By George Sayour, About.com Guide

The whitewater season is ready to explode in most parts of the country. It is for this reason that my last few posts have been focused in on some of the basics of getting started in whitewater paddling, from taking a whitewater kayaking lesson to understanding the whitewater classification system. If you’re thinking about adding whitewater kayaking or canoeing to your paddling repertoire, both of these are things are components of your initial preparation to hit the rapids.

Another thing you’ll need to be able to do and understand is to be able to swim in whitewater. You heard me right, I said swim! Right now you’re probably thinking, “I don’t know if I want to paddle in rapids, let alone swim in them.” Well, its all a part of the process really.

Every whitewater paddler has at some point flipped their canoe or kayak and had to get out and swim. For most of the rivers you’ll be paddling as a beginner this won’t be too big a deal as long as you know the basics of swimming in whitewater. So, just prepare yourself and you’ll be just fine. Trust me.