Water is usually good for you, but in this case, you better watch out!!
From flesh-eating bacteria to radioactive streams, here are 8 places where you definitely
shouldn't swim!
8.
Berkeley Pit
If you’re in Butte, Montana and have 2 dollars to spend, then you might want to consider
visiting Berkeley Pit.
It is one of the only places in the world where you can pay to see toxic waste.
It’s pretty easy, just pay the $2 admission fee and enter the viewing platform.
The Berkeley Pit is a former open pit copper mine that is filled with highly acidic water.
There are metals and toxic chemicals that seep out of the rocks, including copper, iron,
arsenic, cadmium, zinc and sulfuric acid!
Of course, you don’t need me to tell you what would happen if you went for a swim there.
The pit was closed in 1982, the groundwater slowly filled the pit and now, it is a serious
environmental problem.
In 1995 a flock of geese landed in the water and over 342 dead geese were recovered.
But the place is not really lifeless.
New fungal and bacterial species have been found to have adapted to the extremely harsh
conditions inside the pit.
An even more interesting discovery was that these species developed a better production
of highly toxic compounds to improve their chances for survival.
Some of these might be useful against cancer!
However, there are other things about the Berkeley Pit the State of Montana should be
concerned about.
The water level in the pit is constantly rising.
This is a very big problem because if the water level reaches the critical point it
will contaminate the nearby ground water of the entire Butte valley which is home to more
than 30,000 people!
A water treatment plant was built in 2003 to help avoid this catastrophe and hopefully
this year, 2018, the facility will be able to treat and divert the deadly water.
7.
The Drake Passage
Back in the day, if you wanted to travel from the west coast of America to the east coast,
you had to travel south and pass through what is known as the Drake Passage.
This is where the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern seas converge, and it is the fastest way to
get to Antarctica.
The Drake Passage is almost 1000 km wide and the current creates some extremely choppy
water.
Combine that with unpredictable weather and you can either have the smoothest water ever
or an extremely violent journey.
Aside from the harsh weather, the Drake Passage is also known for its cold and deep waters.
The waters are actually among the coldest on earth!
And its average depth is of about 11,000 feet!
Extremely large cargo ships that cannot go through the Panama Canal, are forced to go
the long way around the Americas and go through the Drake Passage.
Before the Panama Canal, the safest, most trafficked route to reach LA or San Francisco
from New York was to go down to Cape Horne and around the west coast.
It would take about 90 days.
There are many cruises that you can take to Antarctica and despite the rough crossing,
many people say its worth it for the spectacular landscape and wildlife that you can see including
dolphins, whales, and many kinds of birds.
It is apparently quite the adventure!
Just make sure to take your motion sickness pill!!
And whatever you do, don’t fall into the water!!
6.
Saco River
Saco River is a popular recreational river and many people come here to visit every year
hoping to cool off and have some fun.
Located between New Hampshire and Maine, it is 220 km long.
It passes through several counties and towns before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at
Saco Bay.
You can camp near the river, rent a canoe, go tubing, or simply enjoy its beauty along
the shore.
It really sounds like a very nice place to spend your free time.
If you ask the right person, that is.
There is a reason Saco River is on the list, after all!
There is a local legend that the river is cursed.
The story goes that in 1675, three drunken English sailors encountered a woman from the
Sokokis tribe with her child.
They made a bet about a European myth that stated that an Indian baby can swim upon birth
as animals do.
They attacked the woman, took her child and threw it in the lake where it drowned.
The woman’s husband, Squandro, the chief of the Sokokis tribe, cursed the river “to
claim three lives every year until all white men fled its banks!”
While there are no complete statistics on deaths occurring at Saco River, locals say
that the legends is indeed true and three or more white lives are lost there every year.
Spooky!
5.
Amazon Basin
There is a lot to be said about the Amazon Basin.
With so much water plunging down from the Andes into the lush canyons of the Amazon,
you will certainly find some of the best whitewater rivers in the world, perfect for going white-water
rafting.
Or if that’s not your cup of tea, maybe you would rather take a canoe ride, or take
a rainforest canopy tour.
One thing you shouldn’t do, is go swimming in the Amazon basin.
Most of it is filled with rough waters and dangerous creatures ranging from toxic bacteria
to black caimans.
There are also plenty of piranhas which will bite if they see shiny jewelry or if you have
any sort of cut.
Scavenger and parasitic catfish are even more dangerous.
The blue whale catfish is one of the scariest fish that can bite you because they have razor
sharp teeth that can tear out a chunk of your flesh in a moment.
Parasitic fish like the penis fish can come after, and they can only move in one direction
because of its needle-like spines.
If one ends up in a human, the only solution is surgery.
Usually they get inside humans when they are urinating in the water so yeah, don’t do
this!
You can also get zapped by electric eels that hang out by the river bank which can cause
excruciating pain and swelling.
