A TikTok trend known as “boat jumping” has killed four people in Alabama so far this year, leading officials to issue a warning against participating in the stunt.
“Last six months we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable,” Capt. Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad told Alabama’s WBMA. “They were doing a TikTok challenge. It’s where you get in a boat going at a high rate of speed, you jump off the side of the boat, don’t dive, you’re jumping off feet first and you just kinda lean into the water.”
The boat’s high rate of speed, combined with the unmoving water, creates an effect on the human body similar to landing on concrete from a significant height.
According to Dennis, the stunt has emerged in popularity over the last two years and has engaged people of all ages.
The year’s earliest incident occurred in February, when a man plunged off of his boat in front of his children and wife. “Unfortunately, she recorded his death,” said Dennis.
The most recent incident, involving a middle-aged man, occurred in May.
“The four [victims] that we responded to, when they jumped out of the boat, they literally broke their neck and, you know, basically an instant death,” Dennis clarified.
Of course, jumping off boats is a classic dare that predates the existence of all social media services. But platforms like TikTok allow the videos to take off as a shareable and potentially viral moment. A search for “boat jumping” on TikTok turns up countless videos which showcase the dangerous stunt.
In one video, uploaded in 2021 by user @markthompson295, a total of nine people (including at least six small children) jump off the back of a boat in rapid succession. One of the older-appearing children face plants into the water, as Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” plays over the images.
@markthompson295 Last day of lake life jumping into the surf. #boat #bubblejump #mbboats
♬ Island In The Sun - Weezer
The trend seems to be catching. Over the July 4 holiday, a New York City resident jumped off the Fire Island ferry as fellow passengers cheered him on. He swam to shore, where was summarily arrested and issued a $2,500 fine.
On May 24, recent high school graduate Cameron Robbins was on a sunset cruise in the Bahamas when he jumped overboard on the dare of a friend. The US Coast Guard as well as the Royal Bahamas Defence Force spent until May 27 searching for the teenager before they suspended their efforts. Robbins is presumed dead, and a memorial was held for him in June.
Video of that event, taken from the cruise ship, shows Robbins in the water while passengers shout at him to grab a life preserver that’s been thrown into the water. Robbins, however, swims in the opposite direction. The presence of a silhouetted figure in the water has led some to question if there was a shark in the water, and if that is why Robbins swam away from the buoy.
Needless to say, if you’re thinking about staging a water stunt this summer to net a few extra views, consider the advice of Capt. Jim Dennis. “Do not do it. It’s not worth your life.”
