When people find out I do a lot of ocean kayaking, they all want to know the same thing: "Have you ever been punched by a surfer?"

They ask this because of ongoing tensions between surfers and surf kayakers, but my kayak is made for open water. Surf kayaks are a relatively recent innovation, but ocean kayaks have been around for at least 4000 years. (I mention this for the benefit of surfers who insist they were here first and all kayaks should be confined to swimming pools and irrigation ditches.)

Though I'm way out past the waves, some surfers still take the opportunity to give me a friendly one-fingered wave. "Whatever," I say, and toss out another handful of fish chunks for the sharks. Kidding! I'm kidding. I'm not one of those paddle-sharpeners.

The only waves I deal with are the ones I encounter leaving and returning to the beach. I try not to get soaked by the breakers, which is easier on some days than others.

The worst time I ever had with waves was coming back to the beach on a relatively flat day. The bow scrunched up against the sand, and I, dry and happy, hopped out to pull the kayak past the reach of the waves.

That's when I discovered that my legs had fallen asleep. No, they were in a coma. I just sort of toppled over. Then a little foot-high wave came along and completely soaked me before pulling my kayak back out to sea. The next wave brought it back. Smack!

I decided that dragging my dead legs up the beach using only my arms was slightly less pathetic than getting my ass kicked by my own boat. Who knows what the people on the beach thought. I doubt they'll take up kayaking.

Too bad, because kayaking is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to spend time on the water. "Cheap and easy?" Sign me up! I got mine used from a kayak rental shop. One of the first challenges was figuring out where to put the kayak in the water. This sounds simple, but kayaks are prohibited on many beaches. Sometimes just paddling past a beach will prompt a lifeguard to get on the bullhorn. "DO NOT APPROACH THE BEACH. THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA." Maybe it's a homeland security thing. Kayaking seems peaceful and private, but in reality people like looking at the ocean, and even small boats are part of the scenery. If it's not the people on the beach, it's the ones looking through telescopes from their ocean view homes. Don't pick your nose.

It's not as quiet out there as you may think. Sound carries over the water pretty darn well. There's street traffic, power boats, kids on the beach, and of course, every one or two minutes, the screaming crowd on the the Big Dipper. (For some reason, it always sounds the same, as if the same group of people was riding all day.)

I really enjoyed living in Capitola and launching by the wharf. The swell is often calm when the rest of the bay is turbulent, and the cliffs and the village are beautiful. These days I live near West Cliff, which doesn't look so good from the water, thanks to all the big rocks dumped along the cliffs to slow erosion. At least there's plenty of wildlife to make up for it. I frequently see jellyfish, otters, and schools of little fish. Sea lions lazily follow me, popping up for an occasional peek. Occasionally I see a crab on the floating kelp, or groups of dolphins, or the immense and grumpy looking head of an elephant seal. I also see floating litter, which I stuff into my trusty mesh bag. Most common items? Plastic bait bags and Frisbees chewed up by dogs.

To keep it interesting, I've tried to expand my kayak-based experiences. Flying a kite works, as long as you don't let it pull you sideways (an umbrella can be a fun way to get downwind, too). With some kayaks, you can take a nap, but be sure to tie off to some kelp if there's a breeze. Pack along a mask and snorkel, and you have a dive platform. On a nice evening, paddling out under a full moon makes local housing costs seem almost reasonable. Once I rescued a couple teens trapped against a cliff by the rising tide. One of these days, I'm going to try fishing.

And now I'm even getting along better with the surfers, who have invited me to go out with them next time the big waves are back at Mavericks!