Internet vs. Professional Instruction
Section 13
In my opinion, it is far better to receive Professional training versus Internet instruction (which includes this website) for canyoneering know-how!
This is sport is nuanced, and having those explained better by a professional, in-person, rather than some anonymous guy online (like me). Of course, I try to explain the context of canyoneering, and explain some of the complexities accurately, it doesn't forgo the necessity of hands-on training.
However, what I explain here, and the purpose of the website, is to give you a foundation or "essential knowledge" so that you can be better trained or prepared for when you go Canyoneering for your first time.
If there are no outfitters or groups near you, I would suggest visiting online canyoneering forums and introduce yourself to the community and ask if you can tag along and "learn the ropes".
Sometimes there are meetup groups that will take beginners. The American Canyoneering Association sometimes offer free "workshops" where the course leader will highlight a certain skill for that day, such as rappelling, or how to check your anchors, etc. They post those workshops on their Facebook page.
Other social media pages to follow and to incrementally (or supplement) learn from them, including introducing yourself and expressing a desire to meet-up in person are:
FaceBook: Canyoneering101 (Join! Take your beginner questions here)
FaceBook: Art of RopeWork
FaceBook: Utah Canyoneers
FaceBook: Utah Canyoneering Explorers
FaceBook: Zion Canyoneering
FaceBook: Pacific Northwest Canyoning
FaceBook: SoCal Canyoneering
FaceBook: AZ Canyoneers
FaceBook: Canyon Rigging
FaceBook: Vancouver Canyoning
FaceBook: Canyon Gear: shop/swap, discuss, etc.
Please be objective in what you learn, and when in doubt, ask a more experienced canyoneer about it, or ask the online canyoneering communities before blindly following.