Tube Kiting

Tube Kiting is a new type of water recreation that involves riding a kite tube towed by a boat. The kite tube is hooked to the back of a boat by a tow rope, and the tube rider pulls back on this rope as the boat travels at speeds between 25 and 35 miles per hour. The ride begins when the tube is lifted into the air as the boat reaches speed. Tube kiting can be extremely dangerous or even fatal to the rider. Depending on the tow rope length, kite tubes can reach heights up to 50 feet (5 stories high) into the air. Two deaths and several serious injuries have been reported due to tube kiting accidents.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC for short, has already issued a warning concerning the dangers of kite tubes and tube kiting. The warning followed reports of two deaths from tube kiting in only three months and several reports of serious injuries related to kite tubes.