PS - about practicing capsizing, up-righting and re-boarding your kayak in water over your head: I would suggest doing this deeper into the mouth of the SD River where the water is lazy and calm. Not out past the breakers. More than a few fishermen are so damn fat it's sometimes hard to maneuver.
PPS - I was once WAY TF out in the ocean, alone, and accidentally sat on the treble hook of a lure at the end of my line. It was one of those surgically sharp sticky Japanese thingy's. I literally jumped out of my kayak before I realized what happened. Luckily, nobody was around with their GoPro's to record this bizarre event. I didn't know I was capable of falling out of my kayak like that, but I did. Beats the Hell out of me! LOL.
I crawled back aboard red like a tomato and resumed fishing as if nothing happened. Sopping wet, of course. No simultaneous shark encounters to report.
Please don't tell anyone because this is quite embarrassing
When I was more of a newb, the legendary Johnny Ceviche told me to learn "self rescues" before I go out in the ocean ... I have some ideas, but I'm still trying to figure out what that means in it's entirety. My safety checklist keeps growing with ideas and practical applications.
Someone else in these forums reminded me in my formative phase, "when you go in the ocean in a kayak, you become part of the food chain."
Food for thought.
Life is sweet.