glad you're ok! getting the gear paid for is really awesome too.
i almost collided w/ a whale 2 yrs ago while cruising on my skiff on the INSIDE of the kelp near Windansea at grey light. couldn't believe it - i was in only about 35 ft of water. saw it at last minute and able to avert by it by about 5-10 feet. looked like a juvenile, but really rattled me nonetheless. figured it must of got a little confused at the point heading south.
later in same season, i collided w/ an adult grey whale on outside ridge of Coronado canyon. was cruising at 22 knts in over 2,000 ft water. no warning at all - no spouts on horizon before-hand, just a big crunch, starboard side of boat came out water, and the ob kicked. we watched the whale for about 30 sec on the surface and then it took off. i think we just glanced it. luckily, we were all seated and there were no injuries. amazingly there was NO damage to boat - not even a scratch.
if you're out there enough hours, you will probably encounter something at some point. Jim S is giving good advice - always wear a pfd and don't mess around w/ an inflatable.
one more point about crowding and boat traffic. i really encourage everyone to use some sort of a navigation light when kayak fishing in dark. it's easy for boats to lose you in the swell. man - it's going to be a mess in that little area when MLPA is enforced.