Feet-first and as high in the water as possible so as no to get foot entrapment or a broken tailbone. Ideally, if you're flat, anything that was gonna hit your head or tailbone, you can first reach with your feet and push off to somewhere else. I've been teaching them how to catch eddies and swim out.

Reminds me, I can't remember if I ever told you, but at my former wilderness guiding school, I specialized in Ocean Navigation and Sea Kayaking as well, but in the middle of Colorado we had to do the kayaking and navigation at Lake Powell, Utah. Even though not the sea, it's huge and even has a tide, so many of same principles apply.