Lewis Pugh, a British endurance swimmer, sees the river as the prime example of how a toxic waterway can be revived. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Swimming”
N.Y.C Closes Rockaway Beach Over Shark Sightings
By Gotham Rex on July 19, 2022
As temperatures in the city climbed into the 90s this week, all of Rockaway’s beaches were closed for swimming because of shark sightings. Source: New York Times
Swimmer at Long Island Beach May Have Been Bitten by Shark, Police Say
By Gotham Rex on July 1, 2022
A laceration on a 57-year-old man’s right foot could have been the result of a shark bite — a rare occurrence in New York’s waters. Source: New York Times
N.Y.C. Pools Open Amid a Swim Lesson Shortage, Raising Safety Fears
By Gotham Rex on June 29, 2022
The city has canceled free swim lessons and private swim programs are feeling the squeeze from a lack of lifeguards. One expert said: “Some of those kids are going to drown.” Source: New York Times
2 Teens Drown in New York Waterway Known for Strong Currents, Police Say
By Gotham Rex on June 10, 2022
The boys, both 13, were on a sandbar in Jamaica Bay before entering the water in an area known for dangerous currents and sudden drop-offs. Source: New York Times
Frigid Waters: A Fleeting Balm for a Mother’s Unspeakable Grief
By Gotham Rex on April 24, 2021
To shake up the tedium of quarantine, I started doing polar plunges with Stephanie Reece, who was driven by something else entirely. Source: New York Times
Reggie Jones, Jones Beach’s Longest-Serving Lifeguard, Dies at 93
By Gotham Rex on February 14, 2021
He began keeping an eye on beachgoers in 1944 and kept doing it for 64 summers. He made more than 1,000 ocean rescues in his career. Source: New York Times
A Summer of No-Contact Rescues: How Lifeguards Have Changed Their Ways
By Gotham Rex on August 15, 2020
Guards have tested positive. After-work parties are frowned upon. The pandemic has upended lifeguarding. Source: New York Times
‘I Missed You, Pool’: Children Rejoice as N.Y.C. Public Pools Finally Open
By Gotham Rex on July 24, 2020
At one of the eight pools to reopen, a swimmer almost forgot to remove his mask before making a cannonball jump. So, he placed it on his flip-flops and then — splash. Source: New York Times
Beaches Are Open in N.Y.C., but Virus Worries Linger
By Gotham Rex on July 3, 2020
Shorelines are finally open for swimming, but outbreaks across the country have given officials pause about the city’s wider reopening. Source: New York Times
How One Shoreline Took the Lives of 7 Young People
By Gotham Rex on June 26, 2020
“Do you see my friends?” A year of tragedy along a strip of New York City beaches. Source: New York Times