Although people throughout the world have built swimming pools to help cool off in the summer and get some low-impact exercise, humans have been swimming before anyone ever got that idea. And while the risk of drowning is always there, most people have been able to safely swim in a wide variety of the world’s gorgeous natural bodies of water.
However, not every lake, pond, bay, and sea was created equal. Although some of these places are as calm as they are beautiful, others use their beauty as a siren call that conceals some serious dangers underneath the surface. Be warned before going anywhere near any of these savage swimming spots.
The Bermuda Triangle
Getty Images
After centuries of mysterious disappearances, The Bermuda Triangle has developed a supernatural reputation for whisking ships, planes, and people away to their likely doom. However, even more mundane explanations establish this nautical region as an extremely dangerous part of the world. But rather than otherworldly phenomena, the National Ocean Service identified three natural occurrences that explain these disappearances.
The Bermuda Triangle has a lot of surprisingly shallow areas where ships can run aground, and its Gulf Stream can also influence radical and sudden shifts in the area’s weather patterns. Perhaps the biggest danger in the Bermuda Triangle, however, is its position. That’s because the majority of the hurricanes and other tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean pass through The Bermuda Triangle at some point.
Cahills Crossing, Australia
DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images
According to News.com.au, Cahills Crossing is considered one of Australia’s most dangerous bodies of water despite the area encompassing only a 3.7-mile stretch. This has little to do with the features of the water itself but rather the fact that up to 120 saltwater crocodiles are known to congregate in this small area.
Indeed, visitors can often see about 40 crocodiles at once, and dozens of daring swimmers apparently tempt fate and try to cross the waterway every year. This is despite the fact that multiple people have already lost their lives to crocodile attacks there.
Yellowstone National Park
George Rose/Getty Images
Although the aquatic features of America’s famous Yellowstone National Park are undoubtedly gorgeous, it is worth noting that this doesn’t mean that they’re safe to swim in. Indeed, the National Park Service has identified clear dangers in its hot springs, lakes, and rivers. And in both cases, the reason why they’re dangerous comes down to temperature.
Swimming or immersing oneself in the hot springs is explicitly prohibited there because over 20 people have perished as a result of burns sustained in them. The National Park Service also warned that over 100 people have lost their lives in its lakes and rivers due to the opposite problem. The waters are cold enough to induce hypothermia year-round, and the spring snowmelt makes rivers dangerous to cross.
Lake Nyos, Cameroon
Eric BOUVET/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
As Forbes reported, 1,700 people died overnight in Lower Nyos, Cameroon, on August 22, 1986. This disaster went completely unexplained for years until the culprit was finally discovered: The 1,700 people affected and the 3,000 livestock animals that fell with them had been exposed to nearby Lake Nyos.
Lake Nyos sits on a 950-mile chain of volcanoes and volcanic crater lakes called the Cameroon Volcanic Line. Although most of the volcanoes on this line are no longer active, a magma chamber about 50 miles below the line still releases volcanic gases, which concentrate at the bottom of the lake. On that fateful summer night in 1986, possible seismic activity released those gases, which included lethal doses of carbon dioxide. The result was mass suffocation.
Hanakapi’iai Beach, Hawaii
Jeff Kubina/Wikimedia Commons | God of War/Wikimedia Commons
Although Hanakapi’iai Beach is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii — which is saying something given the wealth of gorgeous beaches that the state is home to — locals are quick to tell visitors that it’s arguably the most dangerous as well. As that sign suggests, at least 82 people have drowned there.
According to Makana Charters, this is because of dangerously high tides during winter and incredibly powerful currents that are known to sweep people out to sea year-round. Although these currents are usually mitigated by coral reef barriers, Hanakapi’iai Beach doesn’t have any, which means that any unlucky swimmers experience those currents at full force.
The Humber Estuary, United Kingdom
LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images
Although the presence of massive ships at Yorkshire’s Humber River doesn’t exactly make it an ideal place to swim in, The Yorkshire Post reported that it isn’t much safer for the people on those ships than it would be for anyone reckless enough to swim there.
That’s because it’s home to incredibly fast currents matching speeds of seven knots. An additional hazard for ships can be seen in the form of the river’s unpredictably shifting sandbanks, which change almost daily. As a result, the Humber Estuary is considered one of the most dangerous rivers in the world.
Sargasso Sea
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
As CNN reported, the Sargasso Sea is an unusual part of the North Atlantic Ocean that’s closest to Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean. As the name would suggest, it’s known for providing the ideal breeding ground for sargassum seaweed, which often washes up on beaches in the aforementioned areas.
However, this seaweed is known to be hazardous to ships, and it provides its known fertile growing conditions for a flesh-eating bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus. Moreover, this sargassum seaweed releases toxic hydrogen sulfide gas when it rots, which is known to cause various respiratory issues.
Lake Tahoe, United States
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Straddling the border between Nevada and California, Lake Tahoe is a sterling example of America’s natural beauty. With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that it would be such a popular vacation spot. However, its popularity doesn’t mean it’s always safe to swim in.
According to The Record-Courier, an average of seven people die in Lake Tahoe every year due to cold water shock, which paralyzes a swimmer’s muscles (no matter how fit or experienced they are) and leaves them drowning. And while that might suggest the lake is safer in the summer, that’s not necessarily true due to upwelling events that bring cold water from deep in the lake to the surface.
