Do You Worry About Creatures in The Water?

I always see people swimming in rivers and lakes that are most likely inhabited by one sort of creature or another. Whether it be a fish, crab, turtle, alligator or Loch Ness Monster, there is a chance it can bite you. Yet people generally seem to be brave enough or just completely oblivious to the presence of other creatures. I am scared to swim in natural bodies of water for that very reason, especially with nothing but a pair of shorts on.

So do you worry about these kinds of things happening? If so, what precautions do you take? Or do you just not consider being attacked by some creature as a possibility? Perhaps you do some research before swimming in a lake or river.

 

@SashaS, the only things my wife and I worry about when swimming, is the cleanliness of the body of water. Indusrial and farming practices can have a huge impact on waterways that are close by. I live in east tn near virginia and north Carolina, we have some beutiful steams, rivers and lakes. Unfortunately the water quality on most of these waterways is questionable.

As far as any critter that lives in or near the water, I worry most about poisonous snakes. We have Copperheads, rattlesnakes, and I have heard water moccasins, but most of the time, unless you are prying around in rocky, brushy, and remote areas these fellas will try to avoid you.

Toothy fish or snapping turtles, we have gars, walleyes, huge cat fish and all kinds of turtles. Good luck trying to catch any one of these, even if you are trying to. These swimming things are very yummy when cleaned, battered, fried, grilled or even baked.

We don't have, or I have never seen any leeches in this area. We used to get these annoying things stuck on us in northern Michigan where I was raised. But as icky as they seem, you don't hear anything about people dieing from blood loss. Vampire Leeches, wow new horror movie. Y'all heard it from me, incase Stephen King steals my idea.

I understand any fear someone may have when they see what swims in some areas, but I have been in alot of rivers, streams and lakes and every mean, toothy, and vicious thing that I stumble on, see, or try to find is trying to avoid me. I very rarely, maybe once in a couple of years or less even, do I hear of anyone getting bit or hurt by one of these critters.

There are way more alcohol related deaths around water, then any creature related incident.

 

In my neck of the woods - especially where I canoe and camp the water is safe. Yes, you do have to retain and keep the safety rules and yes you have to be sensible and govern your own behaviour. If you canoe - like me you have taken the courses and logged experience hours. You know how to camp properly and use your equipment for the designed purpose.

In all the years that I have been camping I've never had any difficulty with anything or anyone - though I've done some mighty dumb things and paid the price.

​

This is where I'm headed in June.
The water is fabulous and I even
have a private beach.

Remember - Safety Never Takes a Holiday!​

 

I too swim in lakes . Rivers and streams. And yes the critters do tend to avoid ya. I would be scared to swim in public pools and such. You can catch stuff like the skin thing that went on a few years ago, and of the non moving contaminated water from other people.

I guess growing up swimming in moving water and in the woods I learned the most dangerous thing around is man.

 

...and women too - but your are right on and I find myself eluding to that fact somewhere in my camp instruction. As I said, "I've never been accosted by anything or anyone in my camp experience." Not even the bears that wondered into my camp site. But, then again, it's a new world isn't it?

 

Our kids seem to like to swim in the lake or river worth then the beach. We enjoy the lake no need for the kids to worry about critters or sharks. May see a few fish but, nothing harmful. At the lake we have less of a chance for any critters harming the humans in their home.

 

When I was a young boy I never worried about what was in, under or on the water. Here in South Africa crocodiles and hippos are the most dangerous animals you would find inside the water. And of course a snake here and there. Anyway...nowadays I'll just wander in and out of lakes or rivers... I'm not so fast like I used to be.

 

I think of bears, beavers, moose and deer...funny...the thought of hippos and crocodiles (as one might expect) would never occur to me. We have a hand full of poisonous snakes in this country - none in my neck of the woods.

 

No, the creatures of the Sea/Ocean or whatever, are more friendly than you can imagine. Most of the people who are afraid of them, seem to be people who had only swam in the clear water inside the pools all their lives, and they are scared to death by water which is unclear for some reason. For me it's no problem to go into dirty water, as I've been used to that since I was like 4 or 5 years old, I would go take a bath in a local lake which has never been suited for the word "clean".

 

...interesting observation and one that I hadn't thought of. We are fortunate in this neck of the woods to have an abundance of fresh water. True - humankind seem to be doing everything they can to rack and ruin the same for whatever insane reason. For us there is no sound reason to swim/canoe/camp in or near "dirty" water.

 

Unfortunately it is so that due to the so-called global industrialization our rivers and dams and lakes and even our seas and oceans are used as dumping spot for chemical waste and other ungodly things that pollute everybody and everything in their wake.

 

...it's a human dilemma. A student asked me what I thought the greatest problem that the world faces. My immediate answer, "Humans".

 

@SashaS I can totally relate with you. I too am anxious about creatures that might be lurking in bodies of water. I guess much of my fear has something to do with my fondness of watching documentaries from National Geographic that really makes me think twice or even thrice before embarking on swimming or immersing myself in any body of water. I usually ask out first from local folks whether it's really safe to swim there before I decide to go.

 

Personally if its a fast flowing river, I usually do not worry about the creatures in there, because at the most it would be fish, but if its like a slow moving one or almost stagnant that's when the problem arises, because a lot of creatures can make such rivers there home and they get all muddy and therefore, it is very difficult to have a good amount of visibility as well. I generally tend to keep away from such rivers.

 

We have some venomous snakes in this area, too; but so far we have not seen any when we were out at the river fishing or swimming.
I remember some lakes in Idaho where you had to watch out for leeches, which are ugly (and scary when you are just a little kid ), but they do not really do any damage to you even when they latch on to your foot or leg.
I grew up near Lake Pend O'reille in northern Idaho, and that was where we always swam. The water was actually pretty clean and clear there, at least back when I was growing up.
There were no venomous snakes in that part of Idaho; so there really was not anything we had to worry about in the water or along side of it, either.
Mosquitoes were about the only deterrant to swimming or fishing and camping out there.

Snapping turtles are not good when you catch one on your fishing bait, and about all you can do is cut the line and let the mean-tempered critter go; but even they do not seem to bite swimmers. I think that they probably just swim out of the way unless you look edible to them, so they are not a problem either.

 

Yes. Where I live there is always snakes in the water. I can't count how many times I have went swimming in the lake, and turned around to see a snake right by me, swimming less than a foot away from my body. Talk about a heart attack. Otherwise, I even freak out when I feel a fish touch my feet.

 

I would want to swim in the lake or the sea, however I'm totally afraid of creatures that I might encounter while in it. I'm always terrified with the thought of creatures in the water especially if I can't see them or accidentally will step on them. That's why I just tend to stick in pools because of this fear

 

Of course I do worry a lot about the presence of big fishes, alligators or even snakes in water when I go swimming. As a result I don't always like going swimming in rivers or lakes but would rather go to the swimming pool. Don't know how true did gathered that sounds from swimmers in the river do send these water creatures far away from where people are during swimming

 

I admit that I am a cautious camper. We have a lot of myths and folklore creatures that deter me from being too adventurous. In lakes or rivers, I only swim when the locals give me the assurance that the water is safe. There are unsolved cases of drowning in rural rivers here that are attributed to extraordinary causes like mermaid or river monster. It's better safe than sorry. But for natural water creatures, I guess they avoid people.