How common are tubing accidents?
A study done at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that water tubing injuries have increased a whopping 250 percent in the last 19 years. The number of annual injuries grew from just over 2,000 in 1991 to more than 7,000 in 2009, the most recent year statistics are available.
How safe is river tubing?
River tubing is safest in larger groups. It is much easier to drown in a river than you may think. Undercurrents are powerful and unpredictable, and even seasoned swimmers drown while floating in a river.
How can I be safe while tubing?
10 Water Tubing Safety Tips
- Make sure everyone is wearing a Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
- Inspect all of your equipment.
- Safety begins behind the wheel.
- Before you begin water tubing…
- Be a responsible driver.
- When towing two or more tubes.
- Assign a spotter.
- Not all riders should be treated equal.
How fast should you pull a tube behind a boat?
You should pull a tube behind a boat at speeds between 8 miles an hour and 20 miles per hour. Lower speeds should be used for children and less than ideal conditions whereas the highest speeds can be utilized with older riders when there are few obstacles and deep water.
How far behind boat should you tube?
Whether for tubers or water skiers, you want it to be around 100 feet at a minimum to keep your distance. Ski ropes are normally available at 75 feet, but it’s best to have 100 feet at a bare minimum.
Does tubing cause brain damage?
The brain is the most vital organ of the body; the body cannot function without it. A traumatic brain injury can lead to paralysis, permanent disability or even death of the victim.
What injuries can you get from tubing?
The most common types of injuries were sprains and strains (27 percent) followed by soft tissue injuries (20 percent). Impact with the water (49 percent) and contact with another water-tubing participant (16 percent) were the most common mechanisms of injury.
Can you get hurt tubing?
The National Institutes of Health have revealed that the most common type of injury due to tubing accidents are strains and sprains, which represent approximately 27% of documented injuries. Soft tissue injuries are also a common result from tubing accidents.
How old should a child be to go tubing behind a boat?
Kids can go water tubing starting at the age of five. Kids below the age of five typically experience discomfort in and around the water and lack the necessary strength to hold onto the tubing handles, so it is not recommended that they go water tubing.
Do you need to wear a life jacket while tubing?
While it’s always a good idea to wear a PFD (personal flotation device) when onboard, it should go without saying that you should wear a life jacket when water tubing. This is especially important in the event that the rider should become separated from the boat.
What size boat motor Do you need to pull a tube?
A: Although you could pull tubes with just about any size outboard, to be safe you would need at least a 90hp engine to satisfy the tubers in your family. The ideal engine would be a 115hp or 150hp engine if your family is big into water sports.
What are the dangers of tubing on a boat?
Slow the boat speed when crossing wakes. Bouncing off wakes at extremely high speeds has been known to cause back injury, especially with riders who are water tubing stomach-down. Exercise caution when pulling more than one tube
Is it safe to ride a boat with more than one tube?
It’s especially important to travel at slower speeds and keep an extra careful eye out if you are boat tubing with more than one tube. Dual water sports tubing can often result in large crashes and serious accidents, should the tubes happen to collide.
Is the story of the tube boat accident true?
True story: An old acquaintance of mine had to have one lung removed because of a boating accident he was involved in when he was a child. He was being towed on a tube and the driver was slaloming the boat left and right to whip the riders on the tube.
What are some safety tips for water tubing?
When water tubing with multiple passengers, riders should understand how to balance their weight correctly and work together to safely stay on the tube. Slow the boat speed when crossing wakes. Bouncing off wakes at extremely high speeds has been known to cause back injury, especially with riders who are water tubing stomach-down.