Tubing on water generally consists of two forms: towed and free-floating, also known as river tubing. There is also water skiing. According to Time Magazine, tubing was purportedly invented on the Black River in Missouri by Jan & Harriet Wright of Poplar Bluff, MO sometime in the middle of the 20th century, but examples of the practice were published as early as 1916, when the popularization of the automobile meant a large supply of rubber inner tubes was available to the general public. (taken from Wikipedia) Towed tubing usually takes place on a large body of water such as a lake or river. One or more tube riders (often called "tubers") tether their tubes to a powered watercraft such as a motor boat or a personal watercraft. The riders are then towed through the water by the watercraft.