Poker game on Agua Hedionda Lagoon

On Saturday, October 19, the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation and California Water Sports hosted the third annual Lagoon Paddle Poker Challenge under sunny skies and calm winds.

Over 190 kayakers and  stand-up paddlers enjoyed a morning of paddling between seven stops around the lagoon to pick a card for a five-card poker hand. The stops were sponsored by local businesses. The winning poker hand won a new stand-up paddle board.

The event was emceed by the foundation's celebrity host, Christopher Knight, and also featured a costume contest with prizes awarded for youth, men, women, and group divisions.

The annual celebration is for the purpose of keeping a spotlight on the foundation's lagoon stewardship efforts; the 2006 eradication of Caulerpa taxifolia, an invasive seaweed, has allowed for continued recreation on the lagoon.

Agua Hedionda is the only coastal lagoon between Oceanside Harbor and San Diego Bay that permits year-round fishing, boating, kayaking, and paddling.