In this piece, the focus is on Boating Safety Education and the importance of a pre-departure Safety Briefing. Good seamanship requires Captains, vessel operators and owners to have mitigation and…
Parasailing as a recreational activity began in as an outgrowth of an activity called “parascending;” a land-based activity used to teach people how to parachute without having to use an aircraft. In 1974, an inventor in Florida began testing the idea using a “winch boat,” and thus modern parasailing was born. According to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) estimates, in 2013 there were approximately 325 vessels conducting parasailing operations in the United States and territories, ranging from single vessel owners, to operators overseeing a dozen or more parasailing vessels working from multiple beach locations.
While parasailing, passengers are suspended 300-500 feet in the air. When parasailing mishaps occur, the injuries are often severe, if not fatal. In this article, Kyle McAvoy (Captain, USCG Retired) explains the technical components involved in parasailing operations, common failures and accidents, and the development of safety guidelines in the parasailing industry.
Parasailing is a thrill. Passengers are held aloft by the aerodynamics and forces associated with the parasail (also called a “canopy”) being pulled by a high performance parasailing vessel (also known as a “winch boat”).
In a typical parasailing configuration:
The deck hand on the winch boat generally operates the winch and controls the length of deployed tow line, while the boat’s skipper has the traditional responsibilities of passenger safety bestowed upon any passenger vessel captain. The forward motion of winch boat provides speed, and therefore lift and direction. Unlike waterskiing, the passenger/rider has little or no control over their speed, direction, or height in the air. In addition, passengers generally have no communication devices to signal the winch boat crew that there may be a problem.
Once aloft and in the thrill of the parasail ride, a passenger’s safety is almost entirely dependent on the crew and equipment. If the forward motion of the winch boat is disrupted for any number or reasons, or changes abruptly, the canopy and passengers may drift towards shore and crash to the ground or into obstructions such as power lines or buildings. Other failure points can lead to a passenger dropping to the water and potentially becoming ensnared in the rigging.
Common causes of parasailing accidents
In 2009, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began actively monitoring parasailing accidents and in 2014, they issued a Special Investigation Report on Parasailing Safety. Their findings indicated that in the majority of cases that they reviewed, failure of the parasailing equipment led to serious injury or death. The NTSB findings also estimated that while 3 to 5 million people per year participate in parasailing activities, there are no federal regulations or mandates that establish specific training or certification of parasailing operators.
The 2014 NTSB report outlined their examination of several specific accidents, and their forensic study focused on possible failure points regarding tow line strength, hydraulic winch performance, and passenger harness safety. While an incident or failure may arise from any of these three components, other problems may arise from:
Parasailing fatalities have declined since 2014, largely due to the work done by the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). WSIA, at the behest of the USCG, lobbied its parasail operators to develop a voluntary American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard that parasail operators could use to improve their procedures, operations, maintenance, and inspection of parasail vessels and equipment. The ASTM standard also addresses weather monitoring, limits, crew requirements, and training.
While the state of Florida adopted the ASTM standard into Florida Code, for the rest of the parasail community, complying with the ASTM standard is optional. Though a “prudent” parasail operator may voluntarily comply with the standard, not all parasail operators are prudent, and passengers seeking a fun excursion ride while at the beach may not be aware of the potential hazards they are subjecting themselves to.
There are numerous details to be addressed for parasailing operations to be conducted safely, and failure to adhere to those details can have catastrophic outcomes. The Maritime experts at Robson Forensic have the training and experience to investigate cases involving parasailing accidents, safety measures, or other related incidents.
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