Matt Meagher confronts dangerous parasail operators. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

This spring, thousands of vacationers who flock to the balmy beaches of Florida, the Bahamas and Mexico will treat themselves to a thrilling parasail ride. It's a high-flying adventure that most people assume is safe. But INSIDE EDITION's Senior Investigative Correspondent Matt Meagher traveled to those vacation hot spots and documented dangerous parasail operators on videotape, including many operating dangerously close to hi-rise hotels, flying in close proximity to other parasailers, and flying vacationers hundreds of feet in the air during unsafe weather conditions. One tour operator, who admitted to sending tourists up when the winds were dangerously high explains, "I need the money," when confronted by Matt Meagher.

These vactioners recall floating out of control when their tow rope snapped. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

The report highlights case after case where tow ropes, which connect the parasailer to the boat, snapped, leaving unsuspecting vacationers flying out of control, hundreds of feet in the air. "We are gliding sideways and we see this building coming up and we said, 'we're going to hit the building.'" Said Mike Knobloch of Long Island, NY. He and two friends almost lost their lives when the tow rope snapped while parasailing in Clearwater, Florida in 1999. The report contains actual footage of the rope breaking and the anguished screams of the boat operator can be heard. Luckily, the frightened tourists cleared the building by a mere 15 feet and landed in the bay almost a mile from the boat that was towing them.

LaNita Walker Parasailing accident took her daughter's life. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Tragically, 26 year old Tosha Walker, was not as lucky. She lost her life in 1999 while parasailing in the Bahamas with a group of friends. Tosha's mom, LaNita, tells INSIDE: "I go to the cemetery every week and I sit there and look at the picture on the grave and it still doesn't seem real." Witnesses say that Tosha, a first time parasailer, was put in harm's way when she and a friend took flight with harsh winds blowing across Paradise Island. LaNita adds: "The guy with her told me he felt something hit his face and he looked down and it was the rope…They told me Tosha got hysterical, saying we're going to die, we're going to die." The rope snapped at 70 feet and although her friend survived, Tosha drowned after being dragged by the runaway parasail across the ocean waves. "Another run or two for 40 or 80 dollars wasn't worth my daughter's life," Ms. Walker says.

Mark McCulloh, parasail safety expert. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

But these types of incidents occur too often according to Mark McCulloh, who invented most of the equipment used today by parasail operators. He tells INSIDE that "[Parasailing is] not regulated anywhere in the world and that's the problem." He estimates that a dozen people have died over the past decade in parasailing accidents, but adds that many more are injured, in excess of 40 accidents a year in the United States alone. A vocal critic of the industry, McCulloh said: "Anybody can go buy a boat, anybody can get in business and be on their way in a couple of weeks. And that's a tragedy."

INSIDE's Meagher says that he too experienced problems with operators he encountered, but in Cancun, Mexico the problems seemed the most severe. When he asks about a waiver he was instructed to sign, the tour operator jokingly tells Meagher to, "Sign your life away." Lack of good instruction, an inability to communicate with the tour operator or hear commands during flight and flying too close to other parasailers gave Meagher plenty of reason to worry. And what would happen if Meagher crossed lines with another parasailer? McCulloh says: "You would have died, there's no doubt about it."

If you have a comment about this story or any other story,
contact us at ietips@kingworld.com or at (212) 817-5555.