To let DS12 jump in and swim in the river

[Pleasedontputthatthere]

I have a 12 y/o son, he is a good swimmer, he is heavily into kayaking so knows some techniques from there etc. We live near a canal/river where kids jump in and there has unfortunately been tragedies from cold water shock.

DS asked if he wore his wetsuit and flotation device (life jacket) would I take him to where the river meets the canal to let him jump in. There is no current here as the ricer splits off to meet the canal and I am there with a line set-up should anything happen. He jump from a flat surface into water which he has already swum in, to prevent the risk of cold water shock.

I think that's all the info you need, trying not to drip feed.

Would you let your child do this with you sitting there the whole time?

Swimming in open water - no problem at all. Jumping into lakes from jetties etc. no problem if you’ve scouted the depth and made sure there is no debris first. Jumping in front of or near canal gates is a hard no even if it is in the river. Canal gates will have a sluice at the bottom and have the potential to create unpredictable currents and potentially suck him under.

Is the water clear? Can you see if anyone has tipped a supermarket trolley in there since anyone last did it?

All I can say is I am v glad mine never wanted to jump into filthy water that could be dangerous ( yes, we do sea swimming and clear lake swimming)

Genuinely - why did you ask if you're just going to disagree with everyone?

I think you need local knowledge to say.

Though personally given the number of rats along canal here and thus risk of Weil's disease I'd avoid - plus there can be hidden dangers due to rubbish and currents.

The deeper water may be a lot colder. I wouldn’t risk it

You don’t mind him ingesting horrible water, in a spot where there have been fatalities? This is your most precious person presumably

Have you been in and checked what is under the water, how the bottom feels, is it sloppy and sucky or is it gravelly or rocky? Are there bits of metal etc under there? You say there is no current but that cannot be the case - rivers flow and whilst canals are often still, they will have variable flow depending on the strength of the river, whether someones locking up or down and adding/removing water from that stretch..

Can you get in and save him - just chucking a line is no use, a drowning person typically will struggle to grab something, particularly by the time you notice they are in fact drowning. Drowning is silent most of the time, people have drowned whilst swimming within a couple of feet of someone else, without their friend/companion noticing.

I am a big fan of outdoor swimming, but you do have to be sensible and this doesn't sound particularly sensible to me. If he wants to dive, take him to a pool and get him diving lessons. If he wants to scuba/snorkel, then take him somewhere that teaches that.

Which river/canal is this?

Its also worth knowing you can get various nasties from the water, particularly 'duck itch' https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/swimstaman-vs-duck-fleas/ , skin, ear and eye infections, gastrointestinal upsets... Weils disease...

Do be careful, there is a LOT more to it than just jumping in some water for a splash around.

And no, nowhere near sluice gates or lock gates.

And nowhere the water is not clear/ you can see the bottom.

I wouldn’t.

You seem determined that he will do it.

Take him to a pool with a diving board.

Nope my friends jumped in the river near us as teens and they all were in bed for a week pooping water out their buns. So so ill. Lost tons of weight. Water in this country is dirty

DH goes wild swimming a lot and takes our DDs 10 & 14 with him quite often.
If you’re sensible and go places that are safe, and a good swimmer it’s fine

My DS and I have been doing this for a while. We got an inflatable kayak, a very robust one that the dog can get on and use it on rivers, coastal rivers and open sea. DS always jumps in. We've been to a few places and got to know the depths, studied tide tables, what it looks like at low and high tide etc. I'd be absolutely fine with DS doing this while I was there and now he's older, he's doing it with mates. He knows the basic dangers. I worry, of course, but they need their freedom.

I am an open water swimmer who swims all year round.

I usually swim before work, so about 6ish, and it's lovely at the moment as the sea is still relatively warm.

This weekend I went to the beach at lunchtime, lay out in the sun for a bit and then got in - it felt effing freezing. The thermal difference was huge. It felt relatively colder than when I've got in in January.

Please don't underestimate thermal shock. It easily kills.

I don't know the river/canal you're talking about. But some tips which might help

get your ds to get in slowly, get used to the water, and then - once he's confident - he can get out and jump in again.

Don't let him.swim out of his depth, if he can get his feet touching the bottom he should be ok

Have warm clothes and a warm drink for when he gets out. Hot chocolate is good.

Make sure he wears swim shoes. I now won't swim anywhere without swim shoes - the risk of fish hooks/rusting metal/sharp stones or sticks cutting my feet is too high. It's also much easier to get out of a river if you've got decent swim shoes on.

I wouldn't because one of my schoolfriends was very ill with Weil's disease after jumping into the river. Another friend went in at the same time and was fine, and they'd both swum there before. Not something I would risk.

I've swum in lakes and the sea before, I would definitely hesitate before most UK rivers and definitely not a canal.

No. You know the risk of cold water shock exists. People have already died there.

You don't know what debris exists underwater or has the water been tested.

He jumps away from the lock gates

Hell no.

I live in an area where there are deep creeks through marshes, jumping from the wooden bridges at high tide has been a long tradition. Til one lad jumped and his feet got stuck in the deep sticky mud, or maybe jammed between big stones almost buried in the sticky mud, and he couldn’t get out.

Luckily a local lady swimming saw the bubbles and commotion and yelled for everyone to pull him out. But he was in hospital for a while due to water in his lungs,

It’s the unknown of the depth of the water that’s the bigger issue

He’s only used to the surface temperature though.

the danger is below the sun warmed layer is very cold. When you jump in you go deeper, hit that very cold water, and don’t come back
up.

cold water shock is not about how good a swimmer you are. It’s about the sudden cold shutting down all the blood flow to your skin to preserve heat, which drives your blood pressure up and your heart can’t compensate with the sudden increase.

still water with no current or flow is worse as the water isn’t mixed up and more consistent.

i’d say river swimming, fine. Jumping from a height, no.

I’m a cross Channel swimmer so pretty experienced with open/cold water swimming. I wouldn’t do it and not a hells chance I’d allow DC to. I’d be far too concerned about debris under the water, which can obviously change on a day to day basis.

Our local school just had a talk about swimming in rivers and other open water. There are so many hidden hazards including reeds that they can catch their feet.

Nope. I swim outdoors and there's lots of submerged stuff that you have no idea is there, and it moves around if the water flows. I've hit or caught myself on submerged stuff and it was painful and terrifying. I can't imagine what that would be like if you jumped on it - impaling I suppose.

Does your DH take them to jump into sewage filled canals?

Does he go to Scouts? It real sounds like he needs to join an organisation where he can do activities like this.

I swim outside loads and encourage my dc to as well, but the jumping in, and the canal would worry me.
I've heard so many awful things. You can get caught on something, trapped under something, if it's a weir it is basically designed to drown you.

so you don’t mind your son ingesting raw sewage and rat’s piss and catching potentially deadly diseases? Does anybody monitor the water quality and give daily updates? You do realise that the quality of the water changes from day to day. Do you know that inland waters such as rivers are where nearly all child drownings occur? You seem determined to allow your son to do this without any convincing reason for why it’s so important. Why are you so keen for him to do it and why are you arguing against everyone? You asked for opinions and my opinion would be a hard no.

Yes I’d allow it.