Summer Special : Ocean Kayaks Offer Variety of Recreation : Exercise, Solitude Attract Many to Growing Sport

It is often near midnight when Vic Lopez slides his craft into Huntington Harbor, sits his dog, Gretchan, down on the side, climbs into the shell and slowly paddles away from shore.

“It’s so peaceful . . . so beautiful,” Lopez said. “Me and my dog, at one with nature.”

It is often just past dawn when Donna Chambers launches her craft into Dana Point Harbor and sets out on a brisk workout.

“It’s good exercise,” she said. “You can get pretty winded after four or five hours of paddling as hard as you can.”

Different strokes for different folks.

Ocean kayaking, enthusiasts say, can be what you want it to be.

“It’s like riding a bike,” said Doug Schwartz of Southwind Sports Resource. “You can make it a family activity or do it alone. You can do a lazy paddle or compete in a race. You can do it at your own pace to suit your pleasure.”

Orange County residents are turning to ocean kayaking in increasing numbers. California Kayak Friends, an Irvine-based club, has 529 members from across Southern California. Classes offered by Southwind Sports Resource (from $25-$60) often are booked weeks in advance.

An outgrowth of white-water kayaking, ocean kayaking usually features a 6- to 8-foot long oblong-shaped craft made of fiberglass.

Getting into the sport can cost from $900 to $2,000. The price of a kayak ranges from $700 to $1,500, paddles cost about $150, a life jacket goes for $50 and lessons range from $40 to $100. Buying used equipment can reduce start-up costs, and there is a good market, enthusiasts say, for second-hand kayaks. Rentals also are available in some areas.

Climate and the variety of launch sites make Orange County an ideal place for the sport to flourish, kayakers say. Popular paddle areas include Huntington Harbor, Dana Point, Newport Harbor and Mission Bay in San Diego.

“It’s unbelievable how the sport has taken off in the last couple of years,” said Joanne Turner of Southwind Sports Resource, an Irvine-based firm that manufactures and distributes kayaks and offers lessons. “We get from 20 to 30 inquiries every day.”

One reason the sport has taken off, enthusiasts say, is that it can be used so many things.

“I think it’s great to go out and (paddle) along the coast exploring caves,” Turner said. “I just take my time and explore, and that’s something no other sport offers.”

For those into group activities, California Kayak Friends played host to or participated in more than 40 events in July, including the Gondola Getaway Regatta in Long Beach last Saturday. It also holds midnight paddles, slide shows about the sport and overnight trips.

But some find the solitude refreshing.

“I like going out alone, because I’m kind of a loner,” Lopez, a longshoreman from Long Beach, said. “I got interested in it last year, and for Father’s Day, I bought myself some lessons. For my birthday, I bought myself this junky old kayak,” he said, wiping off his scarred, leaky craft after finishing third in the Gondola Getaway Regatta.

“When I’m out there all alone with my dog, I kind of meditate. I think about things. I see the birds and the fish, and if I want, I stop to watch and listen to the other living things around me.

“For me, (kayaking) is the first step toward canoeing. In a few months, I plan to get a canoe. I’d like to paddle to Catalina.”

That trek is a popular goal among kayakers, too, but no easy task, Turner said.

“On a clear day, Catalina looks so close,” she said. “But I did it last year, and it was some paddle. We circumnavigated the island, and it wound up being about 40 miles. It’s not a trip for beginners.”

Riley Carsey was a college student when he came to Los Angeles in 1971 to try out for the 1972 U.S. Olympic kayak team.

“I got to LAX with a paddle and an overnight bag . . . and I’ve been here ever since,” he said.

Since then, he has seen the sport experience equal periods of boom and bust in the area.

“It’s as popular as it’s been right now,” said Carsey, 37. “It seems to be growing in popularity for the white wine and aerobics crowd. Kayaking just offers so many things no other sport does.”