This season has seen a number of drownings and near-drownings in area rivers.
Officials said the Delaware River's placid-looking water is deceptive, leading to fatalities on the waterway.The Delaware River is not what it appears.
Beneath its seemingly placid surface are strong currents and concealed rocks that can trap the strongest of swimmers.
"People see it and don't realize the power going past them," said Loren Goering, spokesman for the National Park Service at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. "It's a deceptive river."
The dangers of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers have had deadly consequences. The two waterways have claimed seven lives in the region since June.
This month, Jamire Gist, 16, fell out of a tube on the Delaware River south of Frenchtown and was swept under the water. A 15-year-old Trenton boy, Oscar Menendez, drowned while trying to swim across the Delaware River near Bull's Island. The next day, Jovanny Valdez, 22, was pulled from the Lehigh River in Easton after disappearing beneath the water's surface. Juan A. Bacilio, 28, drowned in the Lehigh River in Northampton the following week.
In June, Wanda Wentz, 49, and grandson Nolan Richie, 7, died after getting caught in the Lehigh River's strong current in Lehighton. Lane Alden, 57, was killed after being thrown from a jet boat that struck boulders in the Delaware River in Harmony Township.
Several near-drownings, in rivers and other area waterways,
have also been reported. A teenager and young boy were rescued from the Lehigh
River in Glendon on Wednesday after attempting to wade from the river's
north bank to the south bank.
Last month, Allentown City Councilwoman Cynthia Mota strongly urged residents to stay out of Jordan Creek after three people almost drowned in two weeks.
A majority of drowning victims are male swimmers between the ages of 18 and 30, Goering said. Since 1980, 63 people have drowned in the Upper Delaware River, 60 of which fit this demographic, he said. Five people drowned in this section of the river last year, but this year good weather and luck have helped keep some people safe, he said.
Attempting to swim across the Delaware River is a particularly popular and dangerous feat tried by swimmers. People underestimate the strength of currents beneath the water's calm surface and become tired as they try to fight their way across, Goering said. He recommends people roll on their backs and let the river carry them — feet first to push off rocks— to shore.
"A river is not a pool or a pond," he said. "Moving water has a dynamic."
This misplaced confidence in transferring swimming aptitude from pool to river is a big issue, said Pennsylvania Water Rescue Capt. Marvin McCammon. People don't realize the waters require different approaches.
He said the volunteer
organization has responded to more drowning calls this year.
Like the Delaware
River, the Lehigh's surface belies its strong undercurrents, he
said. With both rivers, especially the Lehigh, people don't realize that the levels
drastically change from one spot to another -- one moment the water could be up
to a person's knees, the next up to their chest. This is exacerbated by the river constantly changing, he said.
The second leading cause of drowning — after not knowing how to swim — is tubing on the rivers, McCammon said. People often fall victim to the fallacy that a tube suffices as a flotation device, discounting how easily they can become separated from the tube, he said.
The best way to stay safe is to wear a life jacket or find other ways to stay cool. McCammon favors the latter for the inexperienced river patron.
"If you're not a strong swimmer," he said, "Stay out of the Delaware or the Lehigh."
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Safety tips
- Wear a life jacket.
- Do not mix alcohol with river activities.
- Don't swim alone.
- Check river conditions before braving the waters.
For more information or to request a safety session with Pennsylvania Water Rescue, visit www.pawaterrescue.org/index.html.