Walden Pond (Mass) diving?

[OTF]

SCUBA is not allowed and they will bounce you. People freedive it often but freediving is technically not allowed either.

It would be really nice if diving were allowed there. We need a "Hathaways North". It would be well worth the effort to get some divers organized and campaigning for access.

Rather than banning swimming, maybe they could reduce drownings by ensuring that everyone in the pond is equipped with a scuba unit. I think this is the "self reliance" that the transcendentalists would have wanted.

 

[TuckerIdaho]

They’ve backed down on their knee jerk reaction and are going to do things instead that might actually be useful, go figure.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/07/07/state-lifts-swimming-ban-walden-pond/

I don't know what the hell you do in the situation they were in, unprecedented number of drownings, can't source lifeguards, and even if you wanted to hire and train new ones, tough luck, its way too late in the season.

 

[Damselfish]

Did you read the article? It makes a lot of interesting points about access.

So they are going to offer free swimming lessons at a bunch of places, that seems like a productive idea. (This whole thing is not just about Walden.) And they announced some rules for the long distance swimmers at Walden, which sounded to me mostly like the rules they already had.

The thing about the long distance swimmers at Walden, they were not casual swimmers (or non-swimmers) messing around. These were serious swimmers sometimes training for triathlons and stuff, and I don’t believe any have drowned. There was a fight years ago for them to get permission to do exactly what they’re doing. It’s probably one of the safest places in the state to do this. Walden got caught in the crossfire of the whole park system.

Have you ever been there? Honestly, Walden is a pretty benign environment compared to some other options. And they are banning people from crystal clear coves where the water is shallow. They haven’t had many problems. Not zero, but you can’t protect people from everything. (Never mind the historical irony of doing this at Walden...)

I don’t know that they are actually having problems hiring lifeguards. I think they’re just hiring the same as usual without accounting for the fact that more people want to be outside and do things like go swimming.

 

[TuckerIdaho]

Swim at Your Own Risk? Lifeguard Shortage Hits Beaches, Pools in Mass.

Massachusetts needs lifeguards for state-run pools, beaches

Lifeguard Shortage Means Swim At Your Own Risk At Many Massachusetts Beaches And Ponds

Probably all fake news.

 

[Damselfish]

Ok, I missed most of that. But still not relevant to long distance swimmers at Walden.

 

[TuckerIdaho]

You mean all three of them, because the hardcore tri kids all swim in the ocean. Watch the swim portion of a tri and you'll understand.

Mountain out of a molehill.

 

[Damselfish]

I see more than 3 people swimming when I’m out there. But whatever. The whole thing is way too nanny state for me, and I’m pretty far left. In any event, sounds like no one will be diving there.