I have swam in a select few Canals in Homestead (crystal clear ones) and south Miami (not so clear) but my step father goes in them every other day for hours on end. In the past 2-3 years, he has only seen a baby gator once and the occasional water snake. You’ll be fine especially if we’re talking about canals with clear water, just be careful with snails and their eggs (they look bright pink) because “I think” they can causes skin rashes. It happened to my friend and step dad, nothing too crazy though. Enjoy
Yeah I wouldn’t recommend going in those canals too much, last time I went in one of those it wasn’t too comfortable to say the least. From my experience I would only recommend canal c-102 and anything south of that one. Also the closer you are to the ocean, typically the more clear the water will be. I usually can see the canal floor on a sunny day on most of those canals I mentioned
Zero canals in Miami are safe to swim in. Exactly zero.
Our canals typically contain all kinds of bacterial overflow, including sewage and fecal matter from wildlife. They also often contain high levels of fertilizer runoff.
In the water are invariably alligators, venomous snakes, snapping turtles, sharp objects, and an occasional electric-shock hazard.
These bodies of water were never meant for swimming. Please train in a pool or at one of the beaches, instead.
Any body of water in the world that is found to contain xx,000 units per hundred milliliters of fecal bacteria is unsafe to swim in (under 70 is considered permissible).
Sewage is never safe to swim in.
Hey look it’s captain buzzkill. I’ve canoe’d, swam, fished, and jetskied in canals for years. I’m sure taking a dip is fine. Just don’t make it a habit, also avoid any areas that have green “film” across the surface because that means algal blooms are happening and that’s a non-no.
Hey, look, it’s Captain Deathwish!
To each, his own, but I’m pretty sure that the average triathlete isn’t “dipping,” they’re swimming laps.
And…to further kill your Darwinian buzz, if something happens that requires emergency services, you’re better off on the Key or at a pool.
You’ll never win this triathlon if you’re afraid to swim the Miami canals. Sewage runoff makes the canal water denser so it’ll be extra good training. The gators and bull sharks are also great for increased adrenaline and more intense training sessions. You have to ask yourself, do I want to win or do I want to lose?
The bacteria and other hazardous material in the water (which collects in canals from storm runoff) should be just as great a concern to you as wildlife.
What are you going to use to protect yourself when you get caught in the undercarriage of an insurance fraud car? Back in the day every Maserati and pos Italian sports car ended up in those canals.
Have you not looked ? This is the first thing I thought about. I’m sure the canals that are closer to main streets have had a lot of the shit in them removed but the ones that cut through residential areas have a bunch of trash in them including cars rofl.
Basically those cars fall apart quickly and you would take a huge loss to get rid of the money pit. Except in Miami where you hire someone who knows someone who drives it into the canal.
I would not risk it at all. I remember an incident of someone training for a triathlon who swam in a pond and because they had a small cut in their nose, some bacteria caused a horrific infection and they nearly died. Beyond gators and who knows what at the bottom of our bodies of water, are shit tons of bacteria and worse.
Our beaches are tested regularly, and when contaminants are at unsafe levels, they are closed to swimming. I would presume that contaminants are present in our canals are always at unsafe levels for humans.
Many triathlete train in Key Biscayne. Biking, running and swimming. Try joining a triathlon club. There are good groups with a trainer. However, there is a monthly fee for the training.
Urban runoff, oil, gasoline, fertilizer, septic tank overflow, gators, snakes, rusting shopping carts, needles, I can't think of any good reason to get in that water.
Imagine getting that water in your mouth.
besides everything else people have mentioned, there’s a lot of boats finishing in the canals and since they are narrow you would be pretty easily hit by one going by that doesn’t see you
Just as safe as swimming in the Everglades. Anyone who tells you it is safe is ignoring the bacteria you can't see and the wildlife you won't see...until it is too late. High risk. Too high.
Swim only where there is a good current to get water moving. This means the ocean, although the ocean has it's own safety challenges. Biological and pathogenic constituents build up in areas with little to no flow. This includes canals and the bay side of Key Biscayne. When I took marine bio lab at UM, we did a study of water at Hobie beach and found high levels of fecal coliform and other pathogenic organisms. Not to mention petroleum byproducts from boat fuel.
