Six (6) distinctive operating guidelines for parasail safety

1. PASSENGER SAFETY BRIEFING. 

 

Prior to the parasailing excursion, parasail participants are required to view a pre-flight parasail safety
briefing video and be given a written handout that shall contain the following information.
 

1. A description of the activity itself.
2. Safety precautions while underway and in flight including instructions to parasailors including the
proper use of emergency hands signals to notify the Captain/Crew to end the ride and return the
parasailors to the vessel.
3. Safety and life saving equipment locations.
4. Procedure in the event of an emergency onboard the vessel.
 

PRE-FLIGHT PARASAIL SAFETY BRIEFING CONFIRMATION
 

Prior to leaving the dock , it shall be the captain’s and crews responsibility to ensure that they have
captured the undivided attention of all passengers onboard, and that the pre-flight parasail safety
briefing it was instructive, informative, and clearly understood by all participants.

2. BASIC SURVIVAL TRAINING. 

Operators providing parasail rides using a Harness and/or Tandem bar type passenger support equipment shall provide to all passengers prior to boarding the parasail vessel a special water survival training briefing. This briefing should include.

 

1. Basic description of the parasail canopy and it's dynamics while in the air

2. Warnings and Procedure for unexpected water landings, equipment

malfunctions, and towline separation.

3. Drowning prevention techniques

4. High speed deck landings

5. body position during high speed waterlandings.

6. Evacuation from the parasail harness (unclipping the themselves) and deflation of the canopy (see technique) Rules 4 & 5 do not apply if using the ridged chair

QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD.

Operators shall allow for amble time to answer any questions or concerns the participants asked and  preclude any passenger or participant that may be afraid or intimidated prior to leaving the dock.

3. PRE-FLIGHT WEATHER EVALUATION.
It is the Captain’s responsibility to evaluate and determine if weather conditions are favorable for parasailing. The Captain shall use all means available to make such a determination. It will be the Captains responsibility to evaluate and determined if weather conditions are favorable for parasailing. No operator shall knowingly parasail in rain, fog or during, a small craft warnings, a low pressure frontal system producing one or more fronts with extra tropical storm formation; and/or bands of thunderstorms producing high winds; and/or lighting within a 15 mile radius from the parasailing area.

WEATHER WARNINGS.
It is the Captains responsibility to review and monitor weather warnings and monitor the VHF marine radio weather channels all times.

4. OPERATING WIND SPEEDS

It is the Captain’s responsibility to evaluate and determine if weather conditions are favorable for
parasailing. The Captain shall use all means available to make such a determination. Operators
shall follow recommendations of equipment manufacturers with regard to canopy selection for
weight and wind speeds.

No vessel shall be operated in the following conditions:
1. When sustained wind speeds in excess of 20 mph in open ocean and 12 mph on inland bays,
lakes and sounds.
2. When excessive or dangerous wind gusts are present.
3. When the vessel is not capable of making forward way with forward winch engagement
and passenger in tow.
4. When the passenger or passengers in tow will not begin to sufficiently descend when
forward way has been paused.

5. TOWLINE LENGTH LIMITATIONS.

OPEN OCEAN. At no time shall any winchboat spool drum be equipped with more than 600 feet of tow rope while operating a parasail in open ocean.  INLAND WATERS (e.g. inland waters shall include lakes, bays and sounds). At no shall any winchboat spool drum be equipped with more than 300 feet of tow rope while operating a parasail upon inlandwaters unless the overall operating size exceeds two square miles.

6. PROXIMITY TO SHORELINE, OBJECTS OR OTHER BOAT TRAFFIC. At no time shall parasail vessels operate within a distance equal to 3 times the tow line length in proximity to a shoreline, objects or other boat traffic. Example: If 400 of tow line is spooled out, then the minimum proximity to a shoreline, objects or other boat traffic would be 1,200 feet.