It’s Trendy to Find Serenity on the Water

Whether it’s the free publicity from ESPN’s Extreme Games or it’s simply another sport that allows people to become one with the water, it’s clear that kayaking is becoming trendy.

“Kayaking has grown 10-fold in the last two years,” said Damon House, a kayaking instructor at the Newport Aquatic Center. “It’s suddenly in the realm of roller-blading and fad sports like that.”

What’s the attraction? Why has a sport that paddled in obscurity for so long suddenly become an option for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon?

“I think it’s a low-impact sport,” said House, who only took up the sport three years ago but is already a member of the U.S. Canoeing and Kayaking national team. “You can do it until you’re 60 or 70. There’s a guy named Ernie that comes down here every morning about 6. He paddles a Chinook [kayak] into the harbor for an hour.”

House, 22, says if you’ve never experienced kayaking around Newport Harbor, you are missing out.

“I like paddling early in the morning or at dusk,” said House, who took up kayaking three years ago in Buchanan, Mich., on the St. Joseph River. “The serenity is amazing. If people like water, it’s the most amazing feeling to be out there by yourself. Most people have never seen Newport Harbor from that perspective, but for me, that’s the only perspective I know. When I try driving around it, I get lost.”

Those interesting in getting a first-hand perspective on kayaking can take classes and clinics from House and other instructors at the Newport Aquatic Center every Sunday. Beginners classes are $80 for four lessons and are available in the morning and afternoon.

Clinics are available at the aquatic center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sundays. The cost is $15. The clinic will teach the basic paddling techniques and water safety.

The first class will teach the fundamentals of kayaking and the jargon of the sport. The second class teaches paddling technique and the different strokes. Most students will start with a plastic sit-on-top boat. From there, they will graduate to a faster, more responsive boat that takes more skill to paddle.

The highest level of kayaking takes place in a 16- to 20-foot surf-ski boat. Surf-ski kayaks are the quickest and are used by Australian lifeguards. House said he once paddled a surf-ski to Catalina Island in about 5 1/2 hours.

House, who missed making the Olympic kayaking team, said each kayaker has his or her reasons for taking up the sport.

“I do it for the workout,” he said. “But many people do it for all the sight-seeing. You can go places in a kayak that you can’t go in a motor boat.”

One of those places is the back bay of Newport. A company called Paddle Power gives tours of Upper Newport Bay, a protected estuary with a variety of wildlife. For $40, you can get a three-hour tour of the back bay led by a volunteer naturalist from the Fish and Game Department. The tour includes explanations of the different types of grass, birds and water.

Paddle Power also offers kayaking classes from $40 to $195. Most classes will turn beginners into intermediates in two or three lessons.

“After that, it’s learning the balance and fine-tuning the technique,” House said. “The balance looks easier than it actually is. It’s kind of like riding a bike. It’s kind of frustrating at first, but it’s just like anything else. When you get the hang of it, it can be addictive.”

House said beginners start out in the bay. Intermediates graduate to the harbor where the water is rougher, and experts venture out into the ocean where the waves and currents can turn a peaceful day into an adventure.

Once classes end, those interested in buying a kayak can do so for between $300 and $4,000, depending on the quality of kayak. A fiberglass paddle will run about $100.

If you’re interested in renting equipment, memberships can be purchased at the Newport Aquatic Center for $325 a year for an individual and $435 for a family. A membership includes boat use, weights, use of ergometer for rowing and full locker room privileges.

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Skirting the Shores

Somewhere between the exposed-to-the-elements surfer and the well-protected yachter, lies the psyche of the kayaker. The boat’s design allows intimate access to shallow inlets as well as the seaworthiness to face open oceand. The first kayaks were skin-covered boats designed by Eskimos and Aleuts of the arctic. Today, kayaks are used to navigate Orange County’s waters in growing numbers.

Differing Designs

Kayaks come in one-person (K1) and two-person (K2) models. Different boats are designed for all types of waters.

