The pools will be closing soon. Labor Day is approaching. Lots of people have been in all sorts of water this summer, all over the world. From pools to lakes to streams. They’ve seen it all. Unfortunately, many people die each year from drowning.
They estimate that 4,000 to 4,500 people die from unintentional drowning every year in the United States. You’d think they’d know the actual number. Anyway, that averages to about 11 to 12 deaths per day. Geez Louise.
Additionally, about twice that many people survive non-fatal drowning incidents that require emergency medical care. And I’m not saying that women are stronger, smarter, or better, but nearly 80% of people who die from drowning in the USA are male.
Now here’s a thing, speaking of strong women. Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel on August 6, 1926. She was just 19 years old. Gertrude was an American. Anyway, she entered the water at Cape Gris-Nez, France, and battled cold water, strong currents, and rough seas. And then, she reached the English coast near Kingsdown.
She completed the crossing in 14 hours and 31 minutes, becoming not only the first woman to accomplish the feat but also breaking the existing men’s record by nearly two hours. Ederle’s achievement challenged widely held assumptions about women’s physical endurance.
There are a lot of cold water places to swim. Like the Bering Strait (spelled Strait, not Straight). We all know that narrow body of water that separates Alaska (United States) from Russia.
The distance between the English Channel and the Bering Strait is roughly 4,500–5,000 miles (7,200–8,000 km) as the crow flies.
I wonder how many people have drowned on their way to Russia? We’re very close, you see. Russia and the USA are only 3.8 kilometers apart at the nearest point. That’s just over 2.3 miles, but it is one of the most tightly controlled borders in the world.
Regardless. I doubt many people have tried to swim it. The water temperatures are often 28–40°F. There are very strong currents and rapidly changing weather. Not only that, but sea ice that can break apart unexpectedly. And that leads to this: Hypothermia can incapacitate a swimmer within minutes.
Da.
I think I’ll stick to my pool.
A lot less drama there.
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“Water is the driving force of all nature.” — Leonardo da Vinci
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“Courage is knowing what not to fear.” — Plato
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“It’s better to be on shore wishing you were at sea than at sea wishing you were on shore.” — Traditional mariner’s proverb
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“Not every body of water is asking to be crossed.” — Paul Lawrence
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“Sometimes the smartest journey is the one you never start.” — Thomas Dean
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