Everyone told me Tom's Cove was best for first time sea kayakers. It was rougher than the channel on the day I went, not horrible but lots of little waves. The hardest part is when going around the point of the island where the Inlet, the Channel and Toms Cove all meet, it gets rough and if you're not confident in your balance I'd avoid this area. Once I got into the channel it was nice, went with the current instead of against it. Only go into the pony marsh at high tide, it's not accessible at low tide and theres still many places you can get stuck during high tide. Overall a great experience.