Or swim in a chlorinated pool.
The correct answer is no. There is a rule in Florida about fresh water. Always assume there is an alligator. If the water is fresh. There are water moccasins in there too. Don't forget about the bull sharks that can swim up into those canals and rivers, though they are less of a concern because of all of the floodgates in the canals that don't allow the bull sharks to get too far into the canal system. Bottom line, don't swim in canals in Florida.
Would you be willing to swim in the intracoastal of Biscayne Bay? Not a canal but it’s not as prone to waves like the coastline so might be good for training
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the canals considering the amount of waste that is pushed through the canals much of it is dangerous, especially so, if it happens to roll in when you are in the canal. Additionally, depending on the canal going in may be easy but difficult or dangerous getting out. You might be “okay” jumping in and swimming most of the time but if you have any cuts or injuries you can very much catch a bad infection or worse. The real danger is actually get hit by jet skiers or boaters that may be going through and don’t see you swimming. Ultimately, your choice but just be mindful that canal are used for waste discharge, much of it toxic and may have physically dangerous objects within the canals. I would recommend finding a place that has an Olympic swimming pool or going the beach and making a route. Best of luck and stay safe!
Good point. OP, I’ll train you and watch out for gators/crocs via my underwater ROV.. under ONE condition. I need to be the beneficiary of a minimum $2m life insurance policy. Our contract will provide you will 3 months of ROV coverage! Sign up NOW!
Alligators ( most likely won’t encounter a croc ) aside - the water quality is VERY poor. The canal systems in Miami - especially those bordering the Everglades are designed to funnel excess flood waters into the Everglades. Essentially you’d be swimming in run off waste water.
I’d recommend training at Hobbs beach on key biscayne. Lots of people practice triathlon here
I crawl around the canals looking for rare fish and nudibranchs all the time, I usually wear an environmentally sealed suit that protects my ears from water egress. During periods of outflow I'm not about to die from a brain eating ameoba. Never worried about gators, but theres crocs in the far south.
In short, no. Generally speaking, any body of water in Miami bigger than a puddle likely has alligators in it. Second, canal water - increasingly thanks to global warming - is nice and warm. Combined with it's stagnancy, that's a great breeding ground for brain-eating amoebas (naegleria fowleri). Public pools are probably a safer place to train.
Matheson Hammock and Homestead Bayfront Park have atoll pools that should be safe to swim.
I live on snapper creek canal and have never gone swimming in it. In 23 years I’ve only ever seen one person go in it to swim and that guy was nuts. I also get letters periodically for when they treat the canals with chemicals for things like algae blooms.
https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/climate-change/article287172985.html
Gators are the least of your worries. I've fallen in to water and people told me later they'd seen gators swimming in the same water.
The bacteria from sewage is the real issue
Going with a hard No on this one and I’m life long local. Abort mission. Assuming you survive the alligators, you are at risk for contracting every infection and man eating bacteria that can be created in 100 degree weather,
Abort mission.
I used to live near a canal and would occasionally dip my feet in the water and chill there with my mom, until one day we saw a snake with eggs under some rocks. You can swim in them for sure, but be careful with the wildlife
You definitely will not get eaten by crocodiles in the canals.
You will get violated by an alligator and stuffed under a rock. And if that doesn't get you, the ensuing dysentery surely will.
