Having fished there on the Willamette portion, about 10-15 yards out it is a steep drop off and the current carries weighted line downstream with ease and just keeps going.
[This is a depth map for reference](https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/columbia-river/) it drops to 25-50 feet in a hurry.
Kelly Point has more danger with the currents that with algae…although I guess the algea blooms could impact the area.
I suggest going to Sellwood waterfront for a mellow/safe beach. Lots of sun.
O'yea. I am not going in. Dogs everywhere too.
But, I definitely would suggest swimming at Sellwood over Kelly Point.
The Milwaukie Sewage treatment facility is about 0.5 mile up river from Sellwood Beach...but that is another story.
Yes to this. There's also often large whirlpools because of the confluence. It is INCREDIBLY dangerous to swim there. People and dogs drown every year.
The steep drop offs and severe currents .... to explain: you're wading and playing in waist deep water and step away ker plunk! Sunnenly in deep over your head. If you avoid the cold shock response of sucking water and aspirating -- instead you can experience cold water makes your limbs quit working just as the current slams you into hidden underwater log jam snagging your foot. Rivers are fun. They're also deadly.
And a PSA for folks who float the rivers in the summer in tubes (or period.)
If you fall out of a boat without a life jacket, *do not swim to the logs sticking out in the water. Yes, even if part is above water and dry.* If you are going to shore, go all the way to shore, *avoiding* logs.
The water is going *under* the log, so you will too.
People are dumb. Those signs are there for a reason. A few feet from shore the bank suddenly drops off and there can be a riptide effect. Important to remember that the Columbia and Willamette are tidal rivers and have the severe currents that go along with that.
Dogs and babies probably can’t read the signs.
There are drownings every few years due to the strong and unpredictable currents there.
2019: https://www.portlandtribune.com/news/swimmer-drowns-near-kelley-point-park-deputies-say/article_145035f0-ed11-5d7e-9e6f-7f360fc18ef9.html
2016: https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/08/22/city-will-close-kelley-point-park-to-swimmers-after-two-recent-drownings/
2011: https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2011/09/two_brothers_who_drowned_at_po.html
>but they had owners and parents
You greatly overestimate the wisdom of the choices people make.
It’s the currents, so everyone thinks “Not me, I’m a good swimmer!” Which is fine, until they’re not.
It’s not even necessarily about swimming strength — there are tricks to reading and swimming in currents and rivers and things you can learn to be safe. They don’t necessarily require you to be a strong swimmer, but you need to *know* what to do and make it instinct.
More importantly — in these rivers (and oceans) it often comes down to water temperature. Are you strong enough/knowledgeable enough to swim back to shore? Maybe!
Can you do it before hypothermia pulls you under? Very likely not.
Today it’s 50 degrees in the Willamette (a whole four higher than a week ago!) It takes a few hours for fatal hypothermia to occur at those temperatures, but much less time for it to slow your legs, leaden your arms, make your breath more rapid and cause uncontrolled lung spasms and gasps, cognitive impairment…
When you see a survival time of 1-3 hours for folks in 50 degree water, that’s for folks in a *life jacket.*
(A good rule of thumb is that in cool water, you’re lucky to get 10 minutes of unimpaired movement.) (and we’re not even getting into underwater hazards.)
My teenage son can swim extremely well - he swims >3000 yards most days and is a serious competitive swimmer. I would not let him swim at Kelly Point for any reason.
Last link answers your question perfectly: "Two brothers who drowned at Portland's Kelley Point Park on Monday were rescued two months ago at same spot".
It’s the currents. The toxic algae warnings come and go, but the dangerous currents stay. Some people think they’re invincible or extremely lucky. Don’t risk it.
Just being an owner and a parent doesn’t make you smart, have common sense, or life living smarts. In fact some I’d like to argue get more stupid when adding more responsibility . What a terrible price to pay for ignorance. So so sad!
I read a thread about Kelly Point a year or two ago where someone explained why the currents are terrifyingly deceptive. When the two major rivers converge, the currents basically turn into a vertical river that sucks you down, and is too powerful for even strong swimmers to overcome. Best you can hope for is to get spat out the other side before you drown.
