By Laura Bly
USA TODAY
March 09, 2001

Sunburns and hangovers may be the most common ailments facing spring breakers now jamming beaches from Arizona's Lake Havasu to Negril, Jamaica. But the highflying, increasingly popular resort ride known as parasailing carries its own, often unreported, risks, an industry critic warns.

''Under the right conditions, with the right equipment and the right operator, it can be a fun and safe sport,'' says Mark McCulloh, a former parasailing equipment manufacturer who runs the Orlando-based Parasail Safety Council.

But when gusty winds combine with faulty tow ropes or careless drivers, McCulloh says, participants who pay $35-$50 to dangle from a parachute hundreds of feet above a speeding boat can wind up with wrenched knees, sprained ankles or worse.

About 2,300 commercial operators peddle parasail rides worldwide, including 375 in the USA -- up from 30 companies in 1975, McCulloh says.

As the sport's popularity has taken off, so has the number of casualties.

The U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Marine Safety and Environmental Protection requires commercial parasail boat drivers to hold a Coast Guard license, and has recorded three parasailing-related deaths over the past 10 years and an average of 3.2 injuries per year.

But, notes spokesman Dan Dewell, the Coast Guard doesn't maintain a separate category for parasailing incidents and doesn't require operators to follow any sport-specific safety regulations -- and, he adds, ''we suspect there may be more'' accidents than the number reported.

The risks are far worse in other countries with no insurance requirements, McCulloh says -- including the Bahamas, where a cruise ship passenger drowned two years ago when the rope connecting her parachute to the tow boat snapped in high winds.

A recently updated State Department consular information sheet for Mexico travel notes ''minimal lifeguard supervision'' in most areas of Cancun, a destination that draws some 3 million Americans (including 100,000 spring breakers) each year.

''Parasailing is offered at many Mexican beach resorts,'' the notice says. ''Please be aware that by putting your name on the passenger list, you may be relieving the boat operator and owner of responsibility for your safety. There have been cases in which tourists have been dragged through palm trees or slammed into hotel walls while participating in this activity.''

''Companies come in and go out of business all the time, and there's no accountability,'' says McCulloh, who says that worldwide, parasailing mishaps account for at least 200 serious injuries and 12 deaths a year. ''In many cases, you're taking your life in your hands.'' 

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