The best swimming spots in the world

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Those who are fortunate enough to know how to swim can have fun practically everywhere there is a bit of water. You just need a reasonable temperature (both outside and in the water), and a deep enough body of water to be able to move your limbs without scratching the bottom of the lake/river/ocean.

But for those of you with more particular tastes, the location of said body of water also matters, and why shouldn’t it? Even while you’re swimming, you inevitably catch a glimpse of the surroundings, and if the surroundings are pretty then the experience is all the more enjoyable. So here are the best swimming places on the planet, for those who can swim and those who don’t (who might just want to go and chill on the banks).

Dead Sea

As many of you probably know, the Dead Sea is no sea at all, but one giant salt water lake. In fact, the water is so salty that you can float without any effort, even if you are standing upright. You can lounge in the water at your leisure, without making any physical effort at all.

You can even read a newspaper or a book while in the water. One of the best things about the Dead Sea is that even people who are just starting to learn how to swim can practice without worrying that they might, well, drown.

Jellyfish Lake, Palau

A long, long time ago, Jellyfish lake used to be connected to the sea, but through some weird tectonic plate movements, it became sealed off, and together with the water all the creatures within. So the jellyfish that used to live in the lake continued to thrive and they reached incredible numbers by now.

The water is practically clouded with jellyfish of all sizes, from a pea to a ball. Thankfully, evolution also did its magic on the jellyfish, and they don’t sting anymore, so you can swim among them without a worry.

Vieques, Puerto Rico

The name, Mosquito Bay, is not exactly tempting, and I can’t tell you anything about the amount of mosquitoes hauting the area, but what I can tell you is that here you can witness one of the most incredible natural phenomena in the world.

The lake is teeming my tiny plankton like creatures which are bioluminescent, and when they are disturbed they emit a greenish eerie light. It’s a really interesting experience to swim in the lake at night, when your entire body is coated with water which looks like its radioactive (it’s not, I assure you).

Taal Lake, Philippines

Taal Lake is home to some unique creatures that you can’t find anywhere else on earth, like the boring sounding freshwater sardines. But they are not the only ones: the rare freshwater sea snake, Hydrophis semperi, can also be found swimming around the vast expanses of the lake. One of the island in the lake, Taal Volcano, which is still active, looms ominously over the water.

Heaven Lake, China

Heaven Lake completely deserves its name, seeing as it looks like a piece of heaven. It really is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and you should go and visit it even if you don’t plan on swimming in it. It is the highest crater lake in the world, and it is also quite deep (about 700 meters).

If you are indeed planning on swimming in the lake, plan your visit carefully, because the Heaven Lake is frozen over most of the year (except for July, August and a few weeks in September).

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