Pasadena Weekly's Summer Guide 2004
Heavy on the High Seas
By Carl Kozlowski

Looking for a little fun and adventure this summer? How about a day in which you'll learn how to kayak on the ocean, developing vital skills like how to avoid slamming into harbor boats and keeping yourself afloat even when you feel ready to flip over from exhaustion a mile offshore?

That was the experience I had spending a day with Santa Barbara Adventure Co., a 7-year old business that offers daylong expeditions in mountain biking, surfing lessons, guided rock climbing, wine country tours and corporate teambuilding.

But with company founder Michael Cohen leading the way, my fun and safety were never in question.

"All of our trips are designed for beginners and include full instruction and gear as well as natural and human history of the area," said Cohen. "While kayaking, for instance, we'll pull into a kelp bed, talk about the kelp forest and how it's important to the local marine habitat and the characteristics of kelp, and while we're watching marine life like dolphins go by we'll chomp on some kelp."

Kelp isn't the only food item available on the five-hour kayaking trips, thankfully, as Cohen takes pride in offering full-service trips that include healthy submarine sandwiches and plenty of snacks like soda, fruit and water.

Just as nourishing to the mind are his numerous factoids about the marine ecology of the area, in which Cohen points out a vast array of creatures his customers pass by as they take part in their hours of adventure.

Cohen, 33, developed his love for the outdoors while growing up in Santa Barbara and started leading outdoor excursions throught he area even before attending the University of Northern California. He says he fell in love with the rivers while in college and after graduation he embarked on a Hemingway-esque odyssey that set the tone for his current career.

"I was America's homeless, living in my pickup and working seasonally along with doing guiding work all over the west and abroad," said Cohen. "I taught kayaking in Belize, river trips in Idaho and outdoor education all over the state of California."

The SBAC is located just a couple hours' drive or Amtrak ride up the dramatic Pacific coastline from the San Gabriel Valley, and that extra journey makes for a perfect day trip. And with the expert help of Cohen and his crack team of ten trip leaders, the experience will not only be action packed but also educational.

My own trip started with strapping myself into a life preserver and fitting into one of SBAC's larger plastic kayaks-thanks to my 6'2", 260-pound size. As I was taught how to paddle-arms held straight out, directly across from each other, then turning in windmill fashion-I suddenly realizd this wasn't a normal way of using my muscles.

Then again, I don't normally use my arm muscles for anything more strenuous than lifting the remote control. I knew I was headed for trouble.

Once I was shown how to maneuver the paddle to turn and stop, I was told to give the kayak a quick spin around the opening pool of the harbor. Within seconds, I was headed directly for the body of an S.S. Minnow-sized boat. And with my overwhelmed with information on how to turn, stop and go forward, I slammed straight into its side even as Cohen cried out for me to do anything but that.

He knew he was in for a long afternoon. He didn't yet know how long.

After a leisurely and deceptively simple trip around the harbor during which I learned about the history of many of the ships and seemed to discover how to maneuver around several other risky turns-and even did so without swearing like a sailor!-I thought that perhaps my little beginner's trip was done. How wrong I was.

We were now headed for a little island that seemed too far to reach for a weak-armed novice like me. But borrowing a page or two from the classic novel Treasure Island, Cohen knew how to keep a blubbery landlubber like me moving: he declared we wouldn't have lunch until we reached the sandy shores. So paddle I did.

Chanting the mantra "Kayaking is fun" anytime I thought my arms were about to fall off actually did help keep me from going completely insane. But even though we stopped for lunch, it didn't mean that we were through and headed back for shore. Cohen wanted us to head out to a green buoy out in the distance and meet some sea lions up close and personal.

That seemed like a tantalizing prospect, until I realized that the wind was going against us. My spaghetti-strength arms could take no more, and I had to beg for a tow. Suddenly, even Cohen had to admit that this wasn't that fun anymore-that is, until we saw the sea otters, within a few feet of us, atop a buoy, sunning themselves. THAT was spectacular.

"I think I've met bigger, but you were up there," he admitted when asked later if he'd ever had to tow. "Our youngest person we've had was seven years old, and kids under eleven go in a double kayak with mom and dad. We travel from three to nine miles, and our typical trip is four miles and we try to let people know they should pace themselves based on their condition."

Wise words indeed, but if you're in better shape than me, you'll have a great time.