Not long afterward I stood on a dock in Ventura Harbor listening to a sunburned man with truly enormous forearms demonstrate the use of the feathered kayak paddle. That and the blades being offset help you paddle. Never hold the paddle near your face in a rough sea. Never kayak in a sea cave in the presence of breakers or without a helmet. And when you see a big wave curling toward you and you know it's going to smash you, bail out.
Most people think of a kayak as a small boat with a hole in the top, and that is one type of kayak.
I sat down on the dock and leveraged myself with my arms into what looked like a McDonald's-orange streamlined canoe, then took the paddle I was handed and executed a few strokes. I chuckled at the ease of it as my instructor floated up beside me. I plunged the paddle into the water and rolled out of the kayak. You have the same rights as any of the seacraft here, but it's best to avoid them when they come at you, especially the big ones. No argument there.