What Is the Deadly TikTok Boat Jumping Challenge?

As anyone familiar with TikTok likely knows, the trends on the platform range from the harmless and stupid to the genuinely dangerous. One recent trend that has been picking up steam in the news, and has led many to want to better understand it, is the boat jumping challenge.

The boat jumping challenge isn’t something that anyone should try themselves. As many of the news stories have made clear, it can result in serious injury, and in some cases even death.

The boat jumping challenge involves a person jumping into the water from a moving boat, sometimes going at pretty high speeds. It’s relatively straightforward, and people have tried everything from backflips to cannon balls as they enter the water. Although it may seem harmless, authorities around the country are raising alarm bells about the trend and warning people not to take part in it.

According to authorities in Alabama, at least four people have died in the state while participating in the trend, jumping off of the backs of boats and then breaking their necks when they hit the water.

“Last six months we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable. They were doing a TikTok challenge,” Captain Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad said.

“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,” he continued. Dennis said that boat jumping has been an ongoing issue over the last two years, but has been picking up in the last year especially. The first victim died in February after jumping from a boat on the Coosa River while his wife and children watched.

“The four that we responded to when they jumped out of the boat, they literally broke their neck and, you know, basically an instant death,” Dennis said. “I think people, if they’re being filmed on camera, I think they’re more likely to do something stupid because they want to show off in front of their friends for social media.”

The four victims were apparently of all ages, and many of their deaths were recorded because of the trend.

The combination of the boat’s high speed and the still water creates a dangerous landing service that feels like concrete. As a result, if a jumper doesn’t protect their head and neck when they jump, they could suffer paralysis or instant death when they hit the water.

Of course, the safest way to avoid potentially devastating injuries or death is to simply avoid the trend altogether. Jumping from a stationary boat should provide you with all the thrills you need, and likely won’t result in any fatal accidents, at least on its own. As TikTok trends go, this is among the most dangerous.