Don’t Swim in Rock Quarries

heroes-get-made:

I was recently reminded of a problem that I think Tumblr might need to know about. So, to preface, in the United States (and quite possibly elsewhere) there are probably thousands of small rock quarries–holes in the ground where mining once took place–that have since filled with water. These are sometimes called “blue holes,” and they are especially found in the Rust Belt (parts of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and possibly Illinois).

These holes look kinda neat, like a fun place to jump off a small cliff and take a swim. And while they are typically on private property, there is often little stopping people from getting to them, and sometimes no warnings posted at all.

But they are insanely dangerous, and you should never ever jump into them or go swimming in them.

Here are some reasons why.

1. You have no idea how deep it is. It could look deep enough to jump but be shallow, or the bottom could vary wildly in depth. Moreover, some of them may have weak false bottoms that could give way and take you with it.
2. The water is often much colder than you think it would be, since the source is typically an underground stream. The shock of jumping into it could cause deadly cramping, or you could end up with hypothermia, especially if you have trouble getting out.
3. The water is likely filled with objects, such as old machinery, abandoned cars, trash, etc. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean you won’t hit them, and in some cases you could also become trapped by an object and drown.
4. The water is disgusting and dirty. It could have any combination of heavy metals, chemicals & toxins, oil, etc., along with the stuff you’d find in a stagnated pond. Even if it looks clean, it isn’t.
5. The walls may not be stable. Depending on the location, disturbing the walls of the quarry (by being on top of them or trying to climb them) could easily cause a collapse. These quarries can be very old, and they are not designed for use as a swimming pool.
6. If you get into trouble and live, and somehow you can signal for help, you will put rescue workers at risk when they come to save you. You could get somebody killed just because you wanted to swim in a dirty, dangerous hole in the ground.

Where I grew up in Pennsylvania, we would hear about deaths every now and then, of people who didn’t consider or know the risks and got into trouble in one of these places. Sometimes they drain them and find you months or years after you disappeared. In one case, they also found several cars people ditched and a crane from the mining days. The top of the crane was just below the water surface but not visible. This shit is not something you want to fuck around with.

Please don’t even consider it. If you’ve done it before and survived, lucky you, but it’s not worth your life or your friends’ lives or the lives of rescue workers. Find some other way to cool off this summer.