Washington bans teak surfing

swadminMarch 21, 2006

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state has banned “teak surfing,” a potentially deadly sport in which swimmers cling to the back of a speeding boat, according to a story on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Web site yesterday.

Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the bill yesterday after she and the sponsor, Sen. Pam Roach, met privately with the parents of two young women who died in separate accidents on Pierce County’s Lake Tapps. Both suffered from carbon monoxide asphyxiation and drowned.

Roach (R-Auburn) said the measure will save lives.

The practice “is so dangerous because of the extremely high levels of carbon monoxide from the boat exhaust,” Roach was quoted as saying, adding. “A swimmer can die from breathing in boat exhaust and drowning. Asphyxiation can occur in as little as 60 seconds.”