When I first spotted a police zodiac boat yesterday morning as I was walking along the Seine River, it was moving really slowly and seemed to be doubling back periodically. I wondered if someone had jumped off one of the many bridges over the Seine. Then I spotted a floating body, or at least I thought initially that it was floating.
As I zoomed in with my telephoto lens, I could see that the body was moving rhythmically and then I spotted an orange-tipped snorkel. It was a diver in a wet suit who appeared to be getting in his morning training—from what I could see he had flippers and was using a short blue board rather than performing swimming strokes.
The driver of the boat that was marked “Prefecture de Police” also appeared to be in a wet suit. I don’t know if he was bored, but from time to time he would speed ahead and make a sharp u-turn in order to zoom through the arches of a bridge, as you can see in the second image.
When the diver I was following neared what looked to be his destination, I suddenly realize that there were a total of three divers in the water—maybe the other two divers had been waiting for their slower colleague. In the third photo, the divers were getting ready to turn to the left, to an area where I believe the police/firefighting boats are docked. If you look closely at that final image, you can see a small flock of ducks in the background that did not appear to be surprised or disturbed to see humans swimming in the Seine River.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Wow, how curious to see humans in the Seine. Enjoyed this series and explanation, Mike.
Thanks, Jet. I just came across an article that states that for the Paris River Police, “The day shift starts with a 3-km (1.8-mile) swim in the river, around the Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame cathedral is located.” Wow. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-15287115)
You have to wonder what the duck thought about all the fuss humans go through to swim.
I am enjoying your visit to Paris. It seems like you are having a great time.
This has been a remarkably refreshing trip, a chance to step out of my usual “box” and rediscover parts of my past–I spent my junior year of college in Paris. I am glad that you are enjoying the journey. 🙂
First I thought the post is gonna be about you swimming in the Seine😄
The confusion was intentional. 🙂 I figured that more people would like to hear about me swimming in the river than about the police conducting a training swim.
Smart! 😄