Again Verdun Beach ........Currents are dangerous in any body of water....

Perhaps it is a good time to remember the buddy system ALSO Don't swim outside designated areas. Having grown up there we all have experienced the wrath of the St Lawrence River at some point,maybe friends died in it,or we fell in it. But the one thing people need to KNOW is that the currents can grab you quickly and the immediate tendency is to swim against it trying to get back to where you think is safe...try to remember go with the flow,and swim on an angle towards shore..Oceans have undertows at certain points and rivers have directional currents. Basically Verdun Beach is akin to swimming in a back eddy where waters seem calmer,but there is a fineline between calm and caught in a current. Sadly another peson is lost and presumed drowned ,authorites always quick to say he was swimming outside 'designated area' Truth is you can drown anywhere. Be Alert Be Carefull The following is a bit from the Montreal Gazette story on the latest incident.

Currents in the St. Lawrence River would have been strong in the wake of Sunday’s heavy rainfall, said Quebec Lifesaving Society executive director Raynald Hawkins. “I’m very sure that increased the water level.” “People don’t understand the impact of the current,” Hawkins said. A Quebec Lifesaving Society review of coroner reports showed that 35 per cent of drownings in the province occur in rivers, compared with 24 per cent in lakes and 17 per cent in swimming pools. Swimmers often “overestimate their swimming skill,” he said, without realizing that “under the surface, you have currents.” Tuesday’s possible third drowning is the third incident to have occurred in the area of Verdun’s public beach since the start of June. All three incidents occurred outside of the beach’s designated swimming area. This report will be updated. This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 7:30 AM. www.montrealgazette.com/latest-news/article1045408.html#storylink=cpy Again folks enjoy your summer,but also be careful....no one wants to lose a friend or loved one.