After the Fires: What’s Next?

In Uncategorized by Daniel Kazmaier
Hello Paddlers!

Whew! 2025 is off to a rough start. I wanted to check in and let you know I’m sending any affected by the fires my best good vibes. The number of people in our paddle community directly affected by the fires is staggering.

I’ve had the privilege of paddling with so many of you over the years, following along as your families grew and changed, celebrating your life moments – from garden projects to graduations, and home additions.

It’s heartbreaking to see these homes, which were true expressions of your lives and personal “works of art,” now gone.

As someone whose work is deeply personal, I can’t comprehend the pain of losing something you’ve devoted your life to creating. My heart goes out to all those affected.

BUT knowing many of you, I see your resilience. You’ll face this change as you always do – with strength, an the energy to move forward toward your next adventure…
Change is inevitable in 2025, whether we like it or not – but as paddlers, we face change every time we’re on the water.

It’s a fluid, ever-changing environment where the only way forward is to paddle through, build momentum, and catch the rides when they come.

While we’ve all gotten a crash course in wind and air quality maps recently (more on that below so be sure to read on), I’d like to take a moment for an extra special paddler profile.

I occasionally share these because many of you have had remarkable journeys through paddling, though it’s challenging to capture these achievements without sounding like a paddle tour sales pitch.

Given what we’ve just been through, this particular story couldn’t be more relevant.

Paddlers, it’s time we talked about Marion and how she made it happen…
A significant part of my business has evolved around taking people like Marion – those who had big dreams on the water but little or no water sports background- and turning them into paddlers living their best life on the water.

Marion is one of the first and most enduring members of the Paddle Method community, and her journey from novice to paddler perfectly exemplifies what our lesson and activity plan aims to achieve.

Note: a “paddler” in our world is a broad term, but at Paddle Method, a paddler can work with the energy on the water to go when and where they want to go and make it back to their flip flops on the beach with a smile…
Paddle Method began as a learning methodology that helps people with diverse skill sets master an effective and efficient paddle stroke through step-by-step technique.

Our approach is based on the Polynesian outrigger canoe stroke, which has proven effective for centuries, specifically designed to address the challenges of standing position- lack of steering rudder, and wind management.

This focus was crucial because most basic paddle strokes leave stand-up paddlers underpowered when facing wind, waves, and boat wakes. Initially, my goal was to coach people through this transformation while leading Malibu coastal tours.

Then along came Marion. A petite mother, wife, and tennis player from the English countryside (she could have been a Great British Bake-Off contestant!), Marion had moved to LA and raised her family.

Her ocean experience was limited to occasional summer swims and admiring the mighty Pacific ocean from the Santa Monica Mountains…
One day, while walking her dog at Point Dume near Paradise Cove, Marion rested on a bench on a beautiful SoCal day when she noticed something extraordinary: two paddlers gliding across the water, making their way to the base of the cliffs below.

They looked calm, serene, at one with nature.

The scene left an impression, but what happened next was magical – a whale breached from the water not far from the paddlers.

In that moment, Marion’s casual interest transformed into a burning desire to become an ocean paddler herself…

It began when she came out for the 90-minute sea lion lesson and Marina tour with her whole family.

I remember it was a bit windy with some boat traffic – a perfect day for learning – and from that moment, she was hooked.

Marion shared her goal with me: to ocean launch before the Little Dume cliffs, paddle the 8-mile roundtrip route to Point Dume, and hopefully, one day see a whale…

Check out this quick video of a dolphin surfacing right near us!!
Given the ocean’s fickle conditions, she committed to an ocean wave class in Venice and regular Marina practice sessions.

Finally, months later, on a beautiful late Fall day, conditions were perfect for a first-time ocean paddler. We launched through the 1-to-2-foot surf and found ourselves ensnared in a carpet of kelp that blanketed the entire coastline.

We spent several hours navigating through it, past Little Dume, until we reached the clearer ocean and the base of Point Dume’s cliffs. Above us was that same bench, now with another woman looking down at us. Marion had come full circle – she was now the one making an impression.

And then, incredibly, a grey whale breached in the water right next to us!

There were giggles and tears (I couldn’t tell from who because I got some seaweed in my eye… or something haha), but it was a monumental moment of accomplishment!

Note: Grey whales are bottom feeders and rarely breach. In fact, I’ve only seen it a couple of times in 15 years. This tip of Santa Monica Bay has a very deep trench where food and minerals upwell in a column, which may explain why we saw this grey whale.

But really, the fact that after months of paddle practice, we picked our way through kelp for hours to reach this exact spot for such a rare event – that was definitely something special!

If you want to see a video of our encounter with a humpback whale, click on the image to check out the video below!!
From there, Marion wanted more paddle trips, and I expanded my program to accommodate that passion. Other paddlers joined, and to this day, a hardcore crew of everyday people turned paddlers still comes out every month or so.

For the past 12 years, all year long, we’ve paddled from Ventura to Newport. From paddle surf classes to Pyramid Lake and LA River adventures, from humpback whale watching to dolphin encounters near Malaga Cove and Cabrillo Beach in Palos Verdes – we’ve done it all.

