Catching The Waves - With A Kayak

HONOLULU - We're poised in our kayaks in a surfing spot off Diamond Head, ready to steal a ride on a wave before work. Small ones slip under us before they crest, explode into spray and thunder toward the shallows in the early morning light.

John Enomoto looks over his shoulder at the open ocean, reading the sets. Watching a 3-foot wave approach, he waits until it's right behind us before he yells to paddle. We dig deeply into the water, stroking for speed, racing to catch it.

As I strain my muscles, I'm aware of an internal battle. One side knows the wave will put me in the middle of enormous ocean forces and wants me to back off; the other side craves the enormous (albeit fleeting) pleasure the wave will bring and argues that it's worth the risk.

I go with the voice of pleasure.

Suddenly the sensations change, from frenzied paddling to soaring on massive shoulders. We brace with our paddles, bargaining with the power that could pitch us off.

For the next few seconds, we ride fast and free on the ocean's energy, getting addicted to Hawaii's latest watercraft craze.

Enomoto, an experienced kayaker, flips his paddle to the other side and steers out of the wave to pursue another.

I, a novice, wipe out. I become parallel with the wave's crest and lose my balance. Swallowed up and spit out into the turbulence, I scramble for my kayak before another set comes.

Kayak surfing, which seduces those who like sports with a mix of danger, skill and thrill, is catching on at the same rate that kayakers catch waves.

"It's in its infancy," said Gary Budlong, owner of Go Bananas, a Honolulu shop that sells kayaks and wave skis. "Sooner or later there'll be competitions to see who's the best."

Although long-time ocean kayakers have caught waves for years, the recent popularity of recreational kayaks and wave skis has produced a new, fevered generation of surfers. Designed for stability and versatility, recreational kayaks are shorter and wider than racing or cruising kayaks. Virtually all put the paddler on top - not inside. And some have knee straps or seat belts, enabling paddlers to operate as one with their craft and use their weight to carve waves.

Wave skis, used primarily by Australians for the last decade, resemble surfboards with feet straps. Trickier to balance, paddlers select them for speed and performance. Surf skis, a longer variation, are for surfing big waves in the open ocean.

Budlong, who has switched his loyalty from body surfing to kayak surfing, has had his best rides on a craft modified for surfing.

Known as the "Scrambler," the 11-foot-kayak has a hull with the features of a sailboat and speedboat, says Tim Niemier, designer and owner of Ocean Kayak Inc., the Ferndale, Wash., company that manufactures the polyethylene kayak and others.

"You're able to paddle fast to take off and then you get a planing action when you get on the wave," said Niemier, who refined the kayak a year ago in Hawaii.

To surf, people need a foundation in paddling, ocean savvy and wave skills.

"You have to have timing, power and finesse," Budlong said. "You need timing to know when to power into the wave. You have to have enough power to get onto the wave. And once there you need finesse to be one with the wave."

White-water paddlers will likely learn quickly, extending their sense of balance to the surf. But even novices could catch some waves over the course of a week, depending on desire or guts.

"I can almost guarantee success," said Bob Twogood, owner of Twogood Kayaks in Kailua. "Ninety percent will catch some waves and have a great time while learning."

Paddlers also should know how to handle a wipe-out in big waves. The key is to relax and float face up if near a coral reef. But even good swimmers can panic if they are a quarter-mile offshore, get separated from their kayaks and get pounded silly by the surf.

It happened to me on my maiden voyage in a kayak. I skipped lessons, didn't know anything about waves and went out with a friend who had experience mainly in reef-protected waters.

The surf conditions were 2 to 4 feet with offshore winds way too gusty for a beginner. Flat-to-a-foot would have been ideal. But we launched, caught up in the adventure.

He showed me a basic stroke, which I did inefficiently. Neither of us knew how to go over waves, other than to point the kayak's nose into them. We had fun until we headed back.

The surf had increased to 3 to 5 feet. We could see we had to go around a set of breaking waves to get in. But suddenly we were bobbing in the middle of them. I turned the kayak into a wave, which swelled to a 6-foot vertical wall of water.

I knew I wouldn't make it over and didn't know what to do. I sat with the paddle frozen in my hands, feeling tiny, stupid and mortal. When the wave broke, I was bucked off, beaten up and churned under for several seconds.

When I came up, I had water in my lungs and was coughing. My friend, whose shirt and glasses had been ripped off, also was coughing. We took a feeble breath just before the next wave came. And the next.

Our kayaks were gone - washed into the middle of the reef. I was frightened, feeling invisible to the boaters, surfers and sun bathers. We yelled for help, but our waterlogged voices didn't carry past the scolding surf.

The set of waves passed, providing a brief lull. We started swimming out of the impact zone, where the waves dump their energy. I collected my wits and realized I could make it. But my friend shouted that he was in trouble and hung on to a prickly piece of reef.

Fortunately, a lifeguard had been watching. He paddled out on his surfboard and put my friend on the back of it. Shaken, my friend said that he thought he was going to die.

I later took a kayak surfing lesson.

There are those, however, who like to turn up the danger flame.

Twogood, the Kailua kayak shop owner, likes to take his kayak out to Oahu's North Shore in the winter and drop down the face of a 30-foot wave. Just for the thrill.

"If you do it just right, you're going to laugh," said Twogood, who placed 12th in the 1984 Olympic kayak trials.

"If you don't, you're going to have a difficult swim and have to hold your breath for a long time."

Here's some information on kayaking in Oahu: -- Surf spots:

South Shore from west to east: Ewa Beach area; Keehi Lagoon area, off Sand Island by airport; Waikiki - from Hilton Hawaiian Village to Diamond Head; Diamond Head, specifically Tonggs and Suicides; Portlock area by Koko Head.

North Shore, from west to east (primarily during winter): Haleiwa - off Waialua Bay; Waimea Bay; Kahana Bay; the Moku Lua Islands - between the two and to the left of the left island. -- Kayak shops:

Go Bananas, 732 Kapahulu Ave., Honolulu, HI; phone 1-808-737-9514.

Twogood Kayaks Hawaii, Inc., 171 Hamakua Drive, Kailua, Oahu, HI; phone 1-808-262-5656.

'Cuda Kayaks, 789 Kailua Road, Kailua, Oahu, HI; phone 1-808-261-8424. -- Rentals:

Cost of daily rentals is about $20-$35.

Cost of private lessons is about $20.

Some shops will not deliver kayaks; paddlers need to rent cars that can take temporary roof racks.

Also, some shops may not rent to novices. They may require paddlers to take a lesson in basic skills.

Here are some places to rent kayaks on the Neighbor Islands. Ask them for advice on good surfing spots:

- Big Island: Kona Kai-yaks, 74-5563 Kaiwi St., Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, HI 96740; phone 1-808-326-2922.

- Kauai: Outfitters Kauai, P.O. Box 1149, Koloa, Kauai, HI 96756; phone 1-808-742-9667.

Kayak Kaui (in Kapaa and Hanalei), 1340 Kuihio Highway, Kapaa, Kauai, HI 96746; phone 1-808-822-9179. Or P.O. Box 506, Hanalei, Kauai, HI 96714; phoen 1-808-826-9844.

- Maui: Maui Sea Kayaking, P.O. Box 106, Puunene, Maui, HI 96784; phone 1-808-572-6299 (the number has been temporarily changed until Oct. 8 to 1-808-874-3843).