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There's always an element of peer pressure, and the weakest swimmer is often the one that doesn't come back up.
Talking to the lifeguards at the ponds on the Heath, that's the typical swimmer they pull out.
jellybaby-
Indeed. People are unaware of the dangers of cold water shock and just because it might be a hot June day where the temperature hits 25C, the Hampstead ponds can still be under 15c. Acclimatisation is a wonderful thing and shows how the body adapts to constant exposure to stresses. But being pissed up and stoned on a summers day isn't going to help.
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Oh BTW I wanted to ask, is this your doing?
http://www.jellybaby.net/ponds.htmlIf so I love you and do you compile the data yourself or is there an API (I doubt that somehow) :D
mikec
The key words are '30ft-deep basin' - there's shedloads of crap down there, but you'd need to be scuba diving to reach any machinery - you won't break your neck on a crane jumping off the side. The problem is (usually, don't want to finger this unfortunate individual) kids coming down in the summer, drinking/toking all day and then jumping in to cool off. There's always an element of peer pressure, and the weakest swimmer is often the one that doesn't come back up. When I was there this summer, some pissed-up prick climbed the road bridge and jumped 30 ft into the water by the canoeing club. That kind of foolhardiness can easily be fatal.
I try to be at least cognisant of the risks I'm taking diving into cold, murky water with no-one watching out and do try to mitigate them. Still not fooling myself that it's totally safe.