Swimming in the Potomac

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of these posters just keep showing their ignorance.
Swimmers drown all the time.

See "In the Potomac's Grip" if you have a Washington Post subscription.

Or the "Potomac River is Alluring but Deadly" in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Not point using facts to argue with macho bravado though.

A 10 year old article talking about a small section of Great Falls is hardly "facts."

Reading an article isn't the same thing as actually knowing what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

If you're serious go here:

https://www.waveoneopenwater.com/

It's not the very best open water swimming in the area, but it's safe and calm, and fun. Weekly swims at National Harbor. Yeah, don't just jump in anywhere, but yes, of course, there are safe places to swim in the river.

[Anonymous]

I took a rowing class at Thompson Boat House near Georgetown. I fell out of the scull. It was a lot harder to get out of the water than I imagined. Feels much different than being in a swimming pool.

[Anonymous]

Purse State Park
Masón Neck State Park

But, I tell my kids not to put their heads underwater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of these posters just keep showing their ignorance.
Swimmers drown all the time.

See "In the Potomac's Grip" if you have a Washington Post subscription.

Or the "Potomac River is Alluring but Deadly" in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Not point using facts to argue with macho bravado though.

It's not macho bravado, it's common sense. Don't swim near Great Falls. Don't swim after it's rained.

I swim in the Potomac throughout the summer. Obv. I've never drowned and I've never caught an infection (I do shower right after).

Swimming in the river is lovely. Sorry, but some of us just love it. I think the people who drown are usually people who are not familiar with the river. And I agree, you need to be informed. But I feel safer in the river than in the ocean.

How you feel has no bearing on how safe the activity is. Do you have any idea how much trash is floating around underwater? What would you do if your foot got tangled on a submerged line? If you don’t carry a river knife then you would probably drown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not hyperbole but reality. It is illegal to swim in the Potomac around DC for a reason. We still Paddle board and canoe but only with life jackets.

Seven persons a year, on average, drown in the area. Nearly all drowning victims are 15 to 25 years old. Most victims had been drinking or using drugs. The Potomac seems so tranquil that people are unaware of danger.

http://npshistory.com/brochures/grfa/info.pdf

Why is Potomac River so dangerous ? In DMV area?

Fast Water
Above Great Falls the
river funnels down to 200 feet, causing the current to speed up tremendously.

Rising Water
Water rises quickly.
Water changing to muddy means danger. In 10 minutes you can be stranded on rocks and islands.

The River's Edge
The rocks are dangerous because of poor footing. Stay a body length from the water.

"Killer Hydraulic"
When water goes over a fall or dam, the current underneath runs faster than the surface. This causes water to curl backward, sucking down floating objects

^ Just stay home if you don't know what you're doing and aren't a strong swimmer.

I’ve seen canoes fully wrapped around a rock on the Potomac. You can’t out-swim a Potomac river current!

Yup.

Inner tubing above Harper's Ferry in a group outing, one of the girls was unable to paddle to shore and was swept downriver well past Harper's Ferry. Finally managed to get to shore miles downriver. She had been a competitive swimmer in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're serious go here:

https://www.waveoneopenwater.com/

It's not the very best open water swimming in the area, but it's safe and calm, and fun. Weekly swims at National Harbor. Yeah, don't just jump in anywhere, but yes, of course, there are safe places to swim in the river.

This is a great program. There are lots of people there - especially if you want to feel more safe swimming in open water.

[Anonymous]

https://www.potomacriver.org/potomac-basin-facts/is-it-safe-to-swim/

https://www.potomacreportcard.org/

I wouldn't, but there's some information.

[Anonymous]

Well the pearl clutchers sure flocked in here.

I swam near Greenleaf Point once. The water was gross but not dangerous, for crying out loud.

I guess if someone drowned in a bathtub DCUM would dissuade others from bathing and no way they would let their kids do so.

[Anonymous]

As a rower on the Potomac in DC, I saw a log of human feces/mud/rotten vegetable matter (hard to say, but the smell was awful) the length of my arm rise from the water. I would definitely not swim in Georgetown or really anywhere near DC.

[Anonymous]

In addition to human feces, the Potomac is infested with Snakeheads.

[Anonymous]

Mason Neck State park. We keep boat in Occaquan and swim/ski in Belmont Bay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In addition to human feces, the Potomac is infested with Snakeheads.

That's more of an ecological concern, though. Are they any more dangerous than bass, gar, or other midsize freshwater fish?