General Safety

Manual

Age and Weight
1. Persons MUST be 18 years of age or older to use the Wataboard.
2. No Operator can weigh over 375 lbs.

Equipment Required (Operators must wear this equipment at all times while using the Wataboard)
1. Coast Guard approved Buoyancy Vest
2. Wakeboard (or comparable) helmet
3. Isothermal Pants – The penetration of water through the orifices of the body during a fall may cause serious injuries. Wearing a simple bathing suit is not adequate protection against the power of water penetration into the lower orifices of the body.
4. Ear Plugs (unless you have a Wakeboard Helmet that covers the ears) Putty style ear plugs are recommended as they are not small enough to get forced into the ear canal.

Use of Wataboard
1.The Wataboard user and PWC driver must be able to swim efficiently.
2.The Wataboard must be used only by one person. It is strictly forbidden to have two or more persons on the Wataboard at the same time.

DO NOT USE the Wataboard when:
1.Winds exceed 35 mph and/or waves exceeding 3 ft in height.
2.Under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or drugs that affect alertness.
3.Pregnant.
4.Dealing with any pre-existing conditions and/or injuries; please consult your doctor before use of the Wataboard.
5.You are phobic of water.
6.Tired or fatigued.
7.Using compressed air or scuba equipment. This could cause an embolism and death.
8.Wearing contacts lenses or eyeglasses.

Operators MUST:

  1. Follow the navigational laws in force in the country where using the Wataboard.
  2. Find an area away from any other watercraft such as: boats, PWCs, and other hydroflight operators. Also, stay clear of swimmers, divers, and other people in the water.
  3. Operate the Wataboard in a minimum depth of 8 feet of water, unless diving in and out of the water, in which case maintain a depth of 12 feet or greater. Also, be aware of any obstacles beneath the water and only dive in water with 100% visibility to previously specified depths.
  4. Be aware that water depth can change significantly over short periods of time due to tides, currents, and man-made events. You must adjust your depth accordingly to meet the minimum depth requirement set forth above.

DO NOT:

  1. Direct the jet propulsion towards a person.
  2. Dive into murky water. Most water injuries are caused by diving into the water. You could cause neck and/or spinal injuries. Know your water area. If you are going to dive into the water, it is best to dive into clear water.
  3. Take off and/or land, on land, or use the Wataboard near any surface such as rocks, docks, beaches, boats, banks, etc., as the risk of injury near these surfaces is high.
  4. Attempt to swim while attached to and/or using the Wataboard. The Wataboard will float and while wearing the correct CE Certified vest, you will float.
  5. Exceed your physical limits. Also, avoid aggressive maneuvers to reduce the risk of losing control. The Wataboard is a high performance machine, not a toy.
  6. Reproduce stunts, tricks, and risky behaviors as seen on television, the internet, or in person (example: back flips). These are made by professionals and if attempted by a non-professional, could risk serious injury, put your life in danger, and damage the equipment.
  7. Operate the Wataboard near sand. Sand will get into bearings.

Wataboard Operations

Warning: Make sure that the hose is all the way extended before you throttle the power of the Jet Ski to raise the Wataboard user out of the water. Powering the throttle before the hose is fully extended could seriously cause injury to the Wataboard user.
When turning, you must have a minimum turning radius of 30 feet. An aggressive turn against the PWC may cause:

  • The Wataboard user to fall
  • The PWC driver to fall
  • Malfunction of the Wataboard
  • Destruction of Wataboard in whole or in part

You can go 45 feet high and we recommend not going deeper than 8 feet deep. If you go deeper than 8 feet and you do not pressurize your ears, you can rupture your eardrums.

It is advisable that the Wataboard user falls forward as much as possible so that the nozzles of the propulsion are directed downward, which greatly helps to cushion the fall and aids in not sinking underwater.

Never take a path towards the PWC either forward or backward.

The Wataboard user and PWC driver must make sure that the Wataboard user has sufficient stability without falling (forwards or backwards) before attempting higher elevations.

If, when submerged the operator becomes disoriented, the operator should release the throttle or shut off the engine to the PWC in order to float back to the surface.

In water where strong currents are possible, you must have the PWC’s power on to be able to escape the current from pulling the person on the Wataboard under. If the Wataboard operator needs to turn the power off, quickly turn the power back on to aid in escaping the water current.

For a novice Wataboard user

The driver of the watercraft must not exceed 4500 RPMs (Revolutions per Minute) when trying to lift the Wataboard user out of the water, unless the Wataboard user weighs 225 lbs or more, then the watercraft must not exceed 5000 RPMs. If the Wataboard user fails to take off, it means that their feet are not positioned correctly. It is important not to accelerate more than the RPMs stated because the user may be propelled in the air and rise out of the water higher than is allowable.

When the Wataboard is operated from a person from the PWC (without the electronic kit), the driver of the watercraft must not exceed 6000 RPMs. It is recommended for PWCs over 250 hp, to use their key to limit the amount of horsepower used (please see your PWC manual).

The Wataboard user must

  1. Enter the water face forward.
  2. Maintain a minimum distance of 15 feet from the PWC at all times.
  3. Always be absolutely positioned to move forward and never backward to limit falls on their back. You want to fall on your front side and fall away from the PWC, this will help you avoid coming in contact with the PWC and Hose.
  4. Constantly control their position relative to the PWC and be even more vigilant when they rise to heights greater than 15 feet.
  5. Also be aware of, and avoid, the presence of any objects, reefs, buoys, shallow land, etc.
  6. Be aware that the water depth can change significantly over short periods of time due to tides, currents, and man made events, such as releasing water from reservoirs. You must adjust your depth accordingly to meet the minimum depth requirement of 8 feet.

If and when the Wataboard user

  1. Gets closer than 15 feet, release the throttle. This will help the Wataboard user to remember to stay away from the PWC.If the Wataboard user is higher than 10 ft, release the throttle gradually.
  2. Gets closer than about 8 feet, do not release the throttle, by doing so the operator of the Wataboard could hit the PWC. Instead, slowly let up on the throttle.
  3. Falls into the water, the Wataboard user must be aware of the distance between themselves and the watercraft which the Wataboard is connect to due to the inertia that may push the PWC towards the Wataboard user. You want to avoid the PWC from hitting your head.
  4. Falls on their back or goes underwater (from a fall, dip, etc.) the driver of the watercraft must immediately release the throttle and turn off the engine to stop the person from going to the bottom of the lake or body of water.
  5. Falls, especially on their back, the user may go underwater to a depth of about 6 feet and must anticipate an apnea of about 10 seconds during the fall and during immersion.