With summer in full swing, some TikTokers have taken the term jumping ship to dangerous new heights, yeeting themselves off of moving speed boats as a part of “boat jumping,” one of the platform’s most hazardous trends.


Dating back to 2020, boat jumping, which requires boat passengers to jump off a moving vessel and into its wake has taken a turn for the worse after at least four Alabamans reportedly died while attempting to partake in the trend.



@markthompson295 Last day of lake life jumping into the surf. #boat #bubblejump #mbboats ♬ Island In The Sun - Weezer


"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," Capt. Jim Dennis of Childersburg-based ambulance service, Childersburg Rescue Squad, explained. 


Denouncing these boat-jumping deaths as “easily avoidable,” Capt. Dennis pointed to TikTok clout as a driving factor in why boat passengers have hopped on this deadly trend.


“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,” he elaborated.


@thatssoterry TikTok Trend #boat #jump #boattrend #kevinhart #greenscreen ♬ original sound - LA J


Yet it seems even that point has become moot. As news of these deaths has made headlines, searching for the term “boat jumping” on TikTok broaches more videos detailing its dangers than videos of those throwing themselves off of moving water crafts.


So take it from Capt. Dennis – those TikTok safety warnings aren’t anything to scoff at (unless like, they’re really funny).