From water so hot it could boil you alive to a lake filled with acid, here are some
places you should never go swimming:
9.
Lake Hillier
This bright pink lake is located in Australia.
It is about two thousand feet long and eight hundred twenty feet wide.
This strange body of water is a saline lake, meaning it has a significantly high concentration
of salt.
It was discovered in 1802 by Matthew Flinders, who described it as “...a rose colour, the
water of which...was so saturated with salt that sufficient quantities were crystallized
near the shores to load a ship.”
Pure white salt lines Lake Hillier’s shore.
Due to its extreme salinity, there are no animals living within the lake.
The only thing that lives here are tiny organisms, one of which is Dunaliella salina; this is
what gives Lake Hillier its salt content.
It also contains red halophilic bacteria, which gives it its unique hue.
Although you can technically go for a dip in this lake without adverse effects, you
should never drink the water… ingesting too much saltwater can cause a fatal outcome.
So, don’t allow the lake’s rose-wine tint trick you into taking a sip.
8.
Yellowstone Thermal Pools
Yellowstone National Park’s thermal pools are just one of the numerous reasons that
millions of tourists flock to the area every year.
However, even though these hot springs and geysers look very inviting, you should by
no means get too close to them.
There have been various injuries and fatalities due to people wanting a closer look at these
natural wonders.
In June 2006, a six-year-old boy endured significant burns after slipping off of a boardwalk near
Old Faithful.
He fell into the two-hundred-fifty degree Fahrenheit water and luckily survived, even
though his injuries were severe.
According to the Yellowstone website, over twenty visitors have met their demise after
slipping near these thermal pools.
In June 2016, a twenty-three-year-old man from Portland, Oregon lost his life after
falling into the hot water next to Porkchop Geyser.
He and his sister had strayed about six hundred feet from the boardwalk when the incident
took place.
One of the park’s geologists, Hank Heasler, noted, “Geothermal attractions are one of
the most dangerous natural features in Yellowstone, but I don’t sense that awareness in either
visitors or employees.”
There are warning signs posted throughout the park as there are over ten thousand of
these boiling pools.
Yellowstone’s chief safety officer, Brandon Gauthier, said, “We try to educate people
starting when they come through the gate…
There are many risks in Yellowstone.
It’s something you’ve got to respect and pay attention to.”
So, keep that in mind if you ever visit this national park, and please don’t take a dip
in the hot spring.
7.
Horseshoe Lake
This lake is located near Mammoth Mountain in California.
The mountain is a volcano, and after several earthquakes took place below the formation
in 1989, geologists found that there were significant amounts of carbon dioxide seeping
from underneath.
The gas terminated numerous trees in the area around Horseshoe Lake; nowadays, there are
nearly two hundred acres of lifeless trees near the volcano.
In the areas where the trees are, there is a twenty to ninety percent carbon dioxide
concentration in the soil compared with only one percent everywhere else.
But, it isn’t only the plant life that can suffer from the elevated carbon dioxide presence;
people are at risk too.
In the late 1990s, a fifty-eight-year-old man was cross-country skiing near Horseshoe
Lake and was discovered unresponsive.
He passed away after breathing in too much of the gas.
The United States Geological Survey scientist Dave Hill told the LA Times in 2006, “At
high concentrations CO2 displaces oxygen from your lungs.
At seventy percent or eighty percent, it just takes a couple of breaths…
People can expire very quickly.”
It is also important to note that the area around Horseshoe Lake has one of the highest
amounts of dangerous gas.
So, although swimming is allowed in this alluring body of water, you might want to refrain from
jumping in, and don’t lay down on the ground either!
If the carbon dioxide levels rise suddenly, you could risk meeting your maker.
But, if you refuse to miss out on Horseshoe Lake’s stunning sights, then pay close attention
to the warning signs posted in the area.
6.
Kipu Falls
Another place you should avoid swimming in is Kipu Falls on Hawaii’s island of Kauai.
It is a beautiful and alluring attraction.
But, it is also dangerous, and you should never jump in.
An article on the Huffington Post from 2011 noted that five visitors had met their demise
at Kipu falls within the previous five years, two of which had taken place between December
2010 and July 2011.
It was a popular activity to jump from the top of the cascade into the stunning aquamarine
water twenty feet down.
However, it has since become an off-limits place for tourists.
It is speculated that a strong whirlpool within the waterhole is to blame.
In June 2011, a thirty-five-year-old man named Santhosh (san-toe-sh) Heddese lost his life
after jumping from Kipu Falls.
He was discovered at the bottom of the pool about an hour later.
Sue Kanoho of the Kauai Visitors Bureau tried to get the message out to visitors by communicating
with hotel concierges and tour companies that Kipu Falls isn’t safe after the incident.
She stated, “I’ve really asked the community and the visitor industry, please, let’s
not send people there.”
Some Hawaiians believe that it could be an angry spirit lizard living inside the pond
that grabs people and drags them into a watery grave.