My business grew because of and for her, and I’ll always be thankful for the example she set and the opportunities it created.

Marion has truly become a paddler living her best SoCal SUP life, and I’m so proud to be a part of her journey.

She made it happen by signing up for every paddle opportunity, and others followed her lead, forming a community around her enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, Marion lost her home in the Palisades fire. This is heartbreaking on so many levels. I hadn’t realized until now, after years of listening to her family celebrate wins and losses, plan new additions, and schedule garden improvements, just how much of her SoCal life was wrapped up in her main life project – her family and her home.

It was like her creative outlet and work of art, destroyed in a single day. In her words: “hard reset.”

She messaged me that she lost her paddle in the fire. Her next message? To schedule her next paddle on the ocean, in search of whales and more magical moments.

Other Palisades paddlers will join, and all will be okay.

To me, hers is a quintessential LA story – moved here from somewhere else, embraced all the new challenges and changes, dug deep, got out of her comfort zone, and pushed herself to do something few people get to experience. When life knocks her down, she doesn’t stop – she gets right back to paddling. Clearly, she must know something

She has motivated me to adapt my business plan, and now I hope she’ll inspire all of you, whatever your goals are for 2025, paddle or otherwise, to make them happen.
These are just some pictures and videos of the cool places and magical moments I’ve been able to share with Marion over the years.

This collection isn’t complete – many of the best moments happened when I couldn’t get to my phone.

Like when a mama grey whale and her baby surfaced right in front of us near the Bay Club.

We paused in awe as the mother gently guided her baby to the ocean side of us, giving us what could only be described as a warm look before they swam on by.

Check out this list of just some of the places YOU can paddle right here in Santa Monica Bay and the surrounding area – if you want to join the adventure!

  • Marina del Rey
  • Venice beach
  • Santa Monica Pier
  • Zuma to Malibu pier
  • Malibu pier to Topanga
  • Leo Carillo
  • Broad beach
  • Ballona creek
  • Redondo Pier
  • Malaga cove
  • Terranea Resort
  • Cabrillo beach
  • Long beach harbor
  • Newport harbor
  • LA River sepulveda basin
  • Pyramid lake
  • Castaic lake
  • Oxnard and Ventura harbor
And I know she’s paddled in Bora Bora, Hawaii, and other amazing places around the world – with a whole lot more adventures to come!

If you have paddleboard dreams like Marion, let me know.

Just respond to this email and tell me what you want to do: SUP surfing, multi-day adventures, paddling with whales in Malibu, following the Marion trail – you name it.

I’ll happily create a personalized plan to help make your paddling dreams a reality!!
Fire, Wind, and Waves in Santa Monica Bay:

What We Can Learn About the Place We Live and Paddle (And Some Tools to Make Sense of It)

At the end of the day, the wind is still in charge.

LA is bordered by big, grandmother nature on all sides, and we’re lucky to experience her presence from both land and sea any day we want. Recently, we’ve all spent a lot of time studying wind maps to plan our days around air quality.

Fortunately, even on the windiest days, we’re in a bit of a bubble – as you can see in the blue area in the picture below.
Knowing the prevailing wind patterns is helpful for planning paddles and managing air quality concerns.

Our sea breeze generally keeps us in the green to yellow zone most of the time. It’s similar to our water quality reports – Santa Monica Bay and Mother’s Beach typically stay in the green to yellow zones. Here’s what to keep in mind:

  • For air or water quality in the orange and red zone, immune-compromised people should avoid exposure or wear N95 masks for air or stay on your board,kayak or boat if you’re in the water – your SUP is like your PPE!
  • After a rain, stay out of the water for 24 to 48 hours
  • Our prevailing currents push water south, while our prevailing winds push air inland
  • Though these patterns can briefly reverse, mother nature is fickle but the prevailing winds and ocean currents blow east and flow south

Even during less-than-ideal conditions, you have options: wear a mask when air quality is above moderate, or stick to SUP or kayaking if water quality enters the red zone.

If you’re worried about falling in remember if you have a healthy immune system, just rinse off after your session. Modern day SUPs are really big and stable, and just like a bicycle are more stable when they are moving. So pick up your pace in rough waters and practice picking up your pace even when it’s calm – you’ll feel better the more you do it.

Take Lesson 2 paddling in Wind and Wakes to learn the technique to get you through the tough times and take your paddling to the next level.

Last, for information about air quality and beach water quality check out these links:

Air Quality Map

Beach Water Quality

Very useful!!

A Final Note

Many of you have asked how you can help those in our paddle community affected by the fires. The best way is to keep doing what you’ve always done – show up, paddle together, and support each other.

Our strength has always been in our community, whether we’re facing challenging surf, strong winds, or life’s bigger waves.

For those ready to get back on the water, our regular paddles are continuing as scheduled.

Reach out to me anytime or check out our Paddle Method Club for some fun social opportunities!

Sometimes the best therapy is simply being on the water with friends who understand.

Now, let’s go paddle!

-Tim

Paddle Method

For more information message Tim directly at timsanford@gmail.com

P.S. Be sure to check out the Paddle Method shop for the best curated SUP gear out there! There are my personal favorites!