By Maggie Sullivan

The unhurried movement of the paddle with the kayak's sleek hull skimming silently through the water is reason enough to try sea kayaking. One trip to any of the following places will make you a fan for life.

1. Glacier Bay Sea Kayaking, Alaska, U.S.A.
The retreating glaciers and steep fjords of 3.3-million-acre Glacier Bay National Park are tailor-made for sea kayaks. The 10 tidewater glaciers regularly calve huge icebergs, with iridescent-blue or murky-green coloring revealing their prehistoric origins: blue indicating dense ice; dark brown, striped bergs coming from tributary glaciers; and white bergs, more snow than ice. The nutrient-rich waters are a favorite feeding ground for the humpback whale. There are few experiences greater than watching these leviathans breech in the bay's calm, protected waters.

2. Espiritu Santo Island Sea Kayaking, Baja California, Mexico.
If you're truly ready for a sea adventure, try circumnavigating Espiritu Santo Island in the Gulf of California. Without a doubt, it's the ideal way to explore this desert and cactus gem. The west coast has spectacular white sand bays, while the east coast is home to towering cliffs, fantastic rock formations, and sea caves worthy of investigation. Watch whales, swim with seals, or peer into the crystal-clear water to glimpse manta rays gliding just inches from the surface. Best of all, watch the sun set over the Baja peninsula while sipping a well-chilled cerveza.

3. Vava'u Archipelago Sea Kayaking, Tonga.
While paddling these 50-some islands, you're on Tongan time: Take a slow, civilized pace to explore marine caves, comb the powder-fine beaches for shells, and hike island paths on a visit to a Polynesian village. The reefs protecting the islands from the crashing seas form a living backdrop to this South Pacific paradise, where humpback whales use the Vava'u group to mate and calve from July to October. The islands are within an easy paddle of one another, and reliable breezes invite you to try something new: kayak sailing.

4. San Juan Islands Sea Kayaking, Washington, U.S.A.
With a mix of beaches, deep harbors, and reef-studded bays, the San Juan Islands first attracted native Americans, who fished their fertile waters from canoes modified for the open waters and elements. Settlers followed, but the most colorful inhabitants were Prohibition smugglers and rum-runners; the waterways and approximately 350 atolls and islands made perfect impromptu docks for their underworld imports. The western edge of the island group is where most tours take you today. It's the best place to spot the three pods of Orca whales--known by the letters J, K, and L--that visit the area between May and October to feed on the salmon migrating through Haro Strait.

5. Ithaka Sea Kayaking, Ionian Sea, Greece.
For centuries, seafarers have succumbed to their fascination with the Ionian Sea and the shores of Ithaka, kingdom of Homer's epic hero, Odysseus. Today, it's no different for kayakers. Mornings are spent paddling the turquoise waters, afternoons are reserved for exploring hidden mountain paths and whitewashed villages, and evenings are set aside for glorious sunsets and sipping retsina. Other Ionian islands are just a few hours paddling distance away: Enjoy Meganisi, dedicated to the god Apollo, or Skorpios, the private realm of the Onassis family. Or set out 10 miles to the uninhabited island of Atakos to explore huge limestone caves.

6. Glover's Reef Sea Kayaking, Belize.
If you're looking for an easily accessible kayaker's paradise, Glover's Reef fits the bill. As part of the second-largest barrier reef system in the world and one of only four atolls in the Western Hemisphere, Glover's encompasses an 82-square-mile lagoon containing more than 700 patch reefs in clear, shallow water. But just offshore, the ocean floor drops an impressive 2,600 feet in less than a mile. The result is an astounding diversity of marine life. By day, paddle out to snorkel and explore other islands; by night, feast on incredibly fresh seafood.

7. Ha Long Bay Sea Kayaking, Vietnam.
This bay is the home of legends and myth. According to locals, Ha Long (which means descending dragon) was created when a dragon gouged out valleys and mountains as it fled after a furious battle. Many of the fishermen, who live on floating villages in the bay, still believe the beast, Tarasque, roams the waterways. Dragon or no, the bay and its 1,600 islands and islets form a spectacular seascape of lagoons, sea tunnels, mangroves, caverns, and beaches ready and waiting for kayak explorers.

8. Milford Sound Sea Kayaking, New Zealand.
On the whole, New Zealand delivers total sensory overload. That is especially true of the fjords of Milford Sound, where clean waters reflect the impressive granite mountains and waterfalls crashing into the sea from dizzying heights. Playful dolphins escort your kayak through the sound's narrow valleys, while seals bask on the rocky shores and birds soar high above. Once you tire of paddling (if that's possible), get a workout for your lower half on the Milford Track, known for some of the best backcountry hiking in the world.

9. Isle Royale Sea Kayaking, Michigan. U.S.A.
Although officially within Michigan, Isle Royale National Park is closer to Minnesota and Canada than the state's mainland. Ranking as the largest island on the largest freshwater lake on Earth, it remains the least-visited park in the country. It's accessible only by boat or floatplane, and that leaves the lighthouses, shipwrecks, and pristine wilderness all to you and your kayak. When hunger calls, paddle up to the rocky shores to pick a snack of wild blueberries and raspberries.

10. Atchafalaya Basin Sea Kayaking, Louisiana, U.S.A.
Look at a map of Louisiana. Aside from boisterous New Orleans, what is the most prominent feature? It's the extensive coastline, the longest in the country. Dipping in and out of the Gulf of Mexico and through swamp, tidal marsh, and freshwater estuaries is the Atchafalaya Basin, the heart of Cajun country. The basin's bayous are the highways and byways for the people in the area and home to enough bird life, gators, fish, and eerie charm to keep your mind off your stroke and on the important question: What's around the next bend?

Maggie Sullivan is an assistant editor at iExplore.