Not being from your area, I have no idea where Foster Island is. But I do have to emphasize again that your inflatable kayak model is not safe or suitable for the ocean near you and that includes Puget Sound. It is not a sea kayak.
Foster Island is the center of the marshy area at the north end of the Arboretum in Seattle. It’s a network of twisty passages and small ponds that people commonly rent canoes to paddle through.
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It’s been quite a few years, but i have swam in Lake Washington in the summer and it was just fine. Lake Sammamish is warmer by my recollection, as are most of the other small lakes around your area.
I would concur that paddling in the sound in an inflatable might be for small bays and sheltered spots. The south sound has some good sites, but be very careful with the tides. You might find yourself in a very big mud trap at low tide if you left shore on a high tide and returned at low tide.
There might be exceptions, but my experience with inflatables compared to rigid kayaks is two very different animals. I got started in kayaks with an inflatable–I still have it, but it hasn’t been out of the bag in about twelve years, or more. I remember one time on Lake Mohave in Nevada where I came upon a guy in a small rigid kayak who also had started in an inflatable. I asked him if he thought there was much difference. He said "Oh yeah, a big, big difference. He wasn’t exaggerating
I would encourage you to try out a decent rigid kayak and maybe with a little luck an experienced paddler could give you some quick pointers to get you started. If you lived closer to my neck of the woods (SW Washington), I might be of some help. If you really get bitten by the bug, you might want to drive down to Tacoma and check out the shop where NC Kayaks are built. Look up their website.
Someone mentioned that you should check out which permits are required for kayaks in Washington. None.
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A couple of tips for paddling inflatables ( about half my paddling is in skin on frame folding kayaks with inflatable components like sponsons and flotation bags). First, the pressure varies with ambient temperature which mean if you inflate the kayak on land in warm temps, the air inside will compress a after you immerse it in cold water and you may find it slightly less firm after a while and have to add a little more air. And if the boat is inflated tautly and then you leave ii in the hot sun on land or on the car rack, the compartments will expand, sometimes enough to rupture a seam. So be conscious about when you might need to add or reduce air volume in the boat.
Another factor is that you will often have to launch when the boat is floating freely in the water, not on shore. Inflatables, like rafts and most fabric and rubber skin on frames, will tend to hang up or drag on rocks, gravel, concrete and sand or soil. They won’t slide into the water with your weight inside from many launch situations and can get hung up on gravel, boulders or sand bars while you are paddling that a hardshell boat could be pushed over or past.
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So pretty! Thank you Andy (Id heard that was a popular paddling zone, but 520 is a little deterrent for me - still hoping I can find some spots away from highways…)
Thanks @magooch … I know, it’s not a Real kayak! 
but that will come later, once I get a little time on the water (and save some $) In the meantime, I hope to have a little fun! While I learn to read tide tables, do some exploring, scope out some spots for future… get my feet wet 
@willowleaf Uh-oh. Releasing air is one thing… but how do you ADD air when you’re IN the kayak? hmmm…
And thanks for yet another great tip, the getting in and out part - (another perk of the wetsuit - with booties! - 
You can get short wetsuit booties for about $30 that you can wear with any paddling wear. I have a pair from Deep See (yes, that is how it is spelled.) Or knee high boots from NRS or Kokatat for from $80 to $100. I have a pair of Kokatat Nomad high boots that I like to wear for launching, even in warm waters while wearing shorts, so my legs and feet stay dry. I can push the tops down if my legs get too warm.
You can’t blow up the boat while on the water, but would need to pull ashore to do so. I carry the hand pump with me under the deck when I take out my Pakboat folding kayaks in case I need to add air to its sponsons to stiffen the boat and have done so a couple of times during lunch stops on day trips. My Feathercraft folding kayak has lower pressure smaller sponsons that are inflated my mouth tube so it is not needed for that one.
I also never paddle my boats that have any inflatable components or have fabric and rubber skins without carrying a patch kit (you should have gotten one with your Sea Eagle.) It is a must to have that kit with you whenever you paddle in case of a puncture.
It’s actually really cool and quite peaceful. Even right under 520 it’s not especially loud. And the ponds and channels are isolated feeling in a way that’s hard to describe. And it’s a little like being an urban explorer; you get to see parts of the system you’d never see in a car.
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Oh, that sounds lovelier 
Thanks andy -
Oh snap! Thanks friend… much easier than hauling out to use the foot pump 
That K-Pump is WAY overkill especially for a boat like yours. My plastic hand pump from Pakboat has excellent volume and cost under $20. Whether or not you can top up the boat air out on the water depends on the location of the valves and the conditions you are paddling in. It is generally easier and safer to do on land, and your boat is not one you would be far from shore in anyway.
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Hi Beth,
Sounds like you are jumping in with paddling (pun intended 
). Lots of good advice here. Lots to learn as well.
If you are curious about padding rigid boats then I suggest you rent one from one of the outfits on Lake Union. I like the Northwest Outdoor Center which is on the west side of the lake. They have a nice diverse modern fleet with single and tandem boats, plus a full paddling retail store. Wet and dry suits included.
You can paddle all the way round Lake Union in about an hour or so? Depends on how slowly you manage while gawking at the million dollar floating homes. You can paddle through the “cut” into Lake a Washington, but for your first adventure I would stay on Lake Union, while hugging the shore.
Its fun and will give you a really good trial feel for what paddling in “bigger water” is all about…
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@PhotoMax thank you for the tip! But having just bought my very first, very own - even if it is a ToyBoat - I’m eager to find places to explore in what I have, for now. I’ll keep the suggestion in mind for going out with friend, though (given the excellent info I’ve gotten here, theres no way I’ll be putting that 2d seat into my sea-eagle for a while yet
Covid has made this arena so difficult.
You should enjoy your boat as much as you can. The fact that you are here on this forum asking questions is great. So many just jump in with little regard to safety.
I think “getting into paddling” is a responsibility. The more you practice, study, watch videos, and read the better you become. This increases your chance of doing well in your own “bad situation”. Becoming a more rounded paddler can also help other paddlers: you might become the hero someday.
So, yes, I think you should try different kayaks and even canoes just to stretch your wings. You might find that “no, this is not for me” or you might find that trying as many boats as you can is the coolest thing…
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Try the Mercer Slough in Bellevue.
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Ohhhhh… such beautiful photos. (I love herons…) Sounds perfect - and so CLOSE to me! Thanks, @andykeck (do you think I need to worry about the poky logs?)
Well, it’s been a long time since I was last there (I moved to Santa Barbara six years ago) but no, I wouldn’t worry about the logs. They’re a minor nuisance, not a dangerous hazard.
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@andykeck Oh, minor nuisance is fine - i just dont wana pop a hole in my ToyBoat, right outta the gate!
Ps Santa Barbara? Beautiful! (you happy about the move?)