I'm a whitewater rather than flatwater kayaker, but some things still carry over! Werner makes great paddles. I'd recommend heading to a local kayaking store, and demoing paddles. There's no way to know what will be comfortable without trying it out. I use a 30-degree feather on my paddle, which is what I found most comfortable.

If you're going to be paddling anything class II or higher in difficulty, definitely buy and wear a sprayskirt and a helmet. Unconscious and underwater is a bad combination!

When you tether things to the boat, make sure to use short tethers. Long lengths of cord or rope in the water can lead to very bad situations. I also carry a knife clipped to the outside of my lifejacket, just in case a rope ends up tangled around me.

Have fun on the water!