Welcome to Whitewater: A Beginner’s Advice for Beginners. When I decided to finally pursue my dream of learning to whitewater kayak at 55, going back to school was the right answer for me. It gave me confidence that I would be able to ask questions—and that no question would be “too dumb.” And it ensured that I learned skills correctly from the outset, so I didn’t start out developing bad habits that were likely to be sticky given my age and lack of any other paddling experience.