Sea Skimming : Kayakers Paddle Over Waves in a Sliver of Serenity

Sitting vulnerably in her lime-green sea kayak at the edge of the surf, 14-year-old Debbie Carlson nervously grasps her paddle and waits for what looks like the mother-of-all-waves to crumble and disappear.

Then, like a little sea turtle waddling out to the water, she scoots her kayak farther down the beach and, without time to look back, plunges into the churning ocean before another big wave has time to hit.

“Paddle, paddle, paddle!” screams her kayaking instructor, Harold Tervort, while giving her an extra shove into the surf. “Don’t stop!”

Carlson is not about to stop. Paddling furiously toward the open waters as if her life depends on it, the novice tackles the most dangerous part of the surf--the shore break.

“We call it the three-minute drill,” said Tervort. “You paddle like hell for three minutes until you’re absolutely sure you’re out of the surf zone. Otherwise, the next thing you know, you’re upside down.”

Carlson, an Irvine resident, has just been initiated into the fast-growing sport of sea kayaking, an activity enthusiasts say is part-adrenaline high, part-peaceful meditation, and fully a recreational prerogative of the sunny summer.

From weekend warriors to hard-core outdoor veterans, the sport has been gaining hold among Orange County residents seeking an escape from the crowded trails and campgrounds of local wilderness parks.

Every weekend, hundreds of sea kayakers can be found renewing themselves in the protected inlets of Newport Bay, Huntington Harbour and Dana Point Harbor. Others launch their kayaks from local beaches, like San Onofre, paddling out to calmer ocean waters beyond the surf line.

Still others seek thrills riding the pounding waves like low-slung surfers, an experience some liken to white-water kayaking.

In the quiet expanse of the Pacific Ocean, they say they can find a peace and solitude that’s become more difficult to find on land.

“It’s so wonderful being out in the kayaks, knowing that the whales are right under you,” said Joan Carlson, a weekend sea kayaker who got her daughter, Debbie, into the sport so they could be together. “It’s so peaceful, like you’re riding an old-fashioned water bed.”

It’s that appeal that has the sport growing as much as 30% a year in Orange County for the past three years, said Joanne Turner, past president of California Kayak Friends and co-owner of the Irvine-based Southwind Kayak Center, which offers classes in sea kayaking.

“It’s good exercise, you’re close to nature, you can do it solo or socially, and the equipment is inexpensive and low-maintenance,” Turner said.

She doesn’t know exactly how many local kayakers there are, but she has about 9,000 kayakers from Orange County on her mailing list.

For those people with hectic lifestyles, sea kayaking is also a way to enjoy the great outdoors without investing a lot of time.

“I only have little snatches of time to do things,” said Joan Carlson, a teacher at Laguna Hills High School and the mother of three daughters. “[Debbie] and I can just throw the kayaks on the car, go out in the water, get renewed and refreshed, and then come home an hour later.”

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The point is, anyone can do it. “It does not require an inordinate amount of strength if you do it right,” said 46-year-old Alan Trudell, who started kayaking after knee surgery four years ago forced him to quit jogging. “I would recommend classes, though, to learn common safety procedures.”

Beginners can rent kayaks for about $9 an hour and take classes through retailers like Southwind Kayak Center or Paddle Power in Newport Beach, or through local private clubs such as the Newport Aquatic Center in Newport Bay.

At the center, they can learn the fundamentals of kayaking--the basic paddle strokes, how to do a “wet exit” (climbing back into the kayak after capsizing) and how to rescue someone else who has capsized.

Or like Debbie Carlson, who along with six other first-timers at San Onofre beach, they can also take intensive classes on tackling the surf zone, learning how to enter and leave the surf safely and under control.

“It does take some training to be safe in the surf,” Turner said. “And you should learn proper paddling technique for efficiency and so you don’t hurt your wrists.”

Traditional fiberglass sea kayaks--the kind with a hollow shell that encloses the kayaker from the waist down--start at about $400, with the higher quality models ranging from $1,200 to $2,000. Sit-on-tops, a hard plastic kayak with an open seat on which the paddler sits, start at about $600.

Many beginners prefer to start with sit-on-tops, not only because they are far less expensive than the traditional kayaks, but because they require less skill, are easier to climb back onto after capsizing and their cockpits don’t fill with water.