However, the official cause of these drownings is unknown.
Many people think that it is simply because tourists aren’t used to swimming in a place
with a current.
But, even some native Hawaiians have passed away here, including twenty-six-year-old Kulana
(cool-ahna) Kauhi-Apao (cow-hee-oppo); he passed in December 2010, and his mother said,
“I kept thinking, something just held him down there.
What possibly could have sucked him back down to the bottom of the pond?”
Numerous other people have been hurt here as well.
Some of the wounds include rope burns, sprained ankles, perforated eardrums, and chest injuries.
There was also a young girl that jumped from the waterfall and became paralyzed.
5.
Hanakapiai Beach
Hanakapiai (hahna-copy-eye) Beach is another place in Hawaii where you should avoid taking
a dip.
It is in the Napali Coast and is accessible by the Kalalau (kuh-luh-lau) Trail, about
two miles from the beginning of the path.
Many people are drawn to the beach because it is quite a sight.
But, it is a dangerous place to swim.
As of 2014, there had already been eighty-two fatalities due to drowning in the water in
this area.
There is even a sign with eighty-two tally marks warning tourists not to go near the
water.
Apparently, there are at least fifteen people who were never found.
You’re probably wondering why this water is so treacherous at this point.
The culprit behind these drownings is a strong current.
If you try to go for a swim and get caught up in a rip current, then you might never
come back out.
A rip current is a very powerful, narrow, and restricted flow of water that moves away
from shore.
People often try to swim against the tide, which can lead to exhaustion and cause them
to drown.
So, it’s probably best to stick to the hiking trail and avoid this stretch of ocean.
4.
Lava Lakes
You can probably tell just by the name of this place that it’s probably best not to
leap in.
But, you might not understand just how lethal lava lakes can be.
A particularly dangerous one is located on Mount Nyiragongo (near-uh-gongo), a stratovolcano
that reaches over eleven thousand feet in height.
Since 1882, this volcano has erupted around thirty-four times.
From 1894 to 1977, there was a lake of lava inside the crater.
In January 1977, the walls holding it in became fractured, and the magma drained out in under
an hour.
It flowed up to forty miles per hour and caused over seventy fatalities.
However, the lava lake was formed again in 1994, and another eruption took place eight
years later.
Four hundred thousand people were evacuated, but it isn’t only the lava itself that poses
a threat.
Around two hundred forty-five people passed away from the carbon dioxide it emitted.
So, not only should you not swim in the lava lake, but you also want to stay as far away
as possible!
3.
Laguna Caliente
This crater lake is located in central Costa Rica near the Poas (po-az) Volcano summit.
Considering Laguna Caliente’s name, you might think that it’s dangerous because
it is so hot.
The temperature is definitely a concern, as it gets up to two hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
However, what’s more treacherous about this body of water is its acidity.
It is one of the most acidic lakes on Earth with a content higher than that of a car battery.
So, there’s no way you’d want to swim in the water.
But, that’s not the only thing you should worry about if you walk near Laguna Caliente.
The bottom of the lake has a coat of liquid sulfur, which often results in acid fog and
rain that can reach people who aren’t right next to it.
Plus, when the lava from Poas Volcano comes into contact with the water, the immediate
temperature increase creates an explosion of steam similar to a geyser.
Laguna Caliente isn’t easy to get to either since the volcano is very active.
So, it’s best just to stay far, far away from this natural wonder.
2.
New Smyrna Beach
Another area you should avoid swimming is New Smyrna Beach in Florida.
Although the warm climate and tropical sights draw tourists in, there is danger lying underneath
the water’s surface.
There’s a reason this beach earned the title “Shark Attack Capital of the World.”
Since 1882, there have been over two hundred forty shark attacks in this area.
In 2008, there were a whopping twenty-four shark bites recorded.
Apparently, you can’t even enter the water without being within ten feet of one of these
toothy creatures.
One incident occurred in September 2003.
A twenty-one-year-old surfer named Jimmy Arnold was riding some waves when a shark bit down
on his foot, and he had to get fifty stitches to close the wounds.
So, keep that in mind if you decide to risk it all at New Smyrna Beach.
1.
Berkeley Pit
Berkeley Pit is in Butte, Montana.
It’s about a mile long, a mile and a half wide, and reaches depths up to one thousand
seven hundred eighty feet.
The reason you don’t want to swim here, you ask?
This pit is a former copper mine.
The Anaconda Copper Mining Company opened it in 1955, and it closed in 1982 on Earth
Day.
Afterward, the water pumps were shut off, and groundwater began slowly filling the pit.
Due to minerals decaying in the water, it is very acidic.
Its acidity level can be compared to that of lemon juice.
There are no animals that live in or near Berkeley Pit.
Records say that in 1995, a flock of snow geese, three hundred forty-two strong, tried
roost there for the night.
However, the next day all of the geese had passed away, and their innards were scorched
by the lake’s toxic water.
What are some other places you should never take a dip?
Let us know in the comments below!