Flesh eating bacteria can be found in the sediment of warm standing water almost anywhere
in the world.
The bacteria can get into your body through your nose and spread.
If not treated quickly, the bacteria will start to consume your tissue and you can lose
limbs.
Did I already mention the large whirlpools that will pop out of nowhere and swallow entire
boats?
A tour group let 12 people into the water with life preservers, and 11 came back.
Swim in the Amazon, but just remember you might not make it.
4.
Cape Tribulation, Australia
This place earned its name in 1770 when British Lieutenant James Cook’s ship sunk.
He named it Cape Tribulation because “here begun all our troubles”!
Not a good sign!
Nowadays here you can find a small number of bed and breakfast lodges, tourism resorts
and backpacker hostels, some very rare plants, beautiful beach landscapes and a list of dangerous
creatures that would be more than happy to take a bite out of a swimmer!
Of course!
It’s Australia!
If you still think the beautiful beaches are as safe as they look, let’s review some
of the dangers one might encounter at Cape Tribulation!
The most common thing that a swimmer might encounter is jellyfish.
Between November and May, this place is full of them so pack your wetsuit.
Even then, if you think you’ll be okay… you’re wrong.
Stinger suits are just a tasty bonus for crocodiles!
Just kidding!
They’ll take a bite out of you with or without it.
Even away from the water you can have quite an unpleasant time if you’re not careful!
There are lots of places to go hiking but beware of the stinging trees that are all
over the place.
This tree has heart-shaped leaves with very fine hairs on the leaves.
Red berries hang from the trunk, but be careful!
If you are tempted to grab one and you somehow touch the leaves you will receive a very painful
sting, which will most likely last for a long time!
3.
Laguna Caliente
The Poás volcano in Costa Rica is active almost continuously and the main crater is
home to one of the most acidic lakes in the world, Laguna Caliente.
In April 2017, visitors had to be evacuated because of the increase in gases coming out
of the volcano.
Tourists at the national park were complaining about eye and throat irritation as they were
leaving.
This volcano has erupted 40 times since 1828! Laguna Caliente which means “hot lagoon”,
is located at a height of over 2000 meters, in a crater 1.7 km wide and 300 meters deep.
Due to the high acidity, no aquatic life has been found in it.
A fun fact about Laguna Caliente is that it changes colors every once in a while.
You might see it as blue or emerald green, but then someone visiting a few hours later
might see it as gray or white!
Another interesting thing about this lake is that it often experiences eruptions caused
by the magma reaching the water.
When this happens, because of the extreme heat, the water and acid turn into explosive
steam.
These giant geysers can reach up to hundreds of meters high!
Many guidebooks might claim that Laguna Caliente is a geyser but technically it's not.
The lush tropical forest around the volcano suddenly disappears because of the acid fog
and rain caused by Laguna Caliente and other fumaroles.
2.
Jacob’s Well
Jacob’s Well is a popular natural swimming spot in Texas.
It looks very cool and refreshing at first glance!
Especially since Texas can get hot as hell!
It’s extremely tempting to get your diving equipment and just jump right in, but it is
also a never-ending black hole that has lured divers to their deaths.
People consider it one of the most dangerous diving spots in the world!
Those with more adventurous spirits love to leap from a nearby outcropping into the well
to get away from the heat.
You might think you are ready to go in, but most likely you probably aren’t.
This blue hole has a diameter of about 4 meters (13 ft) and it descends vertically for about
9 (30 ft).
At that point, there are a series of small openings that can lead you into underwater
caves that can go down 30 meters (100 feet) or more.
In 2007, trained cave divers started exploring the well.
To date they have documented 1828 meters (6,000 feet) of passages.
What makes Jacob’s well so dangerous is that inexperienced divers love to explore
the narrow cave system which can end in some close calls.
Not everyone who makes it to the caves located at the bottom of the well will make it back
to the surface.
There are 8 recorded fatalities between 1964 and 1984 but researchers guess there have
been many more before that.
Just don’t dive and you should be ok!
1.
Lake Karachay
Between 1945 and 1948 the Soviet Union decided to build their own plutonium factory in the
Ural mountains.
Mayak was the largest nuclear facility in Russia and it was kept secret until 1990!
But being the largest doesn’t mean being the best, clearly.
Actually, the secret nuclear complex was concerned with everything but safety.
There were many leaks, meltdowns, and tons of waste was dumped into the river.
Lake Karachay is considered the most polluted place on the planet.
In 1990, standing on the shore for an hour could kill you.
Now it's supposedly better but I don’t think you should risk it.
The nearby villages who used water from the river fell ill with radiation sickness but
doctors weren’t allowed to talk about it because the entire operation was a secret.
Lake Karachay is now full of concrete to keep the radioactive soil away from the shore,
but the riverbanks will be toxic for hundreds of years.
Now, you might not die but still...is it really worth it?