World champion kayaker Dave Johnston says that a kayaker is a bit more protected than a board surfer in a wipeout. Sentinel photo by Bill Lovejoy

SANTA CRUZ — For Dave "The Wave" Johnston, there’s nothing like sitting in a kayak and riding the waves.

Competing in the World Surf Kayak Championships this weekend at Steamer Lane allows the 20-year Santa Cruzan and reigning world champ to do just that.

"It’s too bad somebody has to win and somebody has to lose," Johnston said. "The best part is having fun surfing and meeting other people."

Johnston and his USA West teammates took first place Friday in the international class competition. He will go for an individual win in the high-performance class Sunday.

Last year, he took first in the men’s international class, second in high performance and third in the masters class at the world championships in Brazil.

Johnston was introduced to kayaking in the 1980s, when he began working at the now-closed Western Mountaineering store in Santa Cruz shortly after arriving in town to attend UC Santa Cruz.

"I started out river kayaking and started teaching kayaking soon after," said Johnston, who studied physics and math at UCSC.

The father of two young children — 5-year-old son Robin and 3-month-old daughter Ruby — is now the owner of Venture Quest Kayaks on Beach Street and runs the kayaking program at UCSC.

Over the past two decades, Johnston, who has been on just about every national kayaking team since 1988, has watched the sport mature.

"Fast designs are coming out every year, and they’re more high-tech," he said. "And the paddlers are getting better every year. They’re doing tricks and getting fancy.

"(Surf kayaking) is becoming more popular especially on the East Coast," he added. "People come up to me and they’re really intrigued with it and they want to try it out."

Johnston doesn’t mind the inquiries. He considers kayaking more fun and less dangerous than another water sport he occasionally enjoys — surfing.

"Kayaks in general allow you to be a little more comfortable in rough conditions, and there’s more protection from the elements in a kayak," he said. "You can survive really big wipeouts and keep on going."

But sometimes the conditions can get the best of any surfer — in a kayak or on a board. A spill Tuesday almost wiped out Johnston’s chances of taking part in this year’s preliminaries and finals.

He was paddling in a contest at Manresa Beach that involves both the kayaker and a videographer, who captures the action.

"I was in a boat I wasn’t used to" and a hefty wave struck, said Johnston, who wrenched his back.

The injury killed his effort to keep his individual title in the international class. But the work of team chiropractor Sheila Campbell, who also happens to be Johnston’s wife, kept his hopes alive in the high performance class.

She looked at him immediately after the accident and said his spine was shaped like an "S."

"He tore a ligament," she said. "He could barely move."

"I was really concerned," Johnston said. "I thought it was maybe my ribs or I had pulled a muscle. ... She fixed me up. I’m really fortunate to have her."

The pair met at college. When they graduated, she continued on to chiropractor school.

"Dr. Sheila Campbell," Johnston said proudly. "She graduated a few days before she gave birth to our first child. Sheila has saved me a lot of times. I lift heavy things for a living and I get whiplashed in the waves, have a rib pop out and she fixes me up."

Contact Ramona Turner at rturner@santa-cruz.com.