Local bayous might not be safe for swimming

Dee Bergeron won't allow her kids to swim in the bayous like she did at their age because she said it's too dangerous.

“One of my greatest childhood memories is when we went up to my aunt's camp in Cocodrie. I grew up swimming in the bayou, always hydro-sliding, skiing, tubing or just having fun off the wharf,” the 34-year-old Houma woman said. “I wouldn't think of allowing my kids to swim in the waters. We still enjoy fishing off that same wharf, but the kids know not to even ask to get in the water.”

Bergeron and other residents might have reason to worry. In the past three weeks, two bodies have been pulled from local waterways.

On June 28, the body of Chris Chaisson, 48, of Houma, was pulled from Bayou Terrebonne. The coroner's office ruled his death an accidental drowning.

On July 2, the body of 16-year-old Davon Thomason, of Galliano, was found in Bayou Lafourche in Galliano.

People don't realize that swimming in a bayou or a waterway is much less of a controlled environment than in a swimming pool or at a beach,” said Brennan Matherne, Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman.

“Swimming in the bayou presents unique dangers of its own that you wouldn't have in a pool,” he said. “The water is cloudier, and it's more difficult to see what's under the water. There's always that factor of the unknown in the bayou as opposed to a clear-water swimming pool.”

The waters in local bayous can be difficult to traverse because of their murkiness, making it difficult for swimmers to gauge their depth or whether there's potentially dangerous debris floating beneath the surface, Matherne said.

“You could run into fishing lines, crab traps or any other kind of debris lying in the bayou. With the water being so cloudy, it's nearly impossible to know what's lurking beneath the surface,” he said. “We know kids love jumping into the bayou and that can be dangerous. You could be jumping onto debris or into a shallow area.”

Another potentially dangerous facet of swimming in unfamiliar waterways are the animals that call the bayous their home, said Sondra Guidry who has operated Cajun Man Swamp Tours in Terrebonne Parish with her husband Ron “Black” Guidry for 25 years.

“You don't want to dive in and find out there's an alligator,” she said. “But in Bayou Black there are a couple of resident alligators. They never hurt anybody.

“I love to swim, but I personally wouldn't want to go swimming in the bayou.”

Even with the possible dangers in the bayous, Matherne said residents should take precautions if they swim in them.

Children should be supervised and adults should never swim alone, he said.

“You don't have a lifeguard, but make sure you have flotation devices handy,” he said. “Regardless of how great a swimmer someone is, there's currents in the bayou that you have to factor in. Even a great swimmer is subject to nature.”

Staff Writer Jordan Gribble can be reached at 857-2208 or jordan.gribble@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGrib_Courier.