Boating Safety
1-45
Hand Signals
Make sure that everyone knows and uses approved towed watersports hand signals,
shown below.
Towed Person Safety Responsibilities
Most injuries and fatalities that occur on high-performance recreational tow boats occur
to the persons being towed (water skiing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding, wake surfing,
tubing, etc.). It is the responsibility of the boat operator to pay attention to a multitude of
things while utilizing the boat for water tow sports. The towed person has little or no
control over their path nor do they have much in the way of protection from impact with
obstacles or other boats. Therefore, it is recommended that boat operators, observers, and
towed persons communicate effectively and clearly as to their intentions and their
surroundings. The main responsibilities for each participant are as follows:
Operators should:
• Assign a passenger to be a designated observer.
• Turn the engine off whenever a person is on the swim platform or in the water near
the boat. This is especially important for the area near the back of the boat to avoid
propeller injuries.
Circle
Back to Dock
Cut Engine
Skier in Water
Skiers OK
Speed OK
STOP
Speed Faster
Speed Slower
Turn Left
Turn Right
Chapter 1_15_Axis.qxp_ Chapter 1 doc.qxd 6/27/14 12:15 PM Page 45
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