“They’re fun and accessible to everything,” said Steve Morris, who teaches sea kayaking at Laguna Beach. “You can scuba dive off them or run them into the rocks. They’re very durable.”

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But for outdoor enthusiasts who favor long-distance touring or open-ocean kayaking, the traditional closed-seated kayak is the preferred vessel. It keeps the paddler dry and protected from water, and is more functional because it can hold food and gear in its shell.

“It enables you to get to areas that are remote without having to carry so much gear, as opposed to backpacking,” said Len Goodman of California Kayak Friends, an Irvine-based organization which promotes kayaking trips and safety education for its 700 members. “Yet it’s something you can do within a few hours of where you live.”

Goodman stressed that before going out in the ocean, beginners should learn the basics of safety.

“Not to be an alarmist, but what people don’t realize is there are a lot of dangers in the water,” said Tervort, who teaches sea kayaking for Southwind Kayak Center. “The biggest one is hypothermia; it’s the No. 1 killer of kayakers.”

About 10 kayakers a year die in the United States because of hypothermia, according to Turner.

Then there are the dislocated shoulders and broken ribs that result when kayakers, raising their paddles with glee, get hit by a huge wave which smashes the paddle into their chest or forces their arms back.

“We’ve actually seen a paddle bent into the shape of a body,” Tervort said.

“We have an ethic in sea kayaking,” he added. “You don’t go out knowingly unsure of what you’re doing. It’s just like all of life. You can be unprepared, or you can learn to control or avoid those hazards.”

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Kayak Safety Tips

* Beginners should start with calm bays and harbors.

* Take a lesson before attempting open ocean paddling.

* Avoid beach areas frequented by surfers and bathers. If you must enter surf line, get lifeguard’s attention by shouting and waving.

* Wear a life preserver.

* Watch for powerboats and sailboats; stay to the right.

* Give clearance to boats docking or leaving a slip.

* Do not attempt to stand up in a kayak.

* Bring plenty of drinking water.

* Wear sunscreen and a hat.

* Avoid alcohol before and while paddling.

* Pay attention to winds and currents; they affect ability to paddle when you’re tired.

* Wear tennis shoes or sandals for landing on shores with sharp rocks or broken glass.

* Tell someone where you are going and when you will return.

* Respect wildlife and ecologically sensitive areas.

Source: Laguna Kayaks, Southwind Kayak Center; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times

Where to Rent a Kayak

Here’s a selection of places around the county that will rent kayaks:

SUNSET BEACH

* Viking Kayaks Location: 16860 Pacific Coast Highway

Rates: $6-10 per hour

Hours: Daily, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Information: (310) 592-2246

NEWPORT BEACH

* Southwind Kayak Center Location: From dock at West Coast Highway and Riverside Avenue (near Chart House Restaurant)

Rates: $8-$9 per hour, $30-35 per day; lessons and guided tours also available

Hours: Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; will arrange special hours and days for groups

Information: (714) 261-0200

* Paddle Power Location: 1500 W. Balboa Blvd.

Rates: $9-12 per hour, $36-50 per day

Hours: weekdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; weekends, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Information: (714) 675-1215

* Newport Dunes Resort Location: 1131 Backbay Drive

Rates: $10-$15 per hour

Hours: Weekdays, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; weekends, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; guided tours of Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve on Sundays, 10 a.m.

Information: (714) 729-1150

* Newport Aquatic Center Location: 1 Whitecliffs Drive

Rates: $10-$15 per hour

Hours: Weekdays, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.; weekends, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.

Information: (714) 646-7725

IRVINE

* Southwind Kayak Center Location: 17855 Skypark Circle

Rates: $35 per day (roof racks required and available for rent)

Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; lessons and guided tours also available

Information: (714) 261-0200

DANA POINT

* Dana Point Youth and Group Facility Location: 34451 Ensenada Place

Rates: $10-$15 per hour

Hours: Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Information: (714) 675-1215

LAGUNA BEACH

* Laguna Kayak Location: Guided tours and lessons from various points in Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Dana Point

Hours: Tours daily at 9 a.m., 2 and 6 p.m.

Rates: $75 for 3 1/2 hours, lessons and equipment included

Information: (714) 497-4425

Source: Individual companies; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times