Each swimmer wore a brilliant yellow lifebuoy tied round their waist, a part of strict security measures enforced by a dozen lifeguards in high-visibility vests. The present was weak, simply sufficient to tug gently at their limbs — a reminder that that is nonetheless a residing, city river.
“It’s so good to swim within the coronary heart of town, particularly with the excessive temperatures we’ve been having recently,” mentioned Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old development employee from Paris. “I’m stunned as a result of I believed it was going to be cooler and in reality, it’s a lot hotter than I believed.”
The return to swimming follows a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup challenge tied to final yr’s Olympics. Officers now say the Seine meets European water high quality requirements on most days. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip final yr, was there Saturday morning, holding up a clear bottle full of river water as a present of confidence. Environmental authorities confirmed micro organism ranges had been effectively beneath official thresholds.
Swimming within the Seine had been unlawful since 1923, with a couple of exceptions, on account of air pollution and dangers posed by river navigation. Taking a dip exterior bathing areas remains to be banned for security causes.
From the deck, vacationers and morning joggers stopped to observe. Some applauded as swimmers climbed up the metal ladders, grinning and dripping. Others, like François Fournier, remained skeptical.
“I received’t danger it fairly frankly,” mentioned Fournier, who lives atop the riverbanks and noticed the scene from a bridge above. “I’ve seen issues you possibly can’t think about floating within the Seine, so I’ll await it to be actually squeaky clear.”
Floating particles nonetheless bobbed right here and there — a stray leaf, a plastic wrapper — however the scent was barely noticeable: no robust sewage odor, simply an earthy, river-like scent.
“That is so stylish, to swim within the Seine, subsequent to Île Saint-Louis,” mentioned Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. “There are some apprehensions, after all, any time you go to swim someplace, however I feel this is among the most examined areas in the entire world now. I don’t assume the city corridor can permit herself to have any issues.”
She added with amusing: “My pores and skin is OK.”
