Wbrewski,
Congrats on the trip and Thanks for the report
Taking a class or two can really help shorten the learning curve for kayak fishing. Especially if one can use basic paddling instruction. Another one you may want to take is a surf zone class about entering and exiting the surf zone exclusively. I think Jim does one and maybe some of the other kayak shops in San Diego may also offer them now. I took mine with Southwind Kayaks at San Onofre a few years back and it was one of the best kayak classes I ever took. TC&TL,
Perry