Capitola

I am thinking about going out to Capitola in the next couple of weeks.  My wife and I stayed at pleasure point and I was looking at maybe trying the kelp along that beach.  I've only been out in the ocean once so far so was I was looking for some advise on the area, mostly if it is safe enough for a couple of newbee's and should I launch from the marina or is there a better location than that?  I haven't launched in the surf yet.

Except this weekend, when the surf is very big, launching at the Capitola wharf or from New Brighton State Beach is about as easy as it gets.  Even easier is from the SC Harbor, but it puts you upwind from kelp beds off Pleasure Pt, you risk a serious paddle back to the harbor if the wind comes up.  You should always check the surf when you get to the launch, even if you've checked out on Surfline or Garlic.com or other surf sites.
If it's rolling in higher than about knee high, until you get some experience, you probably ought to find something else to do, like kayaking Elkhorn Slough (no angling).  But almost all the time, between dawn and about 11-12 a.m., you'll do fine, just time your launch and landing.   At Capitola wharf, you launch just to the west of it down a steep sandy road to the beach and about 20 yards of beach. Pulling your yak back up the launch road alone is tough, but doable. Sand wheels are very handy.  Parking is hard to come by, but you can unload and park back up toward the west up the hill. On weekends, that beach can be pretty crowded when you come back in.  Some people launch from the wharf itself, I've heard, not worth the trouble to me. 
   New Brighton launch site doesn't open until 8, unless you're willing to roll your yak from the campground overflow parking area down and around the chain on the road, probably a third of a mile to the water.  But it's much more protected than Capitola, but further from the Pleasure Pt kelp beds.

Thanks for the advise.