swimming the amazon

As usual, there is the media exaggeration, and/or the exaggeration of the person himself. There are piranha fish, mostly on some affluents of the Amazon. The piranhas don't attack people, only in the movies. Or if you were bleeding badly. I have been in a river swimming, taking a bath, while downriver about 20 feet a guy actually was fishing for piranha to use as bait. This was on a fishing trip in the Araguaia River, about 600 miles from where I live. I've also been in water with sharks in the Galapagos, nothing to it. Snorkeling along, trying to see sharks or sting or manta rays (yeah, the one that killed the crocodile guy). Shark attacks are rare. They happen when they are baited (with blood and other stuff) for tourist to watch in cages, or when they confuse the surfer with some fish and take a bite. Piranha attacks are also rare. Anaconda and alligators, what are the chances? You gotta pay expensively for a guide to try and find you some of those for you to see. Pororoca exists mostly in some other rivers north of the amazon river where they create the never ending wave which surfers go on for half an hour or more. These are specific in certain months (not now) and certain moons. In true life there is a tidal current into the Amazon and then out just like in the Mississippi at its Delta. Except at the Amazon everything is much larger. The river itself goes into the ocean without mixing for about 80 miles. I read that and then I saw it from an airplane en route from Cayenne to Belem. All the indian tribes on the Amazon from Peru all the way down have been "met" by the "white people" and are "pacified". Here is what I believe will be the dangers: debris, big logs moving along, getting lost from your lead boat, getting eaten by flies (use a good protector) and so forth. This guy has swum the Mississippi, the Danube and other smaller rivers. When swimming for long hours the wet suit is necessary because of the loss of body heat. Unless the water is warmer than 36 centigrade, which would happen if you were in a hot tub or at a hot springs resort. Good swimming, billy fanstone

As usual, there is the media exaggeration, and/or the exaggeration of the person himself. There are piranha fish, mostly on some affluents of the Amazon. The piranhas don't attack people, only in the movies. Or if you were bleeding badly. I have been in a river swimming, taking a bath, while downriver about 20 feet a guy actually was fishing for piranha to use as bait. This was on a fishing trip in the Araguaia River, about 600 miles from where I live. I've also been in water with sharks in the Galapagos, nothing to it. Snorkeling along, trying to see sharks or sting or manta rays (yeah, the one that killed the crocodile guy). Shark attacks are rare. They happen when they are baited (with blood and other stuff) for tourist to watch in cages, or when they confuse the surfer with some fish and take a bite. Piranha attacks are also rare. Anaconda and alligators, what are the chances? You gotta pay expensively for a guide to try and find you some of those for you to see. Pororoca exists mostly in some other rivers north of the amazon river where they create the never ending wave which surfers go on for half an hour or more. These are specific in certain months (not now) and certain moons. In true life there is a tidal current into the Amazon and then out just like in the Mississippi at its Delta. Except at the Amazon everything is much larger. The river itself goes into the ocean without mixing for about 80 miles. I read that and then I saw it from an airplane en route from Cayenne to Belem. All the indian tribes on the Amazon from Peru all the way down have been "met" by the "white people" and are "pacified". Here is what I believe will be the dangers: debris, big logs moving along, getting lost from your lead boat, getting eaten by flies (use a good protector) and so forth. This guy has swum the Mississippi, the Danube and other smaller rivers. When swimming for long hours the wet suit is necessary because of the loss of body heat. Unless the water is warmer than 36 centigrade, which would happen if you were in a hot tub or at a hot springs resort. Good swimming, billy fanstone