philipMac

I used to teach paddling skills at my old uni.
I assume you can swim?
Get yourself a decent buoyancy, and wetsuit. If its a two seater, and you are planning on running rivers on it, just get an idea how hard it is to move about in the water, when you are swimming with it.

Emm. I dunno. Use a bit of sense. Make sure you are thinking about what happens if the poo poo was to hit the fan, at all times. Worst case scenario.

I have been in situations, paddling rivers or out in big surf off the west of Ireland, where I have suddenly thought "ahhh, so this is how people die paddling", but sort of after the fact. I should have seen these sort of things coming.
Stupid stuff though mainly. Miles away from the group, on a massive reef break, getting slammed about inside a wave rag doll style. When you see massive pyramid rollers cresting perfectly, or whatever, sometimes you make poor choices.

Probably you wont be quite a brain dead as I was, from what I have seen woman usually aren't.
Oh yeah, also learn the stages of hypothermia. I would often be mildly hypothermic surfing during the winter, but I sort of knew where I was along the line always.
Basically, when your speech gets slurry and you start to lose control of your hands, this is when you want to be getting out.
If you stop shivering, that's a bad sign. Never got that far myself.

Edit, the force of water is no joke though. I have broken my collar bone being very violently capsised in rivers, I have almost dislocated my shoulders being chomped in big waves. Even a small wave has enormous potential to move things. If you are ever messing about in the surf, and you are swimming with the boat, make sure the boat is between you and the beach always. If a wave hits it, and slams it into you on the way past you could be in bother.