Hard shelled kayaks are the way to go. They track and steer better along with not get blown around by the wind as much as an inflatable. Plus if I get hit by a Great White (We don't have Tiger sharks), I don't want my boat going flat. At least here in Cali, those are important factors, as making it back to the starting point is called living for another day. Sit on tops are no big deal to get in or out of. Every piece of gear on the deck gets strapped down, and also has a line with a clip attached to them. If it is not in your hand or on your body, the item is clipped off. One of my ropes I use is about 5 feet long for my BP/W, and gets clipped onto before I take it off. Everything else goes into a hatch, that gets locked. Paddle leashs are a requirement also.
I added foam floatation to my kayak to make sure it is positively bouyant, and keep my gear from going all the way to the front of back inside.
Many people will put their fins on either in the boat or before even climbing onboard. I put mine on right before jumping in the water, but I also have a pedal drive kayak. When you are ready to get out of the water, leave your fins on and power your way, up onto the kayak as you turn sideways to plant your butt in the seat. Then simply bring your feet in.
A good anchor, with a short piece of chain will make sure your kayak is still there when you return. Have at least double what you think you will need for line. So if you are going to anchor in 80' of water have 160' of line out, and having another 40 feet to spare would be a good thing.
Jim, aka Gilligan on this board, has an excellent website with many great tips to follow.
http://kayakdiver.com/kayakdiving/topics.htm
There are many different brands to chose from. Ocean Kayak, Wilderness Systems, Necky, Hobie, Cobra, and a few others I missed. Many of them are very stable to the point where you can stand up in them. Those tend to be a little slower though. I bought an in between, which is a Hobie Revolution. With a few mods for diving like hard straps in the back, and a line running around the bow and stern, so I have something to grap onto. The kayak so far is working well. Soon I will get to find out how well the pedal drive slides over kelp this summer, which I doubt you have in Texas to worry about.
FWIW this kayak will fit an HP100 or AL80 in the bow.