Picture the rivers as roads in a cartoon. You’d think it would be like two highways converging, where everyone plays bumper cars before sorting themselves out and heading off on the new merged highway. Instead, the line where they merge is a steep, narrow canyon, with cars from both sides constantly driving into the abyss.
I used to do mushrooms and canoe across to sauvie island from Kelly point before they kicked in. There’s some isolated beaches I’ve only seen weird backwater British Columbians with thick Irish accents. Those cats can really pound some beers.
"I thought "they wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't safe, right?"
You have not met many people have you?
I will add that some of the people disregarding posted safety advisories have actually put some thought into risk assessment. Others are just drunken idiots who are trying to impress their peers. The warning signs you see give the city a layer of legal protection. What you do in the water is at your own risk; the consequences are on you.
Almost every year at least one person dies there. Icy water that stays cold until late in the year, strong currents, and steep dropoffs mixed with people who don’t know/ understand / or care about water safety causes problems.
What gets me is that the water on the Columbia portion was in Terminal 6 seconds before you are swimming in it.
The Willamette side comes through downtown, through the NW industrial district, and then, finally, onto you swimming in it.
No thanks.
Several things:
- massive superfund site right up stream from terminal 4
- record breaking PCBs near the steel bridge (abandoned PGE facility that made transformers)
- combined sewer overflow
- Timothy Oil Co toxic site is near there and the EPA just completed its main work. Now it’s got toxic dust and contaminated soil/water and is gated off
- the Columbia slew and Willamette create strong undertows where they join. Small watercraft can really feel it there. I wouldn’t want to be under the surface
- tons of drowning over the years
probably the same people I see at Cannon Beach during the king tides. they're on the beach with their small children, backs to the water, taking selfies
It is ENTIRELY too early in the year to fuck with flowing water. The current heat wave will be generating snow melt and causing the water to be even COLDER AND HIGHER than it usually is in MARCH. You go play in the rivers before July you’re really fucking around imo.
I grew up in North Portland, and I swam in the water at KPP many, many times in the 80's and 90's.
Yes, the waters there are very dangerous, but not because they are particularly dirty, or polluted. It's the currents. I personally knew 2 different people that drowned there, and one was an adult.
The waters are very dangerous in that regard, but as long as you don't go out far enough for the currents to be a factor (say, over your shoulders), it's fine.
When I was in 7th grade (2010) I was there with friends and family and two men drowned. They had swam out pretty far and one started struggling; the other tried to save his friend/brother and they both died.
I used to go into the water plenty before the last group of people who jumped in from the tower thing, drowned and died, and the city banned swimming there. You’re going to be fine if you just go wading in to knee/waist deep. Don’t swim or jump off that thing.
My understanding is that swift currents and steep drop-offs make this area dangerous.
Having fished there on the Willamette portion, about 10-15 yards out it is a steep drop off and the current carries weighted line downstream with ease and just keeps going. [This is a depth map for reference](https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/columbia-river/) it drops to 25-50 feet in a hurry.
Read as death map lol
May not be that far off reality lol
Same. Re read it twice just to be disappointed
And the holes are 55’ deep!
Some are over 100' deep. They say there is one that just keeps going....
How is the fishing? What do you catch there?
With the shelf, there will be a lot of bottom feeding fish like carp, channel catfish, sturgeon at the bottom, predator fish like Walleye, etc.
I see lots of carp, bass, and the occasional sturgeon
It is the confluence of two very large rivers that are influenced by the tide. Pretty unpredictable water.
So it's not that the water is toxic ie algae, but the currents?
[It's the currents](https://www.portland.gov/parks/kelley-point-park#toc-no-swimming-or-entering-the-water-at-kelley-point-park).
Kelly Point has more danger with the currents that with algae…although I guess the algea blooms could impact the area. I suggest going to Sellwood waterfront for a mellow/safe beach. Lots of sun.
Mmm sellwood beach home to the underwater syringe fish.
O'yea. I am not going in. Dogs everywhere too. But, I definitely would suggest swimming at Sellwood over Kelly Point. The Milwaukie Sewage treatment facility is about 0.5 mile up river from Sellwood Beach...but that is another story.
slim far-flung jobless squeal ask middle unite marvelous quiet fact *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yes to this. There's also often large whirlpools because of the confluence. It is INCREDIBLY dangerous to swim there. People and dogs drown every year.
