by ris » 22 May 2016 22:56
i swim in the local river to me at work (avon). before i started i did a lot of checking entry points and researched on line anything i could find out about water quality / testing. the rivers authorities used to have some good testing data maps but they've got rid of that process and now use one figure for quite long stretches of water, which is quite unhelpful. i always swim with a bright, 'artificial' coloured cap (red, yellow, pink, orange - not black, white, blue or green which might get confused with natural surroundings or the water). i don't swim if i have any exposed cuts or grazes as i understand that is a main transmission route for things like veils disease.
the first few times i swam in the river i made sure i had someone to spot me and stayed in sight of the entry point. i then extended the swim to go out of sight but made sure i did this quite carefully and kept my friend there just in case. i now have someone i swim with so am less likely to go in on my own. i'm happier with this arrangement from a safety point of view.
worth considering in advance where you are swimming and what you can find out about it - you can identify entry points but also potential exit points as well if something unexpected happens. i thought i knew the avon quite well and then got caught out by the pace of it once. i wasn't in any danger (other than to my pride if the rescue services got called out) but it made me think more carefully about what options i could have if i didn't think i could swim back to the entry point for any reason.
i really enjoy it and over the summer try and swim once a month, maybe more if it is warm and the water levels aren't too high or fast. all down to the conditions and whether i can be arsed!
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