: Just got back from a weekend in Morro-Bay Calif. While not nearly as
: challenging as the Great Northwest, we still had a great time for our
: limited experience.

(Some editing here)

: On another note, we shopped every kayak/surf shop in the area and found that
: very few touring kayaks exist in this area. 99% of what are sold or rented
: are Sit on Tops. Guess folks are a bit clostraphobic down here... ??

Most of the people here on the west coast are sun seekers. Face it, the weather here is so great you want to be out in the sun all the time. This has evolved a culture where most people on the water seek to emulate the surfer dud's who ARE out in the sun all the time. SOT's are a more normal looking or surfboard looking version of things when this is considered. Additionally, it's very difficult to get trapped in a SOT and you don't have to learn to roll them either. They aren't tippy, absolutely can't sink, take no skill to paddle in, and are the perfect rental boat for vacationers who have no skills at all.

The closed deck boats are usually found being paddled by club members. In addition, Morro Bay is still a fishing village with a fishing mentality. Anything that doesn't help catch fish isn't going to get much attention from the locals there. Can you say "narrowly focused"? Which seems strange considering there's a MAJOR univeristy just a few miles up the highway from there (California Polytechnic University) at which diversity and looking beyond the horizon is taught.