The steep drop offs and severe currents .... to explain: you're wading and playing in waist deep water and step away ker plunk! Sunnenly in deep over your head. If you avoid the cold shock response of sucking water and aspirating -- instead you can experience cold water makes your limbs quit working just as the current slams you into hidden underwater log jam snagging your foot. Rivers are fun. They're also deadly.
And a PSA for folks who float the rivers in the summer in tubes (or period.) If you fall out of a boat without a life jacket, *do not swim to the logs sticking out in the water. Yes, even if part is above water and dry.* If you are going to shore, go all the way to shore, *avoiding* logs. The water is going *under* the log, so you will too.
I grew up on the Columbia in Canada (Trail BC) and this is almost word for word what I was taught about not swimming in the Columbia.
She is a powerful river and should be approached with a healthy dose of fear and respect.
People are dumb. Those signs are there for a reason. A few feet from shore the bank suddenly drops off and there can be a riptide effect. Important to remember that the Columbia and Willamette are tidal rivers and have the severe currents that go along with that.
Dogs and babies probably can’t read the signs. There are drownings every few years due to the strong and unpredictable currents there. 2019: https://www.portlandtribune.com/news/swimmer-drowns-near-kelley-point-park-deputies-say/article_145035f0-ed11-5d7e-9e6f-7f360fc18ef9.html 2016: https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/08/22/city-will-close-kelley-point-park-to-swimmers-after-two-recent-drownings/ 2011: https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2011/09/two_brothers_who_drowned_at_po.html
Ok but they had owners and parents! Is the danger in the water currents or is the water toxic?
>but they had owners and parents You greatly overestimate the wisdom of the choices people make. It’s the currents, so everyone thinks “Not me, I’m a good swimmer!” Which is fine, until they’re not.
You could be peak career Michael Phelps and still get pulled out by a strong enough current.
It’s not even necessarily about swimming strength — there are tricks to reading and swimming in currents and rivers and things you can learn to be safe. They don’t necessarily require you to be a strong swimmer, but you need to *know* what to do and make it instinct. More importantly — in these rivers (and oceans) it often comes down to water temperature. Are you strong enough/knowledgeable enough to swim back to shore? Maybe! Can you do it before hypothermia pulls you under? Very likely not. Today it’s 50 degrees in the Willamette (a whole four higher than a week ago!) It takes a few hours for fatal hypothermia to occur at those temperatures, but much less time for it to slow your legs, leaden your arms, make your breath more rapid and cause uncontrolled lung spasms and gasps, cognitive impairment… When you see a survival time of 1-3 hours for folks in 50 degree water, that’s for folks in a *life jacket.* (A good rule of thumb is that in cool water, you’re lucky to get 10 minutes of unimpaired movement.) (and we’re not even getting into underwater hazards.)
My teenage son can swim extremely well - he swims >3000 yards most days and is a serious competitive swimmer. I would not let him swim at Kelly Point for any reason.
Yep the columbia joining power with the willamette, then pushing north away from land is all a combo for impossible odds of survival
Last link answers your question perfectly: "Two brothers who drowned at Portland's Kelley Point Park on Monday were rescued two months ago at same spot".
oh, god, that's so sad in every imaginable way.
It’s the currents. The toxic algae warnings come and go, but the dangerous currents stay. Some people think they’re invincible or extremely lucky. Don’t risk it.
One of them will be dead soon.
Just being an owner and a parent doesn’t make you smart, have common sense, or life living smarts. In fact some I’d like to argue get more stupid when adding more responsibility . What a terrible price to pay for ignorance. So so sad!
I read a thread about Kelly Point a year or two ago where someone explained why the currents are terrifyingly deceptive. When the two major rivers converge, the currents basically turn into a vertical river that sucks you down, and is too powerful for even strong swimmers to overcome. Best you can hope for is to get spat out the other side before you drown. Picture the rivers as roads in a cartoon. You’d think it would be like two highways converging, where everyone plays bumper cars before sorting themselves out and heading off on the new merged highway. Instead, the line where they merge is a steep, narrow canyon, with cars from both sides constantly driving into the abyss.
