If yo can not swim, then you should avoid the parts of the Gudenå where the water level is high.
For those who can not swim or feel unsafe in the water, we recommend the stratch from Tørring to Åstedbro. Here the stream is narrow and the water level low. Often so low, that the canoe almost hits the bed. You can easily touch bottom on this whole stretch, and there are not many waves that can make the canoe tip. On the other hand, there are many turns which makes the route quite technical. It is quite fun to navigate around the winding stream - and then you forget the insecurity or hesitation.