Tubing is one of the most popular activities to enjoy with your boat on Candlewood Lake. Many things need to be taken into consideration to ensure a safe day on the lake. If you choose not to follow these safety tips you could end up like the people in the video below!
1. Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Unfortunately, injuries can sometimes happen while tubing. However, when everyone involved is properly instructed and wearing the right safety gear, there is usually nothing to worry about.
Simply being aware of your surroundings can ensure a fun day on the lake and prevent any serious injuries!
That’s why there’s some serious research done on this topic. Here are some of the most common tubing injuries, according to a recent study:
1. Upper extremities. (This includes the shoulders, forearms, wrists, and hands, as well as any part of the arm.)
2. Head injuries. (Kids can bump heads with other riders, or even collide with other tubers.)
3. Sprains and strains.
4. Injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments.
5. Water impact injuries. (Yep, you know what this is. It’s when you’re thrown from the tube and hit the water.)
6. Collisions with other tubes and tubers. (You’re nodding, because it’s probably happened to you.)
7. Collision with debris. (How many times have you been pulled over a large stick? Ouch!)
8. Tube malfunction. (Have you, or one of your friends, had a tube pop, rupture or deflate suddenly? No fun, huh?)
In the recent years of this safety research, tubers under age 20 have seen more head injuries than any other age group. These mainly resulted from colliding with another tuber.
Keep these things in mind when teaching your tubers what to expect on the water. Have the kids take separate turns, or if they are “mini Evil Knievel’s” (like I was as a child) at least have them wear helmets.
2. Be Familiar with Your Riders
Being familiar with your riders can help you determine how fast/slow to go, how far to go, how much guidance is needed, if your tubers need extra protection and how fearful your they are.
These are some things you should know before you pull a rider:
- What’s their age?
- Will it be a multiple or single rider?
- What’s the rider’s knowledge level/experience?
- Is the rider familiar with tubing and tubing equipment?
- How long before the rider gets fatigued?
I won’t tell you what’s right in every situation, but you’ll want to ponder the above questions for every individual tuber you pull. With less age and experience—or with more people on the tow line at once—you’ll want to go easier on the speed and turns.
3. Know Your Boat
Before tubing, make sure you know how your boat operates in the water and how your boat pulls tubers.
Since you’re pulling tubes, it’s important to know how your boat reacts. Ask yourself these questions about your boat:
- Does your boat accelerate properly or too fast? Do you have a lead foot, where you’re prone to over-accelerating sometimes?
- Does your boat have trouble pulling more than one rider?
- Does your boat have a hard time making turns?
- What’s your boat’s towing capacity?
- How about the weight capacity?
If not accustomed to towing, take your boat for a test drive or even ask for a more experienced tuber to ride behind you while you get a feel for it.
For more information on safe boating, check out our article called ‘10 Candlewood Lake Boating Safety Tips‘.
4. Always Have a Spotter on Board
It’s always a good idea to have at least one extra person on board to be your “spotter.”
They can watch for any accidents or issues your tuber may have, as well as other tubers and boats you need to avoid. The “spotter” can watch out for unexpected debris and strong wakes that might harm your tuber.
You can even arrange some hand signals to communicate between the spotter and the tuber. For example, the tuber can give a thumbs up when they want more speed, a thumbs down when they want less speed, or a flat-palmed “stop” sign when they’re ready to stop.
Don’t forget, if you are towing a tube with a jet ski on Candlewood Lake, the law states that you must have 3 people on board: the driver, the spotter, and the tuber. Tubing on a jet ski with only two people is a sure way to meet the Marine Patrol!
With help from the spotter, you can keep your eyes focused on where you’re steering and know that the tuber is well taken care of.
5. Check Your Tube and Tow Line
First things first. Start with an amazing tow-able tube. Here are some recommendations of some amazing tubes that will be a blast on Candlewood Lake!
To be a little more affordable or small-scale, you can start with this one-person Blast tube by Airhead (on Amazon).
On the other hand, if you’re looking something bigger to tow more people at once, check out this cool, four-person Airhead Switchback tube (on Amazon). It’s a real party tube!
Love the party tube approach? You can even tow up to six people with this crazy Airhead Mega Rock Star tube (on Amazon).
Still one more fun option is the classic little hot dog tube for kiddos (on Amazon).
No matter which one you choose, you’ll want to follow the same pre-tubing checklist before getting people on board the tubes to tow them.
Inspect the tube very, very carefully, looking for rips, wear and tear, punctures or any other damage that might cause the tube to pop or deflate in action.
Then, you’ll need to turn your attention to the rope it’s attached to. With the right accessories in hand—like the Airhead tow rope and tube rope connector that’s recommended for all of the above tubes—you shouldn’t have to worry too much.
If you are in a hurry and don’t want to wait for the above items to be shipped, Echo Bay Marina carries these and similar products to them in their showroom at 227 Candlewood Lake Road in Brookfield.
Still, better safe than sorry. Review the rope before you tow, and ask yourself the key questions:
- Am I sure my tow rope is properly secured?
- Is the rope torn or frayed?
- Is it made for towing and tubing?
- Are there any knots or tangles to be worked out?
All important things to watch out for before hitching up the tube. Inspect regularly during the day too!
6. Be Careful with Multiple Tubers
Use extra caution when pulling more than one tube or multiple riders on one tube.
This causes additional risks. Extra precautions can reduce those risks.
Watch your speed more carefully, make sure everyone’s wearing helmets and cater to the needs of the less experienced person on the tow line.
7. Watch the Wakes!
Wakes are the ramps on the lake! Hitting a wake with the tube is like taking your bike off a jump. The faster the tube hits a wake, the higher the tube can come out of the air! Be responsible and pay attention to wakes.
When tubing, the tube easily bounces off wakes; if you’re going too fast, the risk of injury is even higher.
So, slow down when crossing wakes (and waves) and don’t put your riders at risk.
8. Make Sure Your Rider is Ready!
Pulling off before your rider is ready can put your rider(s) at risk for injuries.
Before leaving the dock, discuss what to check. Have them check:
- Their position: Are they centered on the tube?
- Tow-line grip: Are they holding on tightly, and in the correct place?
- Possible tangle(s) in tow line: Are there loops, knots or bulges in the line from your perspective?
- Their balance: Are they leaning too far back or forward, or just not ready to take off yet?
If all these are fine, it’s probably a “go.” Just ask first.
And don’t accelerate until you get a thumbs up!
9. Bring Water Goggles
Goggles protect your eyes from water, bugs and debris.
When shopping, look for features such as good optics, moisture barriers, good seals, anti-fog features and adjustable chin straps.
My recommendation, which works for a wide range of people, is this simple pair of Speedo goggles (on Amazon).
Tip: Goggles with adjustable straps don’t mean that one size fits both children and adults. It’s best to try them on and size them accordingly. You’ll likely want to have a variety of goggles on board: One pair for children, one for adolescents, one for adults, at least.
10. Have Gloves on Hand
Gloves can protect hands from rope burns and provide a better grip. Here are some features to look for:
- Pre-curved fingers
- Waterproof/Water-resistant material
- Wide wrist strap for better fit
- Wear-resistant fabric
Your kids can tube in high style and be protected with the proper safety equipment on Candlewood Lake. For example, NeoSports makes a great, sturdy pair of gloves (on Amazon).
Following the tips above will ensure that you have a fun, and most importantly, safe day tubing on Candlewood Lake! Visit out things to do on Candlewood Lake page to find more ideas for fun activities on Candlewood Lake.
Written by: Mike Cavallo
Thank you for sharing! We are going tubing and this helps a lot. Keep it up.