We signed up for a kayaking tour at Central Coast Kayaks because we knew we would have no clue what to do or where to go on our own. Our tour guide, John, was experienced and knowledgeable which added to my comfort level since I was incredibly nervous. When you're paddling in the ocean, you're thinking, holy shit... I'm in a kayak... in the ocean... far from the shore... water is dark... can't see the ground... holy shit... and so on. John asked us from the get-go what we were looking for from the tour. I said that I wanted the experience while Nick spouted off something about adventure. And let me tell you, we got both.
After we launched our kayaks in Shell Beach we paddled out past the kelp where the ocean was a bit more quiet. This is where I liked it best because I am a scaredy-cat like that. As we traveled south, though, John led us on a tour of the caves spanning from Shell Beach to Pismo Beach. I realize when I say touring the caves I'm making it sound like it was some sort of leisurely stroll, like we're going wine tasting or something. But it's as laid back as you'd think paddling into a cave with the swell breaking and crashing against the rocks might be. I hit my head against the roof of a cave at one point (don't worry, mom, I had a helmet).
One of my favorite parts of kayaking in the ocean was the marine life. We saw tons of birds including the California brown pelican, cormorant, and California gull. And while we didn't see any dolphins, we saw plenty of harbor seals. They were gorgeous and wonderful laying on their blubbery backs with their stomachs in the air. At one point, we looked over to see a harbor seal peek its head out of the water and look at us. John said that they are very curious and tend to follow people. Sure enough, this one did too. He stayed with us for a while peeking his head out of the water every now and again to see what we were up to. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
Even though I was scared out of my mind the whole time, I had so much fun. Maybe next time I'll loosen up. I'm so glad we took the tour, too. We had a much more worthwhile experience with a tour guide than we would have had without one. And we got that adventure that Nick was looking for.
