Baja Ultimate Whales Photography Adventure 2025

Workshop Information Packet

Contents:

I.              General Information

II.            To Do Checklist

III.         Daily Itinerary

Baja Ultimate Whales Adventure 2025

General Information  

Workshop Dates:  Jan 29 – Feb 7, 2025

Trip Leader/Instructor: Lyle Krannichfeld

Welcome to the Adventure!

Thanks again for joining our 2025 Baja Ultimate Whales Photography Adventure.  We’re as excited as you are for this adventure. This document contains important information to help you prepare for our journey. Please read it carefully and let us know if you have any questions.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

Our expedition begins when we gather for our Workshop Overview meeting at 4pm on Jan 29 in our hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on January 29, 2025 and ends when we drop you off at Los Cabos airport (airport code: SJD) on Feb  7 for your homeward flight. 

In between, we will explore many locations in the waters around the Baja California peninsula to observe and photograph various whale species and other marine wildlife:

Cabo San Lucas – at the southern tip of Baja is the winter home of hundreds of humpback whales including mothers with newborn calves. Breaching and mating behavior are common.

Mechudo Corridor – this area between La Paz and Loreto on the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula is incredibly rich in marine wildlife. We’ll spend a day snorkeling (weather permitting) with sea lions and whale sharks before boarding our ship, the Gallant Lady, for 3 nights in search of blue whales!

San Ignacio Lagoon – on Baja’s Pacific coast, is where magical grey whale-human encounters happen every winter.

Lodging, Meals, Transport & Optional Activities ­–

• Cabo airport transfer, lodging & meals  - are NOT included in the workshop fees. We have booked a block of rooms for our group at a local hotel (TBA) but you must make your own reservation. Hotel details will be provided in a separate email.

• All other transport, lodging & meals are included in the workshop fee

• Scuba diving – gear is available for rent from our partners, Baja Expeditions. Please let us know if you are interested in renting scuba gear. Snorkel gear including wetsuits will be provide to all participants.

Take a look at the Daily Itinerary in this packet or on the workshop page of our website for more details about the locations we will visit and the things we can expect to see and photograph throughout our journey.

BALANCE OF FEES

The balance of your workshop fees is due as follows:

• $2000 due July 15, 2024

• Remaining balance due Nov 1, 2024

You will receive an invoice by email approximately 30 days before each due date. Payment can be made online by credit card. Your prompt payment is much appreciated.

TRAVEL LOGISTICS & DOCUMENTS

International Flights

• Arrival – book your flights to arrive at Los Cabos (airport code: SJD) no later than ~1 pm on Jan 29. Proceed through Immigration then claim your luggage and proceed through Customs.

• Departure– book your departing flight for after 3pm on Feb 7. We will transport you to the airport in time for your flight.

Please send us a copy of your travel itinerary after booking your flights.

• Internal Flights -  we have 2 one way domestic flights (La Paz – San Ignacio, San Ignacio – Cabo) which use smaller propeller planes. Participants are encouraged to minimize total baggage on these flights. Items you won’t need in San Ignacio can be sent back to Cabo to be held for you after disembarking the Gallant Lady.

Passport – make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond your return date. Please send us a scan/photo of the picture page of your passport (a cell phone snap is fine).

Visas – travelers from the United States or Canada do NOT need a visa to visit Mexico. If your passport was issued by another country, check online for any visa requirements.

Travel Insurance – a policy that covers medical evacuation is a requirement for participation on this trip. Such policies typically cover other things like trip cancellation/delays, lost luggage, theft/loss, etc. and are widely available and relatively inexpensive. Please send us a copy of your proof of coverage.

Notify Banks & Credit Cards – notify your financial institutions about your travel plans to prevent problems using credit cards or ATM’s while traveling.

Local Currency – you can get by with US currency and credit cards in Baja. ATM’s are also available in towns. However, you may want to convert a some cash to Mexican pesos for small purchases and gratuities.

Cell & Wi-fi – check with your provider about their policies and fees BEFORE you leave or you could come home to a horrific phone bill. Cell signal outside of towns is spotty. Wi-fi is available at all our hotels, on board Gallant Lady and at San Ignacio camp.  

WhatsApp – is a free communications app used widely outside of the US. We will be using this for inter group communications. Please download & install WhatsApp and create an account before arriving in Mexico.

HEALTH/MEDICAL

Medications –make sure to pack an adequate supply of any prescription and non-prescription medications you take (pain relievers, sleep aids, supplements, etc.), as they may not be available in Mexico. You may also want to carry a course of antibiotics, just in case. Request a prescription for ‘traveler’s diarrhea’ from your health provider or travel clinic. 

Immunizations - No specific immunizations are required to visit Mexico, but you should check with your health provider’s travel clinic or consult the CDC website for health/immunization recommendations.

Allergies – please let us know about any allergies you have AND the severity of your reactions. It is your responsibility to carry appropriate medications (e.g. Epi Pen) in case of accidental exposure.

THINGS TO PACK

The following are suggestions for items to bring along on this trip. It is not meant to be a complete packing list.

