Things to Do in Paramount

Water splashes up against their toes, which are firmly planted on the board. Arm and back muscles tighten as they push themselves forward with their paddles. Thus do novice paddleboarders from Long Beach Adventure Tours ride slowly glide their way across Long Beach, from the shore of the Hotel Maya to the behemoth hull of the Queen Mary. But they aren't the only patrons out for fun in the sun. On the beach nearby, students carrying surfboards rush into the water to catch their first waves, as a certified instructor shouts out encouragement and instructions behind them. Further out in the water, a colorful arched sail cuts through the air, sending the kiteboarder holding the reigns jumping and twisting into the air. Whatever the sport or activity, instructors that live and breathe water activities unleash their expertise onto both novice and experienced students.

The Motion Auto Show showcases souped-up compact sports cars and products from vendors such as AEM, Edelbrock, Hurst, and Mobil 1. Bikini models stand beside the custom rides, posing for pictures and gesturing toward the cars to prepare them for future encounters with crossing guards.

Phantom Muzik aids talent in ascending the shaky ladder of the ever-changing music industry. Besides hosting fresh-faced pop, hip-hop, and pop-rock artists on its very own record label, the production company also fosters burgeoning songwriters through its music-publishing services. In a business that can be as perilous as a mayonnaise self-portrait left in the trunk, Phantom Muzik's representatives hit the mat to promote their artists so that their sound can reach multiple platforms, from live performances to multimedia soundtracks.

Featured on Dr. Phil and The Biggest Loser and with clients that include numerous Fortune 500 companies, Fulcrum Adventures designs team-building and leadership programs that aim to help organizations and individuals reach their full potential. Teams work together to complete high and low ropes courses, scale up climbing walls, and complete custom workshops, each highlighting the spectrum of valuable ways people can work and learn together. The outfit takes care to ensure that the client's physical and emotional safety is never in jeopardy, meaning no judgmental environments or trust falls over snake pits.

Patrons of Pelican Joe's Bay Boat Rentals don the captain’s hat and man the wood-paneled dash of 18-foot and 21-foot Duffy boats. Professional mariners show renters how to steer and remind them not to pick up hitchhiking penguins before vessels set sail on the waters of Alamitos Bay or waltz along the canals of Naples. Waterproof speakers blast music from iPods plugged into docking stations, and insulated coolers keep beverages cold as passengers fold back awnings to bask in the sun or relax in the shade of the 18-foot boat's canvas surrey top. Pelican Joe's Bay Boat Rentals outfits its floating lounges with complimentary ice and picnic linens and can also provide platters of gourmet snacks for guests to nibble while gathering the courage to toss diamond-heavy necklaces into the waves.

Captain Gary Jackson originally cut his aquatic teeth as a PADI scuba-diving training coordinator and instructor. Eventually logging hundreds of dive hours in the sea, Gary traveled the world exploring reefs and learning the ins and outs of sailing. From there, it didn't take him long to found a charter company around his dive boat, the Psalty V, and today he leads harbor tours and dive trips from its deck. His vessel and crew also takes visitors on whale-watching trips and party cruises, and his dive instruction teaches the basics of deep, nitrox, and wreck diving to ensure that his clients feel comfortable graduating from diving in the bathtub to the outdoor kiddie pool and beyond.