1. Wear a Life Vest
Even if you are an excellent swimmer, the water in the rapids is not typically swimmer-friendly. You must learn other techniques to remain safe while the water pushes you faster than you can imagine, slamming you into rocks and trees stumps, pushing you away from your canoe and the friends you brought along to save you. Even the best swimmers should always wear a life vest when rowing down whitewater rivers. When, not if, you tip over and fall in, you should assume a position lying back into your life vest, facing the way the current is dragging you. Pull up your knees so that your feet can push off rocks or boulders. Use your arms to paddle your way back to your boat or to the shore.
2. Practice First in the Canoe
Practice paddling and maneuvering a canoe before you take it out for a wild ride on the rapids. It is very important to know how to turn and how to keep the boat going straight over what amounts to small waterfalls in the river if you want to remain in the boat for any length of time. Hitting a rapid sideways will tip you over and you'll definitely get wet in the process.
3. Build Upper Body Strength
Work on your upper body strength, since it is the only group of muscles you'll use while canoeing, unless you spend more time in the water than in your boat. In the gym, go heavy on the chest press and pulley that work the biceps and triceps. Build strength in your shoulders to go the distance while rowing by lifting behind the head with barbells. Out of season, get on the rowing machine and row quickly to burn calories and to remain a lean mean rowing machine yourself. Row lower with added resistance to build those important muscles in the arms and shoulders. Get down for tough crunches to build and strengthen your abs. Staying the course and not getting worn out is one of the safest things you can for your whitewater experience.
4. Gear Up
No one should be so vain or prideful that he doesn't wear a helmet in whitewater rapids. Even the most experienced guides wear helmets, especially once you get to level three and four rapids that are full of rocks and boulders to make big waterfalls. If you are strapped in to your canoe, keep yourself leveraged correctly and make sure the release ties are at your fingertips. Velcro ties work best. Wear lightweight water shoes, so you are not weighed down by soaking tennis shoes. Many rowers also wear gloves to avoid calluses that can cause you to lose control if they bother you in the middle of the river.
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