Water tubing can be fun but you need to do it right.
Here are the best tips for water tubing for individuals and families:
#1. Wear a personal flotation device (PFD)
#2. Study and understand water regulations
#3. Understand your equipment
#4. Understand the boat rider
#5. Utilize a secure tow line
#6. Use an observer
#7. Be alert while driving
#8. Slow the boat speed before crossing wakes
#9. Travel at a slower speed when pulling more than one tube
Water sports are a form of sports that, as the name implies, are performed in the water, either in places such as swimming pools, lakes, rivers, or even in the open sea.
These activities are the most popular all over the world, having millions of fans in different countries that enjoy watching and participating in these sports.
In this sense, there is no such popular sport or water sport modality as the one that consists of the use of boats or jet skis as a form of propulsion in the water.
Activities such as water skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing are carried out by both professionals and beginners who just want to enjoy themselves for a while.
Activities such as water skiing and wakeboarding require training and a very good physical condition since these are extreme sports that include performing tricks and acrobatics that can be very dangerous.
These tricks can be performed as a form of fun or in some competition.
However, not all people are prepared or want to do this type of sport, but rather want to enjoy the water in a more controlled way.
This is where Tubing is born, which is an activity that consists of one or several people who are in a tube that is pulled by a boat.
So what is the difference between water skiing and wakeboarding?
The difference is that a tube is an object designed so that people are much less exposed to danger; that is to say, they can hold much better and can avoid falling while still enjoying the adrenaline that involves this type of activity.
The tube consists of a kind of float that can have different shapes, the circular shape being the most common, which is made of a high-strength material that can support the weight of people in the water and at the same time withstand the forces which mean being pulled by a boat at great speeds.
So, Tubing is a very popular activity, since it allows you to have fun and have a good time, either alone or even with your family.
However, although this activity is designed to be safer, this does not mean that there is no risk involved when practicing the activity. To reduce these risks, it’s recommended to follow these tips.
Best Tips for Tubing On a Boat for Boat Driver
It has been shown that most of the accidents that occur when this activity is carried out are due to the inexperience of the person who is driving the boat, which can take a direction that is not correct or drive inappropriately and generate an injury to the people who are in the tube.
Follow these strategies when water tubing with families or alone:
1. Controlling the acceleration of the boat
The tubers want to go as fast as possible, but it is important not to increase the speed abruptly. You should look for a slow pace to increase the speed, which does not generate any risk for who is in the tube.
2. Use an observer
when you are driving the boat you must be aware of the direction in which you are moving, that is to say, you cannot see the person in the tube.
An observer can tell you if that person is okay or if he fell out of the tube unexpectedly.
3. Comply with the rules
The places where this activity is allowed must have some kind of regulation so that no one is hurt. It is necessary that the driver of the boat knows what the rules are and that he meets them accurately at all times.
4. Be careful with several people in the same tube
There are variations of the tubing that allows more than one person in the tube while the boat is in motion.
This causes the precautions to be taken to be much greater and the driving speed is much lower.
5. Verify that the tuber is ready
Never start accelerating the boat or the Jet Ski if you are not sure that the tuber is ready to start the activity, in addition to ensuring that it complies with all the rules.
These are the most important things that the person in charge of driving the boat should do. Now, we will talk about what the tuber should do.
Best tips for tubers
Anyone who practices this type of activity is called a tuber, either professionally or as a simple activity to have fun.
Anyone who is in a tube towed by a boat or Jet Ski can be called a tuber and they are the people who need to be more careful.
To guarantee your safety at the time of practicing this activity, it is recommended to follow the following indications:
1. Always have safety equipment
This is an obligation, that is to say, that any person must have at least a helmet, gloves to hold on better, and a life jacket.
You would be surprised to know how many people are injured by not using this equipment.
2. Never perform tubing at more than the allowed speed
The most advisable thing is not to exceed the speed of more than 20 miles per hour, since more than that represents an important risk to health in case of a fall.
3. Buy the best tube you can
The tube is the most important tool for this activity since a tube that resists being pulled by the boat at great speeds is the difference between fun and an accident.
4. Make sure the rope that pulls the tube will be resistant
As important as the resistance of the tube, the rope must be equal or more resistant. This rope is the only thing that keeps you attached to the boat and without it, you can be injured.
5. Take precautions if you perform tubing with more people
Although the speed in this case is much lower, you never stop taking risks. Try that the people involved have experience in this activity so that you can better control the tube in the water.
6. Know all the safety rules or regulations
The rules are those that can ensure your health at the time of doing this activity
Following these simple instructions, you can ensure your health so that when you leave the water you are completely unharmed and you can practice tubing another day.
As a final piece of advice for tubers, it is recommended to hold the tube very well when the boat starts to move and starts to accelerate.
This seems to be very obvious advice, but many people neglect it and end up falling off the tube just when the boat starts to move. Just to avoid this, the use of gloves is recommended.
Water tubing best practices
Unlike aquatic activities such as water skiing, in the tubing, it is very difficult to perform dangerous maneuvers or tricks, which makes it a perfect activity to enjoy time in the water more than a sport to perform competitions.
So, in this sense, the tricks that can be performed are much simpler.
These tricks do not depend on the tubers, but rather depend on the movement of the boat, which is responsible for generating the path that the tube will follow in the water.
To perform these movements it is advised that the boat driver have experience in the subject.
Some of the maneuvers that can be performed are the following:
1). Use the wake that leaves the boat so that the tube jumps in the air
To do this you just have to move along the path of a kind of S, moving the boat from one side to another and making the tube meet the wake of water left by the boat when moving.
2). When the tube reaches the boat, this is usually a problem.
To avoid this and make the experience interesting, have the boat travel a circular path that will make the tube fits while rotating rapidly. The tuber should be fastened very well.
3). Accelerate the boat and make it travel a circular path
When the boat is perpendicular to the wake of water that it leaves, accelerate a little and make the tube pass through the double wake that will be in the water. In this way, you will achieve a spectacular leap.
These are some of the most used maneuvers.
However, the people who participate in these maneuvers, both the tubers and the drivers of the boats, must have a lot of experience in this type of trick, so that no one is hurt in any way.
Is there any variation in the tubing?
In essence, there are only two types of this aquatic activity, which are the drag tubing and the floating free tubing.
The drag tubing is the one that was described above, where the tube is being dragged by the boat, this being the most popular mode
However, the free-floating mode represents a new challenge for people who practice this activity on a regular basis.
Considering the tube is dragged by the currents of water, generally, by the currents of rivers that are used for this specific activity, the tubers must control the rowing tube, either with their own hands or with a tool designed for this, which makes the process much more complex to perform.
The rivers where water tubing activity is practiced tend to have mild water currents and few rocks.
This is an important consideration when planning to tube on a boat with your family, friends, or even alone.
Many specialists in water sports are beginning to practice water tubing, but it is highly recommended for people who are fit and have the courage to do it.