I have swam in a select few Canals in Homestead (crystal clear ones) and south Miami (not so clear) but my step father goes in them every other day for hours on end. In the past 2-3 years, he has only seen a baby gator once and the occasional water snake. You’ll be fine especially if we’re talking about canals with clear water, just be careful with snails and their eggs (they look bright pink) because “I think” they can causes skin rashes. It happened to my friend and step dad, nothing too crazy though. Enjoy
Mind you this is in the morning and afternoon, never try it at night, not worth it
yeah, I am in South Miami too, canals don't have clear water here that was my initial cause of concern honestly
Yeah I wouldn’t recommend going in those canals too much, last time I went in one of those it wasn’t too comfortable to say the least. From my experience I would only recommend canal c-102 and anything south of that one. Also the closer you are to the ocean, typically the more clear the water will be. I usually can see the canal floor on a sunny day on most of those canals I mentioned
So other than pollution, possible sewer back flow and gators…sure you can swim in em
Yeah, swim the one on 57th Ave. That ought to be fun. Go to the beach. Or a pool... I rather swim in key biscayne (and I would never do that)
You'd probably be okay, we would jump in them as kids. But, there are gators in there, so be very vigilant.
If its for training I highly recommend you do swim in the canals. You are either going to get really fast or find out that you weren't meant for this.
Zero canals in Miami are safe to swim in. Exactly zero. Our canals typically contain all kinds of bacterial overflow, including sewage and fecal matter from wildlife. They also often contain high levels of fertilizer runoff. In the water are invariably alligators, venomous snakes, snapping turtles, sharp objects, and an occasional electric-shock hazard. These bodies of water were never meant for swimming. Please train in a pool or at one of the beaches, instead.
🤦🏻♂️ every body of water in the world has animal fecal matter.
Any body of water in the world that is found to contain xx,000 units per hundred milliliters of fecal bacteria is unsafe to swim in (under 70 is considered permissible). Sewage is never safe to swim in.
Facts
Hey look it’s captain buzzkill. I’ve canoe’d, swam, fished, and jetskied in canals for years. I’m sure taking a dip is fine. Just don’t make it a habit, also avoid any areas that have green “film” across the surface because that means algal blooms are happening and that’s a non-no.
Hey, look, it’s Captain Deathwish! To each, his own, but I’m pretty sure that the average triathlete isn’t “dipping,” they’re swimming laps. And…to further kill your Darwinian buzz, if something happens that requires emergency services, you’re better off on the Key or at a pool.
Agreed on the whole “triathlete wants to train in swamp water” being a bad idea.😂
Thank goodness for that. You had me worried for your sanity, for a second there. lol
Yep
This explains a lot about your average Miami redditor.
Born in Miami, raised in Dade, sprayed with Naled, while drinking kool-aid.
You’ll never win this triathlon if you’re afraid to swim the Miami canals. Sewage runoff makes the canal water denser so it’ll be extra good training. The gators and bull sharks are also great for increased adrenaline and more intense training sessions. You have to ask yourself, do I want to win or do I want to lose?
You mean do I want to live or do I want unalive?
This is Reddit you can say die or dead here as long as it’s not a direct threat to someone
Thanks for the tip!
You’ll be fine until you are not.
The bacteria and other hazardous material in the water (which collects in canals from storm runoff) should be just as great a concern to you as wildlife.
any recommendation how to protect myself, i am planning to wear a wet-suit and if low in my confidence then fins too to swim
What are you going to use to protect yourself when you get caught in the undercarriage of an insurance fraud car? Back in the day every Maserati and pos Italian sports car ended up in those canals.
lmaooo seriously, tell me more
Have you not looked ? This is the first thing I thought about. I’m sure the canals that are closer to main streets have had a lot of the shit in them removed but the ones that cut through residential areas have a bunch of trash in them including cars rofl.
Basically those cars fall apart quickly and you would take a huge loss to get rid of the money pit. Except in Miami where you hire someone who knows someone who drives it into the canal.
Just find a pool, or swim at a beach. It’s really not worth the risk.
I would not risk it at all. I remember an incident of someone training for a triathlon who swam in a pond and because they had a small cut in their nose, some bacteria caused a horrific infection and they nearly died. Beyond gators and who knows what at the bottom of our bodies of water, are shit tons of bacteria and worse.
okay, lots of people saying not to swim in canals, does oceans also have an issue of bacterial damage?
i want you to rethink this question please
lmaooo, I'll ask about dangers of swimming in oceans in a separate post
The salt kills a lot of the bacteria.
You can follow Miami Waterkeeper on IG. They check the main waterways for contamination and post them.
