San Quintin, Mexico:
Safety Precautions For Crossing The San Quintin Sandbar

Jan. 28, 2005, Capt. Kelly Catian, San Quintin, San Quintin, Baja California, Mexico fishing:

Since I've been running fishing boats here in San Quintin, there have been a lot of accidents and a few deaths due to the hazards of navigating the area around the sandbar across the entrance of Bahia de San Quintin.

During the winter fishing months at San Quintin, when we start to get big ground swells out of the northwest or west, the sandbar can get real big. This also happens sometimes in the summer, when a straight south swell slams right into the San Quintin harbor mouth.

Obviously some homework on swell direction and size will help a lot since most northwest to west swells don't make it around the point. (Last week, there were surfers doing "tow-ins" with jet-skis at the west side of San Martin Island, as it was obviously too big to paddle into.)

At San Quintin, getting a guide is the answer to this sandbar problem. But neither this nor "knowing the channel" is any "secret method" of getting out.

I teach my skippers (my sons) this simple rule: If you get to the sandbar and it's big but inconsistent, first have life jackets put on all passengers and crew.

Second, don't be in a hurry. Watch and count sets and lulls between sets, and during this time make sure you don't have any weeds or kelp on the prop. If possible, wait for another boat or at least call in before you cross the sandbar.

Third, and MOST IMPORTANT!, if you are not absolutely sure or can't see because of fog, DON'T CROSS THE SAN QUINTIN SANDBAR! Just wait it out. At San Quintin, usually waiting half-an-hour to an hour can make a big difference, as the tide is constantly changing.

There is absolutely no substitute for good clear judgment and a humble attitude when it comes to the Pacific Ocean. I was lucky to have learned to navigate back when there was no GPS or depth finders or even steering wheels, and it taught me to pay more attention to what is going on in the ocean, not just what the gadget shows on the screen.

Every time someone tells me of how they had a close call having to go flying over waves at the San Quintin sandbar, just barely making it out, it does not impress me at all. It's STUPID!!! My passengers are MY responsibility, and not only do I want to keep them safe, I want them to have fun and not be worried about 15-foot swells passing under the boat at 25 knots.

Many of the newer, part time, "skippers" here in San Quintin have learned on their $100 dollar handheld GPSs how to get from "A" to "B," but without it can't find their way around very well.

Bottom Line: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. Just because a guy calls himself a captain doesn't mean he earned that title. At the San Quintin sandbar or anywhere else, don't just jump on any boat with any guy.

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