Baja Report - Sportfishing Fuel Crisis! - Ensenada is a Welcome Alternative

Many charter sportfishing boats in southern California are mailing fuel surcharge charts to all of their new and annually returning customers. The fuel surcharge is designed to cover additional fuel costs and fuel costs only. The owners and operators of these craft have always tried to keep the price of fishing affordable and yet still pay the bills. The majority of local southwest charter boats have been lax over the past years in enforcing a surcharge, but now it is a necessity. As recently as February the cost of a gallon of marine diesel fuel was between $2.85 and $3.00, but now the cost is near or over $5!


The 112 foot long Independence based in San Diego burns on average 600 gallons per day during a typical fishing charter trip. She set her trip prices for the 2008 season when the cost of fuel was about $2.80 a gallon. Based on the above gallons per day fuel ratio consumption, the Indy charges a $5.00 per day surcharge for every .25 cents over the initial $2.80 cost on the 2008 charter price schedule. That works out to a $40.00 surcharge a day for every $2.00 of fuel price increase in cost. These projected season trip prices were set 9 months ago when fuel was at a relatively constant $2.80 a gallon, my how things have changed since then!


A welcome port of call on the horizon has altered the daily looming and spiraling disastrous fuel vortex enveloping the fleet. As of yet Mexico has not seen the cost of fuel rise significantly both on the road at the land based Pemex stations or on the sea at the Pemex marine fuel distributors. There is one fuel dock in northwest Baja located at the Coral Marina and Hotel near Ensenada. Here can be found a deal that the fish charter operators simply can’t resist! Priced at near $2.00 a gallon, the short trip south to visit the Coral Marina fuel dock pays for the trip and the necessary paperwork for customs turn around before heading back north to welcome the new boarding passengers in California.


Recently the Vagabond, Shogun, Islander and Top Gun 80 have visited the Coral Marina fuel dock. This is a very new experience for most if not all of the sportfishing boats based in southern California. These fishing expeditions can last up to 2 weeks or more. The Independence advertises a limited load of 25 passenger trip for $4250 each customer. This is a 16 day trip that will take the lucky passengers and crew to the tip of Baja California to catch huge and exotic sea fishing treasures. Bluefin, yellowfin, wahoo, and dorado as well as marlin will be gracing the decks of the Indy during that trip. At 600 gallons a day fuel consumption, the cost of fuel is a very important aspect of smart and financially successful trip planning. By the way, the record for whopper fish caught on the Indy is a 357.8 pound yellowfin tuna caught by Bill Asbell, undoubtedly on one of these long-range trips to the south of the Baja California peninsula.


Local Ensenada Captain David Camacho employed aboard the gringo luxury yacht Michelle Christina commented “I hope the fuel prices remain the same here in Ensenada, I have many friends in the Port of Ensenada that operate charter boats and they would not be able to support their families without the cost of fuel remaining low thus enabling them to continue their fish based trade.” Captain Camacho just returned the Michelle Christina from Puerto Vallarta where the owner and his family spent the winter fishing that mainland area of Mexico, a practice that many other yachts duplicate. Because of insurance reasons, those boats return north to Ensenada every year to summer in Ensenada and avoid the hurricane season that begins June 1st. These yachts are an important contributing financial force to the Mexican economy and the Ensenada area. Keeping the cost of fuel low locally will keep these yachts and the Southern California sportfishing fleet coming here and fishing Mexican waters.


Below: The Sportfisher Islander recently fueling at the Coral Marina fuel dock