Originally Posted by
dendawg
The DTBH used to do trips across the river and back on weekend mornings if the current was right. Don't know if they still do or not. Swimming in the Hudson won't kill you. Ask the people who participate in the NYC Triathlon, or other swim races.
Interesting! I know that the group called Riverkeeper monitors the river for fecal bacteria, and usually concludes that most of it is safe for swimming, except after rains. The percentage of Hudson River locations that fail the Riverkeeper tests in dry weather is no different than ocean beach locations.
There are some organised and even competitive swim events in the Hudson; but I am curious about ordinary recreational swimming. I don't have the desire or the skill to participate in organised events; but I can swim and I like to splash around. I just wonder if it is possible to jump into the Hudson and have a dunk or two just as I would in the Atlantic Ocean down at Coney Island or Rockaway.
This Sports Illustrated article claims that "contrary to popular belief, recreational swimming in the Hudson is not illegal"; yet I always see "No Swimming" signs posted at the waterfront. Doesn't this mean that the City has rules against it? I think about this mainly when I am on the Hudson River Greenway up in Harlem, where the bike path runs right next to the river lapping up on the rocks.
When I am near the water's edge, it typically looks and smells alright; but of course there is the matter of microbes that you cannot see. However, as I mentioned above, the tests run by Riverkeeper usually come back good.
Last week I was riding up and down the Hudson coast on the New Jersey side, and I passed a little corner in Hoboken where a couple were sitting with their two boxer dogs. One of the dogs just waded into the river and started paddling around. I thought: if he can do it, why can't I?
Originally Posted by
zacster
I would say it is one thing to tip over in a kayak and get dunked, and another to allow swimming.
Is it? I don't want to be obtuse; but I don't see the difference. Once you're in the water, whether you've gone in of your own accord or as a result of having fallen out of a tipped kayak is quite beside the point. Either the water is safe to swim in or it is not.
Originally Posted by
zacster
You don't want to tip over, and the kayaking at the piers is meant for you to stay upright. I've seen kayaking in Newtown Creek, can you imagine diving into that muck? I wouldn't kayak in it either as it is so loaded with toxic waste.
There have been articles too of people moving into spaces that are directly on top of the toxic waste sites in industrial Brooklyn. There was a reason nobody lived there and these neighborhoods were deserted.
The thought of kayaking on Newtown Creek horrifies me -- precisely because I wouldn't dream of swimming in that water. For me the water is good for kayaking only if it is safe for swimming. I struggle to imagine another standard.