What does the term white-water canoeing come from?

A lot of people may be familiar with what I call recreational canoeing. That’s where you take a canoe out onto a nice calm river... with a picnic and have a relaxing time. But if you’re doing white-water canoeing, then you’re doing something very different. White-water canoeing actually gets its name from the fact that when you do it you’ve got to be paddling very rapidly through the water and when you’re doing that, you make a lot of froth and bubbles and the water looks white.
First of all, you will need to think about equipment. You’ll need to get yourself a good canoe and these can set you back anything from ￡500 to ￡1500, depending on the material they’re made of. Personally, I wouldn’t go for a cheap one, although obviously this depends on your budget. And to protect yourself against rocks when you fall out of the canoe, you’ll need a good quality helmet. It needs to meet certain government standards, so make sure you go to a reputable supplier. And there’s no point, particularly as a beginner, in wearing anything but a wetsuit. That’s a must. I’d recommend one with short sleeves, rather than long sleeves. Then you’ll have to get a life jacket too and I would also suggest that you get yourself a pair of river shoes. These are made out of the same material as the wetsuit. Some people think that ordinary rubber boots will do, but they’re much too loose and fill up with water. It is also essential to wear something to protect your hands from the paddles, and stop them from being rubbed.