Paris, beach resorts reopen: to dive into the Seine you will have to pass a swimming test

Paris. This summer, the bathing areas along the Seine, which will be open to the public, will be carefully monitored. So much so that all swimmers will have to pass a preliminary test. The city and the French Swimming Federation announced.

Twenty-seven lifeguards in the 3 bathing areas

The 27 lifeguard instructors stationed in the three swimming areas will be responsible for assessing whether each swimmer "is comfortable enough in the water to be able to swim without any material aids," such as a buoy, said Lazreg Benelhadj, president of the French swimming federation, during a press tour of the future Bras Marie site, facing Île Saint-Louis. "These are living bodies of water, which require more vigilance than a swimming pool," he explained during a press tour of the future Bras Marie site, facing Île Saint-Louis. This is in the heart of the City of Light , where Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam last summer, just before the Olympics . In this artificial pool, the Seine has an average depth of 3.50 meters.

Swimmers authorized to swim with or without assistance will be able to be identified by a bracelet, thus avoiding having to repeat the test during the bathing season, between July 5 and August 31. The FFN also plans to organize swimming lessons on site. A first aid station will be installed at each site, with a capacity of 150 to 300 people at a time.

The rest of the coast is “off limtis”

Ten lifeguards will also be in possession of a permit for the river, to prevent "wild" swimming outside the buoys. "Outside these three sites, swimming in the Seine remains prohibited", as it has been since 1923 , insisted Pierre Rabadan, deputy for sports at the City Hall.

Indicators – green, yellow, red – will indicate every day whether the water is suitable for swimming, in terms of pollution and the intensity of the current. If the lights are red, swimming will be prohibited. "We started testing the quality of the water in the Seine at the beginning of June. During the first week, the water was only found to be unsuitable for swimming one day because of rain," said the local administrator.