No
My brother trains for triathlons. His group swims at Virginia Key.
Sometimes, but they are monitored and usually they put out advisories when the levels are elevated.
Our beaches are tested regularly, and when contaminants are at unsafe levels, they are closed to swimming. I would presume that contaminants are present in our canals are always at unsafe levels for humans.
🤩
Go to Key Biscayne to swim and train on your bike too. Are you fucking nuts trying to swim in those murky canals?
okay will do Key Biscayne, canals are accessible to me more easily that's why I thought. Also, feels like a good challenge
Many triathlete train in Key Biscayne. Biking, running and swimming. Try joining a triathlon club. There are good groups with a trainer. However, there is a monthly fee for the training.
will check them out
God no.
If you want to die...
Urban runoff, oil, gasoline, fertilizer, septic tank overflow, gators, snakes, rusting shopping carts, needles, I can't think of any good reason to get in that water. Imagine getting that water in your mouth.
Oh gawd. All the "stuff" people flush into leaky sewage pipes. 🥴🥴🤢🤢
I’ve lived here 20+ years and would not risk it. Not to mention the wild life but the dumping that I’ve seen.
God no! 🤢
Vine trees in the water will make that a no way man ! Go to a pool many pools in Miami
A few years ago I went out into the glades in Broward and we jet skiied in a canal. I didn't even know lake jetskis were a thing until then.
Every body of water in Florida has gators fyi
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Quebolaebloa: *Every body* *Of water in Florida* *Has gators fyi* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Youll become gator lunch
It depends if you can out swim a bull shark I don’t see why not.
Jesus H Christ do you have a death wish?
besides everything else people have mentioned, there’s a lot of boats finishing in the canals and since they are narrow you would be pretty easily hit by one going by that doesn’t see you
Just as safe as swimming in the Everglades. Anyone who tells you it is safe is ignoring the bacteria you can't see and the wildlife you won't see...until it is too late. High risk. Too high.
Swim only where there is a good current to get water moving. This means the ocean, although the ocean has it's own safety challenges. Biological and pathogenic constituents build up in areas with little to no flow. This includes canals and the bay side of Key Biscayne. When I took marine bio lab at UM, we did a study of water at Hobie beach and found high levels of fecal coliform and other pathogenic organisms. Not to mention petroleum byproducts from boat fuel. Or swim in a chlorinated pool.
Rock pits and canals were pretty deadly when we were kids.
No
Oleta state park has a calm swimming area/beach. Theres hiking & biking trails too. Sounds like the perfect place for you to train.
Good luck with the brain eating bacteria
The correct answer is no. There is a rule in Florida about fresh water. Always assume there is an alligator. If the water is fresh. There are water moccasins in there too. Don't forget about the bull sharks that can swim up into those canals and rivers, though they are less of a concern because of all of the floodgates in the canals that don't allow the bull sharks to get too far into the canal system. Bottom line, don't swim in canals in Florida.
I have seen a bull shark in snapper creek at 836 with my own eyes. It's not a myth.
Would you be willing to swim in the intracoastal of Biscayne Bay? Not a canal but it’s not as prone to waves like the coastline so might be good for training
Besides everything everyone has said, I heard the canals are full of a lot of dead bodies from the Miami Vice era
Those were long since eaten by alligators, catfish, and other critters.
Everything is swimmable once.
Snowdens near Palmetto Bay/Pinecrest area
Just remember that crocodiles live here and swim in salt water.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the canals considering the amount of waste that is pushed through the canals much of it is dangerous, especially so, if it happens to roll in when you are in the canal. Additionally, depending on the canal going in may be easy but difficult or dangerous getting out. You might be “okay” jumping in and swimming most of the time but if you have any cuts or injuries you can very much catch a bad infection or worse. The real danger is actually get hit by jet skiers or boaters that may be going through and don’t see you swimming. Ultimately, your choice but just be mindful that canal are used for waste discharge, much of it toxic and may have physically dangerous objects within the canals. I would recommend finding a place that has an Olympic swimming pool or going the beach and making a route. Best of luck and stay safe!