Weather Note – expect warm, dry conditions in general. Mornings and evenings in San Ignacio lagoon and aboard ship can be quite chilly, especially if it’s windy. Rain is possible, but not likely. The historical average high/low temps in February where we will be:

Cabo San Lucas:   81/61 °F

La Paz: 80/55 °F

San Ignacio Lagoon:  68/50 °F

Clothing – cool, light and quick-drying are the order of the day.

• Long pants – 1-2 pair

• Shorts – 1-2 pair

• Swimsuit

• Long sleeve shirt

• T-shirts (2-3)

• Mid layer(s) – fleece, puffer jacket, hoodie, etc

• Lightweight rain jacket

• Sneakers and/or sport sandals (hiking boots not necessary)

• Buff/neck gaiter

• Warm hat & gloves

• Sun hat with string

• Sunglasses

• Spare eyeglasses and/or contact lenses

Photo Gear – it’s tempting to bring everything you own, but that usually works against you. The following are what we consider to be the essentials. We’re happy to give more specific brand/model recommendations for specific items. Just ask.

• Camera Body(s) – dSLR or mirrorless (full frame or crop sensor). ‘Bridge’ cameras with a long zoom (400mm+) are also an option.

• Lenses – Everyone’s kit will be unique, but here are some general recommendations:

  • Your longest lens should reach at least 400mm, preferably 500mm+ before adding teleconverters. You simply cannot have too much ‘reach’.

  • You will also want 1 or 2 shorter focal length lenses such as a 70–200mm and/or 24–105mm.

  • A wide angle is handy, but you can also use your phone camera for up close shots.

• Underwater Photo Gear – this is topside focused trip but there will be opportunities for underwater photography. If you don’t already own underwater gear and don’t want to invest thousands in equipment you may not use again, options include GoPros, waterproof phone cases/housings and point & shoot. Here’s a good article about relatively inexpensive underwater photo kits.

• Batteries and Memory cards – you will be shooting a lot, maybe more than you ever have, easily in the thousands of images and hundreds of gigabytes total. Bring PLENTY of extra cards and batteries. You should NOT erase/overwrite any memory cards until you get home, even if you have downloaded the images to your laptop or hard drive.

• Camera Battery Charger – do not forget! As a backup, you might consider purchasing USB powered battery charger. They are cheap and let you charge your camera batteries without a wall outlet. Search  “(your camera model) USB charger”.

• Card reader – if not built-in to your laptop.

• Camera bag or backpack – there are an infinite number of options out there – it’s really a matter of personal preference. My advice is to choose something that is no bigger than it has to be. The real key is to be sure that it fits into a standard airplane overhead compartment.

• Small camera bag/daypack/dry bag – besides your camera and a lens or two, all you need to bring for most outings is a few spare batteries and some personal items (sunscreen, chapstick, etc). No need to carry the big camera bag everywhere.

• Cleaning kit – nothing fancy, a small microfiber towel, lens cloth, lens cleaner and maybe a blower. A travel toothbrush is also very handy for cleaning around the buttons & dials of your camera.

• Headlamp – MUCH better than a flashlight because it leaves both hands free.

• Camera Rain Protection – always  good to have to protect your expensive gear.  There are many choices available, but we haven’t found anything better than O/P Tech’s Rainsleeve, which happens to be one of the least expensive options. Make sure to get the right size(s) to fit all your lenses

Flying with Camera Gear – Nobody even wants to think about being forced to check precious photo equipment so make sure your camera bag easily fits into an overhead compartment or under the seat. Don’t attract unwanted attention by bringing a huge photo backpack!

Other Things to Pack

• Passport & Travel Docs

• Laptop or tablet –highly recommended. Your photography will improve if you review your images daily. Doing preliminary selects and ratings also makes the mountain of images more manageable when you get home. Make sure you have enough available space on your internal hard drive or bring a small external drive. If you are going to purchase a drive, I recommend getting a ‘bus powered’ model like this one because they don’t require external power (runs off laptop’s usb port). Remember to pack all your power/charging/data cables.

• Chargers and cables for your mobile phone and other electronics

• Power bank – extremely handy when traveling to charge up your phone, other electronics or even a camera battery (usb battery charger required)  


Any Questions?

Again, if you have any questions about the information contained here or any other aspect of this workshop, please contact us.

Ken Lee                                                                    

+1 949-282-9660 mobile/WhatsApp                                           

ken@artofseeing.com                                                       

Baja Ultimate Whales 2025

To-Do Checklist

___     Book flights to/from Los Cabos (SJD) and send us a copy of  your flight itinerary.

___     Send us a copy of your Passport picture page (cell phone snap is fine)

___     Purchase Travel Insurance. Send us a copy of proof of coverage

___     Notify Banks & Credit Cards of your travel plans

___     Check mobile phone carrier’s international roaming policies and plans

___     Make personal packing checklist. Click here for a downloadable Photo Trip Packing List template you can customize to your own needs

Baja Ultimate Whales 2025

Daily Itinerary