Dangerous Places You Wouldn't Want to Swim

Often we talk about the best places to swim, whether that be in open water, or our favourite water parks. But today we're going to be counting down the top five places NOT to swim!   Number 5 - First up, we have the Rio Tinto river in Spain. This blood-red water is due to 5,000 years of mining pollution. River Tinto has high acidic levels and features heavy metals such as gold, silver, and copper. The river has an extreme environment, breeding organisms such as iron and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Scientists studying in the river have found bacteria that is found in our solar system, such as Jupiter's moon.   Number 4 - Next we have the Blue Lagoon in Derbyshire in the UK. Don't let the blue sparkling water fool you as this water is extremely toxic. The disused quarry was flooded and became the Blue Lagoon due to its striking blue colors. It has become a popular swimming spot despite all the warning signs. The water is as toxic as ammonia with a pH level of 11.3. Don't let the beautiful blue colours fool you though, the water contains car parts, dead animals, and even faeces. In an effort to stop people swimming in it, the council decided to dye it black.   Number 3 - This may look like a nice relaxing steaming pool but it can actually cook you alive. I don't think you want to play a game of Marco Polo in this one! This bubbling cauldron masked by a cloud of vapour is the boiling lake in Dominica. This churning hot spot has temperatures ranging from 180 to 197 degrees celsius, and that is just around the edges! Scientists have been unable to measure the temperature in the centre. The lake itself is about 200 metres wide and is at least 59 metres deep.   Number 2 - The Sichuan River in Indonesia is thought to be the most polluted river in the world. The river itself runs over 186 miles and supports over 30 million people that rely on this water source. Unfortunately, the river itself has been choked by human and industrial waste, with plastic and debris littering up the river. Over 200 factories line the river and they dump their dyes and their chemicals in the water which has meant that the lead, arsenic, and mercury has changed the colour of the river. The river is inhospitable with fish lying dead on top of it, this means fishermen now resort to picking up plastic for recycling.   Number 1 - In our top spot is Horseshoe Lake in California. This lake erupts every 5,000 years. The Horseshoe Lake was considered a harmless place to go and visit until all of a sudden the trees around the area started to die. They soon found out this was due to a high amounts of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide itself kills all the wilderness around it. Due to a series of earthquakes, it has actually opened up paths of Magma underground.   Did you agree with our list? Do you know of any other places that are very deadly or dangerous to swim?