The Nile River, Egypt
AMIR MAKAR/AFP via Getty Images
Although the Nile River is of great importance to Egypt and Africa at large, it is not a safe place to swim in. And while that’s reportedly more true in the massive river’s southern portions, the river carries general hazards throughout its expanse.
According to Nile Cruisers, the southern portion of the Nile near Aswan has been known to occasionally host alligators and venomous snakes. However, it’s much more common for those reckless enough to swim in the Nile to contract various bacterial infections no matter where they do it.
The Orinoco River, South America
Andrés Cardona for The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Orinoco River runs across Venezuela and Colombia and carries an international reputation as arguably the most dangerous river in the world. According to El Pais, the river is so treacherous that researchers didn’t start finding out what sea creatures lived in it until the 1970s, and successful research in future decades required the help of people who had managed to fish the river for decades.
But what makes it so dangerous? Well, it’s the fourth deepest river in the world, which matters a great deal because its waters are incredibly fast and part of a complicated water system. Yet perhaps the most dangerous feature of the Orinoco River is its unusual darkness, which allows rogue logs and other debris to go unseen until they’re already putting boats in danger of sinking.
Lake Natron, Tanzania
TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images
As shown here, Lake Natron is a haven for millions of the world’s lesser flamingos. But while the Tanzanian lake is perfect for them, it’s incredibly dangerous for humans to try to swim in there, no matter how beautiful it looks.
According to CNN, that’s partially because it’s an intensely alkaline “soda lake” that’s considered caustic enough to strip skin from the human body. Moreover, the lake provides ideal conditions for an algae called cyanobacteria to bloom. This algae produces chemicals that can cause permanent and potentially fatal damage to the nervous system and the liver at the cellular level.
The Amazon River
Harvey Meston/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Although there are people who have famously swam the length of the Amazon River, it’s important to understand that they did so at great personal risk. Some people assume that the presence of piranhas in the Amazon River’s waters is the biggest risk factor, but Rainforest Cruises noted that these fish have an overblown reputation for attacking humans and are primarily scavengers.
That having been said, they acknowledge that there are electric eels lurking in the depths of the river, and those are much more likely to have unpleasant encounters with humans. Furthermore, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association characterizes the river as featuring dangerously low visibility, bacterial and fungal growths, and strong currents during certain times of the year due to heavy rains.
Indian Ocean
Speaking-of-segues/reddit
When people take a look at this underwater waterfall in the Indian Ocean, it’s easy for them to assume that this is a source of danger when swimming or sailing there. However, Taxi Service Mauritius assured visitors to the eastern African nation that swimming above an underwater waterfall is safe, if psychologically daunting.
Instead, Ocean Beach Bulletin explained that the real danger lurking in the Indian Ocean concerns its rough and unpredictable weather patterns. These are rough on their own, but they’re also known to create optimal conditions for cyclones to form.
The Java Sea, Indonesia
BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images
According to Time, Indonesia’s Java Sea is unusually shallow with a uniquely sediment-heavy bottom. During the summer, this typically makes the sea appear clear and pristine. But it takes on an entirely different character during monsoon season when it’s particularly dangerous. This is because all that sediment gets thrown around the Java Sea, which causes visibility to plummet.
That hazard is made worse by the shallow wave patterns that can be a hazard year-round. That’s because the sea’s unique geology is perfect for creating quick, frenzied, and unpredictable waves that can not only make the sea difficult to swim in, but introduce hazardous debris that swimmers might collide with.
Lake Kivu, Africa
ALEXIS HUGUET/AFP via Getty Images
Sitting between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Lake Kivu is an unusual case for dangerous bodies of water in that it’s generally considered quite safe most of the time. With no notably dangerous wildlife or hazardous wave patterns, it’s likely one of Africa’s safer bodies of water under normal circumstances. However, Nature noted that swimming in Lake Kivu carries the rare but real risk of being in it during a limnic eruption.
That’s because it is naturally loaded with about 72 cubic miles of carbon dioxide and 14 cubic miles of methane, as well as some smaller amounts of hydrogen sulfide. In the event of a traditional eruption or an earthquake, these gases could explosively release and fatally poison not only everyone in the area but millions outside of it.
The Dead Sea, Jordan and Israel
AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images
Due to its unique density and salinity, the Dead Sea is one of the most popular bodies of water in the world to visit. Floating in its brine is not only considered relaxing but is reputed to be restorative to those with chronic skin diseases. However, the same properties that make it special and soothing can also make it dangerous.
According to Encounters Travel, that’s partially because it can host strong currents but chiefly because it’s dense enough that it’s difficult to lift one’s head back through the surface once it goes under. In addition to this drowning risk, the salinity can also damage the eyes and skin during prolonged exposure. The Smithsonian Magazine also reported that the surrounding area is increasingly prone to sinkholes.
The Bay Of Bengal
ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Image
The Bay of Bengal is a massive body of water lying between India and Southeast Asia, and it’s a popular place to swim along the beaches of various nations in that region. However, it’s also home to a variety of dangers that depend on a traveler’s location. For instance, The Hindu reported that police in the Indian city of Chennai noted that Marina Beach has insufficient lifeguards and watch towers to prevent drowning fatalities.
Elsewhere, The Daily Mirror reported that popular tourist zones in the Andaman Islands, like Swaraj, feature warnings informing visitors of the presence of crocodiles. The Bay of Bengal is also home to North Sentinel Island, which is populated by an aggressively isolationist tribe known to attack visitors on sight. As for the bay at large, AP News noted that it’s prone to cyclones.
0 Comments