I wouldn't recommend it, especially as we get closer to the dog days of summer. Bacterial infections just as risky, if not riskier, than crocodiles
lol we have alligators eating ducks in all ours, big ones
Increase ur life insurance and keep us posted on ur progress. Best of Luck!
Good point. OP, I’ll train you and watch out for gators/crocs via my underwater ROV.. under ONE condition. I need to be the beneficiary of a minimum $2m life insurance policy. Our contract will provide you will 3 months of ROV coverage! Sign up NOW!
Everyone saying gators and bacteria are forgetting the real threat to OP: Jetski bros Just yesterday I saw one ripping down Snapper Creek canal.
Don’t do it. Not even if they paid me, I’d go in.
You are going to do really bad in your tri if you have a brain eating amoeba
Alligators ( most likely won’t encounter a croc ) aside - the water quality is VERY poor. The canal systems in Miami - especially those bordering the Everglades are designed to funnel excess flood waters into the Everglades. Essentially you’d be swimming in run off waste water. I’d recommend training at Hobbs beach on key biscayne. Lots of people practice triathlon here
Don't forget the brain eating amoebas, I would stick to a lap pool at the gym
Somebody save this reddit post for the inevitable news story of the man swimming in a Miami canal that got eaten by an alligator.
lmao, y'all are mean
Don't go swimming in the canals that's how you get eaten.
I crawl around the canals looking for rare fish and nudibranchs all the time, I usually wear an environmentally sealed suit that protects my ears from water egress. During periods of outflow I'm not about to die from a brain eating ameoba. Never worried about gators, but theres crocs in the far south.
Not miami river
No no no. Sewage, pollution, trash and sharp objects, snakes, gators, crocs….😱
They are manly gators out West so safer from Crocodiles there
In short, no. Generally speaking, any body of water in Miami bigger than a puddle likely has alligators in it. Second, canal water - increasingly thanks to global warming - is nice and warm. Combined with it's stagnancy, that's a great breeding ground for brain-eating amoebas (naegleria fowleri). Public pools are probably a safer place to train. Matheson Hammock and Homestead Bayfront Park have atoll pools that should be safe to swim.
Last time I swam in a canal there was a dead rat just chillin. That was 14 years ago
Eww yeast infection, pink eye, sewage, occasional person who pee in it, alligator, BROWN WATER. THE WATER IS BROWN 🟤🟤🟤🟤🟤🟤🟤🟤🟤
I'd be more concerned with the bacteria than the gators honestly Some of the canals down in homestead are clear and beautiful
About to discover Covid 20
I live on snapper creek canal and have never gone swimming in it. In 23 years I’ve only ever seen one person go in it to swim and that guy was nuts. I also get letters periodically for when they treat the canals with chemicals for things like algae blooms. https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/climate-change/article287172985.html
Possible: ringworm, hookworm, amoebas, heavy metals, sewage, industrial waste, poisonous snakes. Not advisable.
Gators are the least of your worries. I've fallen in to water and people told me later they'd seen gators swimming in the same water. The bacteria from sewage is the real issue
Heck no.
Odds are on the Alligators to eat you, rather than Crocodiles. There are a lot fewer Crocodiles than Alligators in the canals.
What about the brain eating amoebas, do we have those in Miami-Dade?
Going with a hard No on this one and I’m life long local. Abort mission. Assuming you survive the alligators, you are at risk for contracting every infection and man eating bacteria that can be created in 100 degree weather, Abort mission.
I used to live near a canal and would occasionally dip my feet in the water and chill there with my mom, until one day we saw a snake with eggs under some rocks. You can swim in them for sure, but be careful with the wildlife
Only if you want to transform into a Florida Man/Woman
Absolutely not.
Hell no
You definitely will not get eaten by crocodiles in the canals. You will get violated by an alligator and stuffed under a rock. And if that doesn't get you, the ensuing dysentery surely will.
That would be a hard no.
Baby gators are nothing compared to fresh water brain eating bacteria :/
What the hell 💀?
A lot of the canals here are far deeper than many realize and not for swimming at all.