Swimming in the Thames

[Ginfizz2]

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.

9yo 2-3m from shore on a beach wouldn't worry me.

But I live on the coast. Therefore I only choose places where I know that distance is within his depth, what currents are, what tides are doing etc.

My local beach 9yo will be up to 15/20m out at certain tides - and it's still only chest deep!

So I guess it depends really on what risk is this area of Thames.

Fifty years ago the Thames in central London was hugely polluted. There have been huge environmental campaigns over the years and for a city centre river it is now very clean. There are many species of fish and I regularly see seals near Tower Bridge. It is the tides and currents (and river traffic) that make it dangerous to swim.

Another one from WBB! Brilliant place - having to seek donations to afford pandemic mothballing (can't be let out as a venue at the moment) so if anyone else has fond memories, do think about bunging them a tenner

Incredibly dangerous to swim in the tidal Thames, especially in central London where it's really strong. Plus there are oodles of other hazards in the river, such as the other boats (including moored ones which can suck you under, because of the current - scary and probably lethal).

Weils disease mentioned in WBB briefing, but also told its incredibly rare in tidal Thames (salt, rats avoid it) but we all need to know about it because we might go to other waterways or further up the Thames.

And yes to shit after rainfall when it all comes out of the sewers. WBB sometimes has to suspend kayaking and sailing because if water quality (power boating can sometimes continue, because you're much less likely to fall in)

Plus the amount of crap that has ended up on the river bed over the years, and gets moved around by the tide. I'd say you should be wearing something with a sturdy sole before stepping in to the water at all. But unless you have some good riparian reason to go in, then don't just don't

You're not wrong to be concerned, OP.. The currents in the Thames can be really strong not too mention many other hazards, including the cold temperatures under the surface. The RNLI have lifeboats on the Thames for a reason.

@SquirmOfEels, I am slightly surprised that WBB still exists I left London when I left school (late 80s). Will definitely bung them a tenner. Many, many fond memories. When mist of my school friends went to the park to smoke, me and the geeks walked a little further to WBB and got our kicks elsewhere.

If you follow any of the emergency services such as London999Feed on twitter they are constantly advising people not to swim in the river no matter how lovely and hot it is and how inviting the river looks.

The tides are one of the biggest issues, even for an experienced swimmer. I’m a strong swimmer and I would never go in there, even if it was health-hazzzard free.

There is no way the OP can be referring to The South Bank in London. There is nowhere in Central London where you could imagine you were at a beach.

People are so fucking blasé about kids around water.

I’m not risk averse at all, my kids do things that would probably warrant a MN post from other people, but they never never fuck around with water.

We live near a seaside town and the stupidity of some day trippers amazes me. Kids floating away on inflatable fucking unicorns, parents pissed on the beach, total ignorance of swimming flags or tides. It’s the same every summer.

@sunnyeyes usually at Standlake

Old article, but you'll get the idea

www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/128879-southbank-centre-beach-2018

Yikes, I’d be so worried about the currents and that child drowning and then worried the Mum would drown trying to save him/him as she’s had alcohol.

@lljkk

I would have been the Prosecco mum. I have a higher tolerance for risk than you do, OP.

I'm going to assume this is some misguided attempt to appear 'cooler' than the OP. In reality you just look like a piss-poor parent bragging that you'd be happy to get drunk whilst putting your child in dangerous, disease riddled water with unpredictable currents. Bravo!

That article is about a beach built next to the centre using trucked in sand. It's not the shore.

Last night I watched a show called connected on Netflix. The Thames is quite literally full of shit. (And Cocaine apparently)!!

*Old article, but you'll get the idea

www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/128879-southbank-centre-beach-2018*

This is basically in a park. Not the shoreline.

Eurgh, nasty. Would t let my kids paddle in the thanes, nor would I let them dig in the sand as there could be needles, broken glass etc.

@HolyForkinShirt, also discarded rubbish, knives, bodies, dead animals, glass and a whole heap of other (literal) shit

There is a little beach on the South Bank, just in front of the old This Morning studios, near the Oxo Tower. There's a guy who does quite impressive sand sculptures there. There's no way I'd be swimming there though!

That has to be the beach that OP means as she refers to the south bank in the opening post

They've made it every year for a few years now (copying Paris?)

As the Thames is tidal, with noticeable rise and fall, it does have a shore - it's good for mudlarking, but wear shoes with a sturdy sole. But the natural shore is not the Southbank beach.

Wow ok the bit by the Southbank is really not safe for swimming.... Water quality, hidden bits of metal and really strong tidal currents waiting to carry you away into the engines of one of the clipper boats!

Further up near Hampton court, fine - still have to be very mindful of boats.

Ps. There's a real bit of "beach" on the Southbank depending on the tide as well as the sand they truck in for the Thames path. I think the sand at both is likely to be pretty gross!

The currents from the Thames can be very strong.
It's clean and lots of people swim locally here in Surrey, but it's not appealing to me.

Apart from the obvious risks of drowning (Watched RNLI programme re swimmers getting in trouble in the Thames! Weils Disease ,as well .This is highly irresponsible IMO .

@bobbiester that’s exactly the bit OP is referring to.

There's a reason why there's an RNLI lifeboat station just across from the southbank. I believe it's the busiest lifeboat station in the UK. Watch an episode of Saving Lives at Sea that's centred on Tower, and you won't want to swim in the Thames again.