I'm looking for some advice or recommendations. I live in Southwest Indiana (flat as a pancake!!) For the last ten years, I've made several trips to West Virginia whitewater rafting on the New River and Upper Gauley. I've made almost ten trips between them. In the past few years I've gotten the bug about kayaking some whitewater. I checked with the outfitter that I rafted with and for a two day Kayak clinic was $500! (based on one person, I can't find a buddy crazy enough to go with me!) Where I live there are a few creeks and rivers I could Kayak on but nothing more than a few ripples so I'm pretty much left with flat lakes. I'm not opposed to paying to learn the basics but $500 would hurt my pocketbook! (but I also realize they need to make money.) So I guess my overall question is to see if anyone has any suggestions on getting started or an outfitter than is a little more reasonable on price. I'm open on locations but would like to keep it within a resonable drive time from my house. Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina would be about the max. In case it would matter, I'll throw a little background on myself. I'm 38, good physical shape, and addicted to adrinaline (goes with my job as a cop)

SO, lets hear any recommendations or ideas! Thanks!

Check local programs to get the basics, nothing better than a warm indoor pool to learn how to roll. Check out Morgan's Canoe in Brookville IN, Greg may know some people near you, tell him Jay from Ohio sent you. Out in WV, check with Class 6 River Runners, they have always been good with setting people up to learn. A number of guys use to car pool from Cincy every weekend to guide, kayak & play.
Good luck, don't discount what can be learned here in the flat lands. Check out Todd's Fork at 3' + in south west Ohio, & other streams at high water, it's not big waves but the fundimentals are all there.

Thanks for the input. Class 6 is the outfitter that I use in WV. (First Class all the way as far as I'm concerned and can't recommend them highly enough for rafting!) I know that I need to learn the basics somewhere and if worse comes to worse (and my budget will allow) I don't have too much of a problem going to Class 6 for their class. As for Morgan's, I'm over on the other side of the state by Evansville. The only local shop I know of is "Top Spot Outdoors" and they have a few Kayaks and know a few people that go, but not many. Thanks again!

Understand the drive, but the conection is worth while. Greg's dad Bob had the Proctor brothers as students(the guy's who started up class 6), and helped them get started. Greg's operation in Brookville would be a great place to start, he may be able to set you up with some people in your area. Morgans has been a great starting point for most of the paddlers you will find on the New & Gualey rivers, Greg's mom, June was the first woman down the Gualey river. Check them out and you will understand where Class 6 learned some of what makes them great. Send Greg an email to get things going, spring is always a good time to find help & classes just getting going.

Couple of other things to consider, guy. jjdebird makes a good point about what flat water bodies can do for you. For one thing, I always tell new folks starting out to consider where you live and make the most of it. If you're close to flat water, that's where you live and are going to stay for a while, adapt and find some excitement on flat water. It has some real potential for your health. I, for example, live where there is only one class III place in the state. So I gravitated towards fitness endurance paddling for speed and racing on flat water. Those of us that have paddled racing kayaks or surf ski's can attest to the fun that is. Slalom kayak sprinting on the flats will carve your body like nothing and you always come back in a better place than when you left. Another thing about that is, at least in Florida, flat water can become rough water with wind wave swell that is QUITE the adrenaline rush (and for weeks now here in Florida anyway has). It's called rough water kayaking and it may be coming to a water body near you! It sort of puts you onto a gradual self-taught regimen too. Get yourself a boat and practice on the flats, then when you hear the small craft advisories--down the road mind you--get out and play near-shore. Then step it up and up and up and up....

Instruction should be cheaper than what you quote, but instruction is always a good thing if you can get it. I was self-taught. Now I ride 30-40 knot wind swell wave trains, so it can be done. I have no death wish, mind you, and I mitigate my risks in every way possible (best gear including appropriate boat). So it can be done and you do it over time. Then take those trips to nearby whitewater too.

Best advice is to make kayaking an actual part of your life, in my opinion. I've encouraged people I have tried to help get started to get a boat that meets as many of their goals as possible, that is light weight and maintenance-free enough that they will find themselves doing it often. If you end up being the kind of boater that has to put a lot of effort into loading up and driving far you might be missing out on a lot of fun (like the once a month boater where it's a big production). Get yourself into a situation where you can just sling your boat over your shoulder and get into the water in like 30 minutes. If that's a flat water endurance run then so be it.

For what it's worth. (That'll be 2 cents please.)

One other thing. A lot of us have been in your position, where there was no decent instruction around or decent outfitter close. In my case the only outfitters I have local are selling small rec boats (what the general public is buying when they're buying them). You can go online and do research. And you'd be surprised at the 'legends' in the sport who in podcasts and blogs have said that they'd watch videos of what others did and then went out and tried it (and lived through the experience). Lot's of DVD's out there. I always encourage use of local outfitters but if they can't or won't get you what you want, there are some excellent online sources. I've gotten all but one of my best boats mail order.

Thanks for the advice. I'd never thought about the lakes in my area getting choppy when the wind blows. I actually live within 10 minutes of several lakes. (I live in old coal mine area so we have TONS of long narrow stripper pits) Most of the lakes range from 10 to 40+ acres. I do have a very low end kayak that I've been playing around in on these pits and lakes. I'll also take the advise and try and check out DVD's to help me learn. Got any specific recommendations I could try and find online? Thanks again!

That's it! Use your local bodies of water for fitness paddling and boat handling practice. When you're ready, consider the biggest body of water (longest?) around you, and if it runs north-to-south (for example) and there is enough of a wind fetch coming dead out of the south or dead out of the north, go check it out. I don't know you're area. But it might have a few places that 'work' in such conditions. You'll find it starts to come together. It's human nature. You're out there, you know what your looking for, and your mind starts to work on it (e.g., "I wonder what happens if this goes on?" sort of thing). Coming from your line of work it should be second nature!

I picked up some cool rough water handling skills here:

www.exchile.com/kayakchilehistoricalvideos.html

and (for my locale it made sense and I really enjoyed these videos) any of the "This is the Sea" dvd's. You can get them at www.paddling.net

I would also check out Ken Whiting's whitewater series there. Just browse through the DVD section of their online store and see what strikes you as interesting.

You'll get the hang of the rough water paddling thing with time and figure out where near you works out. (But if you get near a body of water that is big enough and works off some rough weather conditions avoid lightening like the plague naturally and don't do it in a low-end boat either way--most of us started out that way.)

Cheers man and good journeys. What kind of boat are you considering? For your area and plans, a Liquid Logic Remix XP might be right.

The current boat that I have is a Pelican Potomac from Dick's Sporting Goods. It does really good on the flat lakes here. I haven't given too much thought into my next one yet because I still have to prove to the Mrs. that the more expensive boat is better and I'll get the use out of it vs. the price. My next boat would also depend on if I'm able to go for the whitewater like I hope to one day.

Also living in the flat lands most of my paddle time you will find some great little streams at high water, or below a dam with controlled releases. A little farm creek can get some great standing waves, but find out all you can about what may be down stream, culvert bridges, wire fences, etc. High water is odd too, 2' to 6' may be great water, above that everything may be washed out and flat, finding a place to get out could be impossible. As always know before you go, it will save your day.

Welcome to the wetness!