WHITEWATER

Often shorter, it has the most rocker--or curve--in its hull, allowing easy, quick turns around rocks, but offering little stability on a straight path.

FLATWATER/RACING

These have the least amount of rocker. They travel a straight course with minimal effort and greatest speed, but are the most difficult to turn.

SEA/OCEAN TOURING

These are built to be both directionally stable and easy to paddle. Most are fiberglass, but there are also plastic, inflatable and folding models.

OPEN TOP/SIT-ON-TOP AND WAVE SKIS

These models are popular for day-excursions near shore since they require no spray skirt and capsizing is merely a matter of righting the boat and getting back on. Wave skis are models built specially for surfing.

PADDLING PRIMER

Learning to paddle is easy in calm water. First, sit as far back in the seat as possible, keeping your back straight. Then place hands on the paddle shaft between shoulder-length and extended elbow-length apart. A few starter strokes:

FORWARD STROKE

1. Hold paddle with right arm straight in front and left hand at shoulder, elbows tucked in and down. Immerse blade as far forward as possible without leaning forward. Rotate torso to achieve best reach.

2. Pull blade back along boat, keeping it immersed. Opposing arm pushes opposite end of paddle forward, keeping shaft low in the air. This hand should not reach higher than eye level and should not cross your centerline.

3. Once blade moves past your hip, ease off on pulling and lift blade smoothly, bringing shaft to your right shoulder, where your left arm started. Repeat on left until continuous motion is achieved.

SWEEP STROKE

Used for turns

1. Extend sweeping arm out in front, holding paddle at throat. Rotate torso to bring blade as far forward as possible.

2. Dip blade in water and unwind torso, holding paddle shaft as close to horizontal as possible.

3. Before blade reaches stern, bend elbow of sweeping arm to pull it up.

TO FEATHER OR NOT

With blades set roughly at right angles to each other, feathered paddles create less wind resistance while paddling upwind. One hand stays in a fixed position on the shaft and by wrist movement, puts the blades into the water at the correct angles. However, wrists can suffer tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Getting Out

It’s best to start on flat water, and Newport Bay (at left) is one of the most popular and diverse areas. Various models can be rented for $8-15 an hour, and $30-50 a day around the county. Where to find them:

Balboa Boat Rentals

Next to Ferry at FunZone, Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach

(714) 673-7200

Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to sunset; Sat. and Sun. 9 a.m. to sunset in July and August

Sit-on-tops by the hour.

Newport Aquatic Center

11 Whitecliff Drive, Newport Beach

(714) 646-7725

Mon.-.Fri. 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sit-on-top and closed-decks by the hour.

Classes and private instruction.

Paddle Power

1500 West Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach

(714) 675-1215

Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

All models, including surf skis, by the hour and day.

Classes and private instruction; group tours.

REI (not shown on map)

1411 S. Village Way (McFadden exit of 55 Fwy.), Santa Ana

(714) 543-4142

Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sit-on-top and closed-decks by the day.

Resort Watersports

1131 Backbay Drive (at Newport Dunes resort), Newport Beach

(714) 729-1150

Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sit-on-top and closed decks by the hour and day.

Private instruction

Southwind Kayak Center

17855 Sky Park Circle, Irvine;

2801 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach (in harbor); and at beach in Dana Point Harbor

(714) 261-0200

Hours vary by location. Store open every day. Harbor locations open weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sit-on-tops and closed-decks by the hour and day.

Classes, private instruction and group tours.

Also, California Kayak Friends, a club for kayak enthusiasts, plans races and outings (818) 885-6182.

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Sources: The Essential Sea Kayaker by David Seidman, The Coastal Kayaker’s Manual by Randel Washburne, George Kulakowski

Reasearched by SUSAN SHOAFF / Los Angeles Times

Starting Costs

Here are some estimated costs for a beginning kayaker:

- Kayak: The price range is $300-$4,000 for your own boat, but rentals are a better bargain. Newport Aquatic Center rents them for $10 an hour for a single; $15 for a double.

- Paddles: $100

- Life preserver: $15-$20

Source: Dave McKibben