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AIBU?

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Original poster

Swimming in the Thames

127 replies

Ginfizz2 · 08/08/2020 23:04

Today I took my child to the ‘beach’ on the Thames. There’s a lovely sandy beach type area on the south bank which for a moment you can think your actually at the seaside. The water is obviously the Thames and therefore questionable around how clean but then I guess the sea probably isn’t all that clean. Anyway my child just sat digging huge holes to burry things and had a nice time. but there was a child around 9 years old with her mum. This child kept swimming off in the Thames maybe 2-3 metres away from the shoreline. The mum was sat with her friend drinking their bottle of Prosecco (there are now loads of places you can buy drinks from along the south bank to take away). The mum and her friend would occasionally call the child back trying to get her to come back to the shore. Not really sure why I’m posting this really, I think I was just so taken aback by the complacency of the mother. Intrigued to hear others thoughts.

OP posts:
PhoneLock · 09/08/2020 00:37

We used to swim in it unsupervised through the summer holidays in Oxon/Berks when I was younger. I'm not sure I would be too keen on downstream towards London though. Then or now.

corythatwas · 09/08/2020 00:39

shipping, it was actually the reference to the south bank that confused me as I would expect that to be spelled with a capital S if referring to London.

IdblowJonSnow · 09/08/2020 00:42

Surely any decent sized river has dangerous currents? I cant imagine letting any child do that and if I'd been there I would have said something. - Not suggesting you should have done OP.
Sadly, drowning is way more common than most people think.
Couldn't get excited about a glass or two of prosecco though.

Ishihtzuknot · 09/08/2020 00:51

Terrible thing to do have you seen that water! I walk along the Thames quite often and it’s not somewhere I’d want to go in never mind my children. Wells disease is a high risk too. She was unreasonable to let her child swim out in unpredictable waters.

YgritteSnow · 09/08/2020 01:06

I've just read that drowning is one of biggest causes of accidental deaths in under 15s. Prosecco swilling Mum is a neglectful idiot.

LonginesPrime · 09/08/2020 01:25

Oxford May Morning tradition of students jumping from Magdalen Bridge is not quite the same thing as the playing in the tidal and busy Thames in central London. The Isis is much much cleaner and relatively fine for punting etc compared to the Thames water quality in London!

Yes I know - I'm not sure why you're quoting me, though!

PP: Oxford is downstream from London.
Me: Oxford is upstream from London, which explains why the river is cleaner in Oxford.
You: Oxford's river is far cleaner than London's.

sunnyeyes · 09/08/2020 01:27

@NothingIsWrong

I swim in the Thames regularly, but in Oxfordshire so prob not the same issues...
Where do you swim on the Oxfordshire Thames? Thanks
TinkersTailor · 09/08/2020 02:55

The Thames is basically a massive toilet, with a few riptides in for good measure.

God knows what she could pick up from it, it doesn't take much to accidentally get a bit of water in the mouth.
Nor does it take much for her to get caught in a current and dragged under.

That's before starting on mum drinking on the beach..
Incredibly dangerous all round.

blurpityblurp · 09/08/2020 03:06

There are parts of the Thames where it’s safe to swim, but that “beach” (it’s not a real beach so not tested) is in the middle of central London and very dangerous.

Tavannach · 09/08/2020 03:43

I also kayaked from Westminster Boating Base between Chelsea and Vauxhall bridges.

Me too, and I seem to remember that the first lesson was to keep your mouth closed when capsizing the kayak because of the high risk of Weil's disease. Add in the strong currents - no way would I swim it.

Helloitsmemargaret · 09/08/2020 04:19

Weil's disease is rare in the UK. Sewage dumping in rivers is only after high rainfall. Hasn't been much of that recently.

Drowning is not low risk though. And on that basis alone it was reckless. Reckless to let a kid swim in central London Southbank, reckless to be drinking whilst your kid swam in the otherwise perfectly swimmable upstream southbank

allthewaterinthetap · 09/08/2020 05:59

I too nearly drowned in the Thames as a child. Even if it looks calm, and shallow, it gets deep very suddenly and the pull is also sudden and strong.

HopelessSemantics · 09/08/2020 06:12

That is pretty shocking. A 9 year old in the Thames? We used to swim in the shitty little river near my house but that was about a metre across, if that.

Especially if she was drinking, so probably not 100% able to rescue the child if something went wrong.

Plus, the Thames is stinking.

FrogspawnSmoothie · 09/08/2020 06:24

Ew, the Thames is gross. 🤮

That said, no current can actually pull you under - it's an urban myth. An undercurrent usually pulls you away from shore and people drown by trying to fight them rather than swimming laterally out of the current (which doesn't always work but is the main recommendation).

Amber0685 · 09/08/2020 06:31

I have seen someone drown swimming in the Thames. The currents are really dangerous not to mention Weils disease.

MashedSpud · 09/08/2020 06:35

There’s sewage, drugs and an endless amount of human remains and animals in there.

Minesril · 09/08/2020 06:36

I used to live in wallingford - the thames is lovely there. Still didn't swim in it, though (there's a really nice little outdoor pool nearby). I could never quite believe that it was the same river that ended up in London!

Helmetbymidnight · 09/08/2020 06:40

we all swim in the thames estuary down my way!

but yes, central london thames- not a great idea.

hahaboink · 09/08/2020 06:52

I do a Thames beach clean up every week along that stretch of the river and to be honest I wouldn’t even let me kids dig in the sand unsupervised. Lots of broken glass, syringes, condoms (so many condoms), I found a knife once, there’s loads of asbestos washed up also. It’s grim. Once I found a false leg though.

tara66 · 09/08/2020 06:54

I thought there was a serious danger of catching a disease - Weil's Disease - from rat wee in the Thames? That happened to rowers in London area (Richmond?) a while back.

PimlicoJo · 09/08/2020 07:03

It's forbidden by the PLA to swim in the tidal Thames in central London. It's very dangerous. The river police regularly patrol the river. You can swim in the tidal Thames upstream of Putney Bridge.

Socialdistancing · 09/08/2020 07:07

No way. I have a reasonably high risk tolerance wrt things like climbing etc but swimming in the Thames would be an absolute no. Nearly lost a cousin to cryptosporidium from swimming in a river a lot cleaner and less currenty than the Thames.

rottiemum88 · 09/08/2020 07:25

I'd suggest making an Environmental Information Request to Thames Water asking how many CSOs they have which discharge directly into the Thames. Regardless of their actual response, I would also never swim in it; in central London or otherwise.

KingOfDogShite · 09/08/2020 07:32

I grew up swimming in the Thames and the Cherwell in in Oxfordshire, roving swimming’s is lovely but there is no way I’d swim in the Thames in London 🤮 madness.

WanderingMilly · 09/08/2020 07:35

The thing that would worry me is the sewerage and pollution, not the currents....although the currents can be bad in the London estuary Thames.
If it was in the Thames closer to its source, no problem, in London, no. Lots of sewerage discharge there plus rat wee (Weil's disease). I used to have rowing friends who would row from time to time there, their reports of sewerage and other rubbish were horrifying. They also collect the discarded waste from the "shoreline" in litter picks and it's absolutely full of wet wipes and used condoms etc. Dreadful.....