Being out on the ocean can be extraordinarily calming. Especially when you are so close to the water you can lean over and touch it. The cold ripples of the Pacific ocean rushes through your fingers as you look out into the horizon. Only while kayaking you can get this close to the water while staying dry. There are two different spots in the ocean for kayaking. One of them is open water and the other is bay kayaking. Both can be exhilarating and calming in the course of one trip.
When watching, kayaking looks effortless. Dipping the paddle into the water and then pushing the water behind you like you are riding a bicycle with your hands. On the other hand, kayaking is a challenging sport that engages you arms, legs, and core. Pushing the water with the paddle is more challenging then it might seem, especially when you are trying to get past the crashing waves on the shore line. Using your legs and you arms together provides the most pull for you and your kayak to go its maximum distance, which is good because most of the time it feels like you are going nowhere.
Kayaking in a bay is a lot more calming then in the ocean. When you first get into your kayak, it is usually off of a dock. Someone holds your kayak steady as you sit in it and then they hand you the paddle. After that you can kayak around the bay with little to no current pushing you around. This is always really nice when you do not feel like fighting the California waves. The other nice thing about kayaking from the bay is that you can decide to go to the ocean from the bay without fighting huge waves. There is less stress and leads to a more relaxing all around trip.
The other type of kayaking is straight ocean kayaking. Here you start with just you, your kayak, and crashing waves in front of you. The goal is to get past the waves without tipping over, which is quite challenging. The key? Making sure your kayak stays straight. Once you get past the front, it is smooth sailing. When you kayak in the ocean, there is more chance to see seals, dolphins, and whales. It might be kind of hard thinking you can see wildlife so close to the shoreline but in California, there are cliffs in the sea floor which drop off to thousands of feet only a mile out into the ocean which allows these animals to swim around close to the shoreline.
Next time you get the chance to go kayaking, especially in the ocean, take it. You will never know what you are going to see, it can be exciting and relaxing all in one, and it is something that gives you a workout at the same time. Kayaking is easy to learn and to become good at.