Learning to whitewater kayak starts with finding a local group of paddlers, easing into easy water, and mastering the wet exit and roll before you push into anything bigger. On this How 2 Tuesday I brought in professional kayaker Hunt Jennings, a guy who has run waterfalls over a hundred feet tall, to lay out how a complete beginner actually gets into the sport. His advice is refreshingly simple: the kayaking community wants to help you, so find your people, pick the right first boat, take it slow, and build your skills in a pool before you chase the current.
Listen now: press play in the player above, or watch the full How 2 Tuesday on YouTube.
The first step is to find other kayakers near you. Hunt Jennings told me that one of the best things about the kayaking community is how open and welcoming it is, so you do not need to be intimidated. Look for a local club or even an unofficial Facebook group, like the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club or a regional boating page, and reach out. People will be excited to help you get involved because they want to share the passion. You should never learn to kayak alone, so finding that group of friends is the real starting point.
Not necessarily. Hunt explained that on really easy whitewater, class one and two, swimming is not a big deal, and if you are with people they can help you out if you flip, which means not knowing how to roll is not a reason to avoid easy whitewater when you are starting out. That said, you want to learn to roll as quickly as possible, because you will be limited in what you can do and you will be scared to flip over until you have a reliable roll.
A wet exit is what you do when your kayak flips over: you pull your spray skirt and get out of the boat. Hunt was clear that this is the very first thing you learn, before you even paddle around in a pool. It is basic safety. Once you are comfortable getting yourself out of a capsized kayak, you can start working on your roll and getting on the water, but the wet exit comes first, every time.
Hunt recommends starting in a river running play boat. A river runner is a longer, very stable kayak, and a play boat is short, tippy, and made for tricks. A river running play boat is the hybrid between them, which gives you some exposure to flipping and instability without being unmanageable. He pointed out that the used kayak market is huge, so you can find an affordable first boat online or at an outdoor store. Your height and weight should roughly match the boat, so it helps to talk to someone who knows the gear.
Clubs and outdoor stores are your best resource. Hunt explained that many clubs run clinics, often called roll practice, frequently in an indoor pool one night a week through the winter. There you can learn the wet exit, work on your roll, and pick up other valuable skills without needing cold-weather gear. Just as important, the experienced paddlers there can assess your skill level and tell you which rivers are actually within your range, so you do not get in over your head.
It can be, as long as you respect the progression. Hunt stressed that you should never go alone and should take it slowly rather than jumping into a river that is over your head too fast. A lot of beginners get excited, buy all their gear, and push into water they are not ready for, which can scare them off the sport. Easing into it on easy whitewater with experienced friends, while building your roll and confidence, is how you stay safe and actually enjoy it.
Here is the progression Hunt laid out for getting into whitewater kayaking the right way.
Hunt walks through each of these with stories from his own progression in the episode. Press play in the player above.
When I think about extreme kayaking, Hunt Jennings is one of the first names that comes to mind. This is a guy who has run waterfalls over a hundred feet tall and a long list of drops shorter than that, and he is genuinely passionate about the sport. I wanted someone at that level to explain how a total beginner actually gets started, because the people who are best at something can usually break the basics down the clearest. Hear how he frames it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
One of the things Hunt kept coming back to is how open the kayaking community is, and how different that is from a sport like surfing where newcomers can get pushed off the beach. Paddlers want to share their passion, so they are usually thrilled when someone new wants to learn. That culture matters more than people realize, because it removes the intimidation that stops so many people from ever trying. I get into why that openness is such an advantage for beginners in the episode. Press play in the player above.
The mistake Hunt warned about most is moving too fast. A lot of beginners get excited, buy all their gear, and jump into water that is over their heads, and that one bad experience can scare them off for good. He is a big believer in easing into it, being wise about what you get on and how quickly, and building real control before chasing bigger rapids. I unpack how to balance that patience with the excitement that got you into it in the first place in the episode, so press play in the player above.
What stuck with me after talking to Hunt is that getting into whitewater kayaking is far less about talent or gear than it is about finding the right people. The community does the heavy lifting if you let it.
Find your local paddlers, learn your wet exit and roll, take the progression slow, and respect the water. Do that and you will be having fun on easy whitewater fast, and who knows, maybe one day you will be the one dropping off the big ones. Press play in the player above.
Hunt Jennings · whitewater kayaking · wet exit · the roll · river running play boat · play boat · Tennessee Valley Canoe Club · Chattanooga area boating · class one and two whitewater · roll practice clinics · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Hunt Jennings is a professional whitewater kayaker known for running massive waterfalls, including drops over a hundred feet tall, along with countless shorter falls and technical rapids. Beyond the extreme descents, he is a passionate advocate for the sport who loves helping new paddlers get started, which made him an ideal guide for breaking down how a complete beginner can learn to whitewater kayak.
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