COMAL COUNTY, Texas – It’s no secret that living in South Texas during the summer you have to find ways to beat the heat. For many, river tubing is a go-to pastime.
“It’s my first time, and I’m really excited,” said Breigh Houser.
Another tube, Marissa Villarreal, said she is no stranger to the river. When asked if she had been to the river before, she responded, “Yeah, too many times.”
Regardless if they’re a rookie river-goer or a seasoned tuber, the water in the Comal River was refreshing for those enjoying the 4th of July holiday outside.
“It’s just a good time! Cool off, that’s where you need to be when it’s this hot, be by the river,” said Ronnie Krueger.
However, water levels could affect your ride along the river this summer. For the Comal River, the stream flow is about 113 cubic feet per second, nearly three times slower than usual.
The owner of Texas Tubes in New Braunfels, Colie Reno, said the float in the final typically takes about an hour and 45 minutes. Currently, it’s about 3.5 hours.
“We’re at a point where you can still float all the way through. That’s what’s important. People don’t like to get up and walk. So about a 3-hour float, people have enough. They’re ready to go get some AC, to get some food in town, and hit the sack pretty early,” said Reno.
Reno says even with low water levels, business is good. Most people KSAT spoke with seemed OK with the longer float.
“Can you tell the difference?” KSAT asked, “Definitely, I think I enjoy it because it’s just longer in the water, and you don’t have to go through the shuttle if you want to come back,” said Villarreal.
Although, some tubers with small kids said they’d think twice before taking on the extra time on the float.
“Yeah, that is a little bit concerning that it is going to take longe. But that’s just us because we have a huge family, kids and all that. We don’t want to take too long on the river,” said Jeremey Little.
