Yes. The following is the Florida requirement.
PERSONAL WATERCRAFT REGULATIONS
•Each person operating, riding on, or being towed behind a personal watercraft must wear an approved non-inflatable Type I, II, III, or V personal flotation device.
As much fun as it is, wakeboarding is an inherently dangerous sport. When it comes to something as serious as a life jacket, always go for a USCG Approved jacket! Non approved vests are not guaranteed to float you. If you were to be knocked unconscious, there is the serious risk of drowning. It would seem to be a matter of common sense to wear a vest.
Source
http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/states/ed_requirements_map.asp
December 28th, 2009 at 1:58 am
I believe so. It would be the most sensible thing to do.
References :
December 28th, 2009 at 2:34 am
well you dont HAVE to but it would be VERY sensible in case you hit the water kinda hard it feel like a belly flop. one i had a giant accident on a diving board which really doesnt have anything to do with this but it involves water so i will mention it
i jumped off the diving board which wasnt that far or high above the water but strongly built diving board and well i jumped right but i didnt get enough speed so i nailed the front flip but i didnt jump far enough and scraped the hell out of my back and am still scared of diving boards and my dumbass cousin just laughed at me so 3 days later when my back felt better i kicked him in his balls XD but thats besides the point…. i didnt have a breath with me as it was supposed to be quick in and out thing and plus the breath in my lungs would hurt hitting the water like i was angled anyhow but i couldnt even close my eyes my back hurt so bad while i was underwater i sank all the way down to the bottom of the chlorined pool burning my eyes and the giant scrape on my back and thankfully there way many people there at my pool which didnt matter because somehow i managed to pull myself together right when someone was just about to jump in and get me and made it to the surface un-crying…point is if thats what a diving board can do without proper skill or equipment imagine what can happen if you hit the water just a little too hard point is it may be un-enjoyable wearing a life jacket and actually knowing what your doing can pay off
References :
December 28th, 2009 at 3:22 am
Yes. The following is the Florida requirement.
PERSONAL WATERCRAFT REGULATIONS
•Each person operating, riding on, or being towed behind a personal watercraft must wear an approved non-inflatable Type I, II, III, or V personal flotation device.
As much fun as it is, wakeboarding is an inherently dangerous sport. When it comes to something as serious as a life jacket, always go for a USCG Approved jacket! Non approved vests are not guaranteed to float you. If you were to be knocked unconscious, there is the serious risk of drowning. It would seem to be a matter of common sense to wear a vest.
Source
http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/states/ed_requirements_map.asp
References :
December 28th, 2009 at 3:54 am
I see a lot of people who do not wear life jackets. If you don’t like the way USCG approved life jackets look or feel I would recommend getting a comp vest. Although I don’t think it is the law it is VERY smart to wear one anyways. I know people who have been injured while wakeboarding and got knocked out. Although the boards float it is not going to do any help if your upper body is not floating. I have had to jump in and lift someones head up out of the water because they weren’t wearing a life jacket and fell wrong doing a trick which caused them to get knocked unconscious. It can be VERY dangerous to not wear one. So wear on for your safety. Here are some sites that have some good ones
http://www.wakenskate.com/wakeboard/wake/mens/vests-lifejackets.html
http://www.buywake.com/catalog/ridingEssentials/wakeVests
http://www.wakeside.com/category/wakeboard_gear/mens/wakeboard_vests.do
References :
December 28th, 2009 at 4:09 am
Depends, on florida’s coast, or inland waters?
Usually speed & location are a factor.
PERSONALLY, WEAR ONE. I’ve been knocked out, and given CPR to a girl who was unconcious and not breathing. If either of us didn’t have a jacket we would have drowned.
References :
Experience of 4 years wakeboarding (for fun, not competing)