KAYAKING'S A KICK WITH KEIM

Her brochure promised "sea kayaking is easy to learn. . guided tours customized to your interest and skill level".

"That's for me", I thought, fingering the brochure and cradling a camera at the Santa Barbara harbor, ready to fulfill a long term desire to kayak the ocean, slathered with layers of sunblock.

The urge started years ago after reading S.B Independent editor Nick Welch's article on Kayaking, figuring if Nick can find a sport that washes away the stress of daily reportage, I better try it. Plus, I'd watch kayakers cruise the coastline, always seeming to have wide smiles and kick-back attitudes and seen pictures of them cruising the Channel Islands, boldly going where boats or hikers can't go.

Instructor Judy Keim of Pedal & Paddle (687-2912) offered to get my feet wet in the growing sport-now estimated at 14 million followers, after a huge 33% increase in only the last few years. Now it's 14,000,002 after myself and fellow kayaking student Liz Odum are convinced.

Judy and her on-shore assistant are the perfect team to introduce wary people to the sport. That's because they don't comport themselves as thrill seekers, but safe, patient, do it at your own speed partners.

Too, Keim has a strong environmental ethic and is involved in caring for a retrieving hurt animals. Nature's animals "let us have our space and we should let them have their space, and if we're going to go and see them, we should do it in the quietest and least destructive way." Keim told the SB Independent.

Kayaking fits the bill perfectly. Sometimes referred to as the "backpacking of the water world" sea kayaks sit low in the water, are silent, smooth and are wonderfully maneuverable and receptive to your touch. "I found it really easy to Paddle", Liz Odum said, adding quickly that she was sure to do it again, next time treating her mother to the experience (her lesson was a birthday present).

The greatest fear may be dumping into the water, but Keim makes sure you know how to prevent that, and if it does happen, shows you how to get back up safely. Life vests are worn and the kayak cannot sink, so the threat of drowning is minuscule.

As one long time kayaker, George Dyson founder of the Baidarka (Aleutian sea Kayak) Historical Society of Washington said, "sea kayaking is not inherently dangerous, but cold water is.". It's simple to learn and no special strength nor skills are needed. Keim teaches that in contrast to rowing where you pull the oars, the kayaker pushes the paddle, a much easier technique and one that is less fatiguing or hard on the arms and shoulders.

Kayaking a raging white water river is something else all together. That takes special training compared to gliding along a calm coast. Speaking of which, while cruising the SB coast, Keim is an encyclopedia of knowledge about marine life, coastal attractions, history and lore. Most of her customers are tourists who not only get the thrill of kayaking and notable facts but also an appreciation of our environment.

The crafts she uses are touring kayaks which are wider and more stable than racing or river kayaks. They have open cockpits in contrast to the closed, waterproof cockpits in river craft, and are quite comfortable.

Keim often starts beginners out at the harbor where it's calm and paddlers can get used to maneuvering before going out into the ocean. After a delightful cruise along the coast, from Santa Barbara Harbor to Butterfly Beach, we had to reluctantly turn toward the beach. That's when technique really comes in as you must learn to glide on the top of the wave and keep you boat pointed perpendicular to the beach-otherwise you're wet. I got wet. It was my christening.