Water tubing with vision loss — just for the thrill of it
I'm a speed demon and I love adventure
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I have gone water tubing since I was a little girl, and I still love it to this day.
I live with a rare genetic condition known as Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), which contributed to progressive vision loss and ultimately blindness. But while I don’t have much vision, I still love having fun and being adventurous.
I’m a speed demon and love adventure, so when I’m on a tube, the faster, the better. The entire time, I’ll have my thumbs up, which means go faster.
I love it all — the water hitting my face, feeling the turns, flying over a big wake, and holding on tightly and trying not to fall off. And if I do fall, I’m always laughing about it.
One thing that makes tubing especially fun is that I don’t always know what will come next. I’ll be out on the water laughing and squeaking at the thrill of the unexpected. Every turn, bump, and splash is part of the fun. I don’t need to see what’s coming to enjoy it. If anything, the surprise makes the whole ride more exciting.
Sometimes the tube will swing out to the side and then back across the wake. Since I can’t always see what’s coming, I just hold on tightly and go with whatever the tube does next. One second I’ll be cruising, and the next I’ll be flying across the wake.
I help steer the tube with my body. If I feel the tube going left, I lean left, then quickly shift the other way to catch the wake. On turns, I sometimes steer with my weight to keep from falling off.
Then there are the times when I get a little crazy and go no hands. It’s usually only for a second, because if I don’t grab again quickly, I’ll go straight into the water.
Why do I keep doing this? For the thrill.
There’s something liberating about flying across the water, feeling the speed, and just having fun. When I’m out there behind the boat, BBS isn’t on my mind. I’m simply having a blast. I may not see every twist and turn, but I still experience every bit of the adventure.
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