Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/08/07/man-swims-to-work-every-day.html
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I love humans.
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I have been to the section he is swimming. It is as he says, but when it is raining a decent amount I do not think it would be safe.
Fun fact: tributaries of the river swell and surfers have propped up boards to form a wake they can surf in said rainy weather in the English gardens. His public swim commute and the surfing both are covered by laws that basically state “if you do something reckless, the city / state / property owner is not liable” . Hence why you will get arrested for a swim commute in a big city in the US.
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He couldn’t find a walking route?
ETA ahh I see in the actual article he was walking/biking and it was still crazy.
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I would think that getting a boat and riding down the river would be a good alternative that might be safer for him under less than ideal conditions. However i do wish i could take a nice daily swim to work, must be nice 
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The annual transitions to and from ice skates must be invigorating too.
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One very happy mutant
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I don’t think you will if you’re sober. Navigable waterways and all that. But many are closed to swimming as a public health hazard, and you may be (and this last part is hyperbole) committed to an institution for swimming in some of them.
When the ponds around here freeze they become an alternate road system for the snowmobilers. All roads lead to the pub on the pond.
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While the river(s) I live by aren’t posted, I am pretty sure you’re going to get in trouble for swimming the one in the major Metro area:
http://www.fox19.com/story/8200942/man-arrested-for-swimming-across-ohio-river-as-a-bet
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What about if it snows? And does it get cold enough that the river freezes?
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Convicted?
But like they say, you can beat the charges, but you can’t beat the ride.
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Myself, I’m wondering how he handles the half of the commute that’s against the current.
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I don’t think I could ever have enough faith in a waterproof bag to stick my laptop in it and jump in a river myself, but it does sound nicer than walking past a bunch of trucks and construction like I do.
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In my day, we had to swim to work, upstream – both ways.
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I think you are referring to the Eisbachwelle, Munich’s standing wave which was not created by the surfers, just exploited by them (and only the most famous of the city’s standing waves). It used to be forbidden to surf on it when it was still under state control, due to the danger (and yes, there have been deaths). The city swapped some land with the state to take control.
Yes, I live in Munich, and my office is near where this guy seems to have swum. But I prefer the subway, as it’s by far the fastest way for me. But yeah, Munich’s Isar river is also one giant party in the summer, so much so that now the Hellabrunn zoo is complaining about the smoke from all the barbecues.
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The answers is that it doesn’t freeze, the river is also divided into an artificial channel for the hydroelectric plants, and a natural bed. Both are too fast a current to swim upstream in (as the article states).
I just did some back of the envelope calculations, and figured out that this guy is commuting from one of Munich’s really posh neighbourhoods. So that’s how he can afford things like the thermal wetsuit for the winter and the waterproof bag. Still, better than driving his Porsche Cayenne downtown.
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The Isar in that section has too much current for a human-powered boat ride to be anything but one-way.
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And your life will still be negatively impacted from that point on whenever employers or community groups do background backs, or you have a form that asks if you’ve ever been arrested.
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The Papasan Positivity Experience.
We love you, too, Papasan.
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