time to high tail it out of there.  We jumped aboard and headed back to Playa El Medano.  They were clearing all the boats off the water and people off the beach.  Our peaceful paddle had turned into feeling saddened for Chile and worry over our own safety.  The only people that did not seem concerned were the beach peddlers coming by every 2 minutes trying to sell you something.

We went back to the house we were staying at, which we thought would be pretty safe, but I was definitely scouting out the best palm tree to hang on to in the worst case scenario and kept an eye on the ocean.  If we saw any receding water we were headed higher.  We turned on the news and watched as they showed the destruction in Chile and the threat to the Hawaiian Islands, which was once my home.  We were relieved as the threats of a major tsunami in the Pacific subsided.

It was time to get ready for the wedding of one of my closest friends.  It was truly a breathtaking wedding with whales breaching right after the ceremony ended, ridiculously spectacular!  It was right out of a movie.  People were telling me that they had been worried about me because they knew I was out stand up paddling that day.  Everyone told me had anything happened and I were swept away by a tsunami that they would have been able to say, "at least she died doing something loves."  Obviously, happy that was not the case.  I can't wait to get back to Cabo, hopefully soon and explore the rest of the area on a SUP.  If you have a chance to go there, it's a perfect way to explore.