Moving Ahead in a COVID-19 World

Updated November 24, 2020

Healing and rejuvenation are among the benefits of doing a kayak trip in Baja. Balancing this with the ethical mandate to Do No Harm, not to our clients, nor to our staff, nor to the community at large, has been our puzzle in moving forward.

In November, a consortium of Loreto kayaking outfitters including SKBM worked with the director of the Loreto National Marine park and local doctors to develop and sign health protocols for our activities, detailed below.

In Loreto

All of our services are currently available

• Loreto is open for business and flights are flying
• Sanitary Alert Level 3 out of 6 for the state of Baja California Sur
• Beaches and islands are now open for day use and camping with a permit

We continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation. Please check this page for updates, or email us. We sincerely hope you join us at a point in time that aligns with your values and your risk threshold.

Prevention and Mitigation Measures

Participant Screening

• SKBM will ask detailed health questions when you register
• Participants will be recommended to quarantine or severely limit contact for 14 days prior to departure, and be required test for Covid as close as possible before departure
• Where testing is not available, a declaration that you have been symptom free and not had contact with anyone known to have developed COVID for at least the past 14 days will be accepted
• Participants will agree to comply with company policy on the trip including: maintain distancing and hygiene standards, wear a mask when in close quarters, be honest about any symptoms you may experience

Transportation

• Taxis run with reduced capacity and sanitize between each use
• Driver and passengers wear masks during transport

Personal contact items

• After washing, tents hang in sunlight for a full day and night, turned inside out and right side out
• Sleeping bags are washed in a steam washer and dried in the sun
• Guest drybags, skirts, life jackets, chairs and mattresses are washed with soap and hung to sanitize in the Baja sun for a day and a night
• Hydrator and snorkel mouthpieces are soaked in a bleach solution, air dried in the sun, and plastic-wrapped, by workers with clean hands and face masks

Food

• Surfaces and foods are sanitized before preparing
• When preparing meals, guides wash their hands frequently and wear masks. Participants no longer participate in food prep
• Plates are served and presented to participants instead of a buffet-style serving line
• Guides hold food-health certificates
• Clean-up follows a standard 3-sink wash-rinse-sanitize procedure

Activities
PRE-TRIP MEETING

• Held outdoors when possible, with appropriate distancing, or masks if indoors
• Pre-organized and orchestrated distribution of gear minimize contact
• Hand sanitizer available

OUTDOOR BRIEFINGS

• Distance and/or masks, appropriate to the situation

LAUNCHING

• Wear masks when gathering to assist in moving laden kayaks or assist in entry or exit

PADDLING

• We do not recommend wearing masks while paddling

Response and Care

• Anyone showing symptoms will be removed from the trip to quarantine in Loreto and assisted in connecting with a local doctor

Guides and Staff

• SKBM maintains a daily log of employee health and temporarily replaces employees who might pose a health risk

Small Group Trips

We’ve increased our lineup of customizable Getaway trips. They are affordable and ideal for family or small groups who want to keep it private.

Registration, Cancellation & Rescheduling

New Reservations – Delayed & Reduced Deposits
Because of the uncertain situation in the world, we are accepting deposits of less than half of the trip value. As little as $250USD will reserve your spot until 30 days before your trip. Sign up on the Waitlist and let us know you’d like to make a reduced deposit when the time comes.
See our full policy on our Booking page.
Upcoming trips are listed on our Calendar

Reschedule
If it is not prudent for you to come on your trip, you can reschedule to another trip within 12 months with a full credit.

Applying Your Credit
For those who couldn’t make their trips last season and took the credit option, here are 2 things to keep in mind:
1. We will honor 2020 prices for you in the new season (for trips whose prices increase).
2. We will also honor for you our 10% repeat client discount in the coming season and on all your future trips.

If you’d like to reserve your spot on a scheduled trip, please register on the Waitlist. We will contact you within a few days to proceed. Your credit will be your deposit. We have a list of credits given, but hang onto your copy as well.

If you are not able to paddle with us in the foreseeable future, please consider donating your credit. It is a gesture we deeply appreciate and it will help very much!

Insuring Your Trip
What is the difference between Trip Cancellation Insurance and Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) Insurance?
Here are some informative resources:
InsureMyTrip.com
Travel Insurance Review
Forbes CFAR article
If you do not insure your trip, we are very sorry, but our business is not designed with the margins to cover trip cancellation. We are being as flexible and generous as we can while still hoping to remain in business. We make investments and commitments to be able to provide trips, and many of these costs do not go away if a person cancels or even if the whole trip cancels. We are a small, homegrown company and simply do not have the financial reserves to act as an insurance company ourselves.

Extras
All extras (tents, snorkeling gear, etc) are completely refundable if you are unable to make your trip.

Balance and Vision

In lean times, priorities conflict and decisions become tough. You, our loyal and enthusiastic clientele, are of paramount importance to us, and we deeply honor the faith you have expressed in us. We assure you we are trimming everything we can from our expenses, while being as fair and generous as we can in the balance, not only to you, but also to the dedicated staff behind the scenes in Loreto without whom there would be no SKBM. We are all tightening our belts and securing our sandals for the journey ahead.
We look forward not just to survive the present, but with the vision to thrive into the future.

Thank you for your confidence in us!
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. info@seakayakbajamexico.com