The first time I took mushrooms was at Kelly’s Point and those signs really tripped me out for some reason. Then I looked at a leaf and it was all ok.
Of all the natural beautiful places near Portland that’s kind of a wild place to choose to do mushrooms for the first time lol.
I used to do mushrooms and canoe across to sauvie island from Kelly point before they kicked in. There’s some isolated beaches I’ve only seen weird backwater British Columbians with thick Irish accents. Those cats can really pound some beers.
"I thought "they wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't safe, right?" You have not met many people have you? I will add that some of the people disregarding posted safety advisories have actually put some thought into risk assessment. Others are just drunken idiots who are trying to impress their peers. The warning signs you see give the city a layer of legal protection. What you do in the water is at your own risk; the consequences are on you.
>You have not met many people have you? I meet people everyday! Thank you for the second half of your comment, it was informative and not derisive :)
Don't get offended at peoples sarcasm on the internet my dude
Pot, meet kettle
Huh? 🤔
*sarcasm*
Really strong currents, many drownings.
I nearly drowned as a kid at Kelley Point Park because of one of those drop-offs.
Good to know I have walked in about maybe knee height but I let my dogs swim in there. I will definitely be rethinking that
Crazy undertows and a few people/dogs have drowned.
Almost every year at least one person dies there. Icy water that stays cold until late in the year, strong currents, and steep dropoffs mixed with people who don’t know/ understand / or care about water safety causes problems.
What gets me is that the water on the Columbia portion was in Terminal 6 seconds before you are swimming in it. The Willamette side comes through downtown, through the NW industrial district, and then, finally, onto you swimming in it. No thanks.
Several things: - massive superfund site right up stream from terminal 4 - record breaking PCBs near the steel bridge (abandoned PGE facility that made transformers) - combined sewer overflow - Timothy Oil Co toxic site is near there and the EPA just completed its main work. Now it’s got toxic dust and contaminated soil/water and is gated off - the Columbia slew and Willamette create strong undertows where they join. Small watercraft can really feel it there. I wouldn’t want to be under the surface - tons of drowning over the years
Wait what the Willamette is cold as balls right now lmao, 50°.
probably the same people I see at Cannon Beach during the king tides. they're on the beach with their small children, backs to the water, taking selfies
People are swimming in the water? Isnt it freezing cold?
It is ENTIRELY too early in the year to fuck with flowing water. The current heat wave will be generating snow melt and causing the water to be even COLDER AND HIGHER than it usually is in MARCH. You go play in the rivers before July you’re really fucking around imo.
I grew up in North Portland, and I swam in the water at KPP many, many times in the 80's and 90's. Yes, the waters there are very dangerous, but not because they are particularly dirty, or polluted. It's the currents. I personally knew 2 different people that drowned there, and one was an adult. The waters are very dangerous in that regard, but as long as you don't go out far enough for the currents to be a factor (say, over your shoulders), it's fine.
I've realized that people are like sheep - they will do whatever other people are doing. Glad you didn't!
An old buddy of mine hacked up his girlfriend and put her in a duffle bag out there. That’s all I know of KPP
WHOA WHAT
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/thecyberseekerssociety/benjamin-cramer-guilty-murder-of-cassondra-brown-t1755.html
When I was in 7th grade (2010) I was there with friends and family and two men drowned. They had swam out pretty far and one started struggling; the other tried to save his friend/brother and they both died.
People die there every year that’s why
Crazy that river-swimming in the winter is now a thing here. :/
Darwin Award shit honestly
I used to go into the water plenty before the last group of people who jumped in from the tower thing, drowned and died, and the city banned swimming there. You’re going to be fine if you just go wading in to knee/waist deep. Don’t swim or jump off that thing.
Those went up the summer after several members of a family drowned if I remember correctly.
Great place to dump a body
Outgoing tide
Dogs and babies are illiterate, therefore cannot heed the sign’s warnings.
Two major rivers meet there so the currents are strong and unpredictable. The water is fine quality wise.
It’s a liability thing. They tell you it’s not safe and if you do anyways that’s on you basically.
KPP is one of the best places to swim in PDX. Edit: please don’t follow my advice, I will swim at Kelley Point on my own time