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Swimming in the Seine: but what’s hiding under our paddles?

undefined undefined 4 août 2025 undefined 08h30

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The Editor

© EricBery / Shutterstock

Last week, Ludovic, the social media star garbage collector, was conducting a one-of-a-kind experiment. Armed with a huge magnet, he set out to discover the “treasures” hidden at the bottom of the Parisian river.

For the past few weeks, the Seine has officially reopened to Parisians after a century of prohibition. While some were initially sceptical, several tens of thousands have come to give the experience a try now. It must be said that all the tests regarding water quality have proven to be safe for swimming. However, some still wonder about what the river really contains. To answer this question, an aspiring fisherman decided to dive into the depths of the water. And the results are not exactly dazzling.


Iron, as if it were raining

For 24 hours, Ludovic invited his followers to join him in a bit of a crazy project: a fishing marathon using a magnet under the National Bridge, located in

between the 12th and 13th districts. And the least we can say is that they did not come back empty-handed. Indeed, the results of the operation: 13 Vélib’ (so that’s where they all went...), 3 shopping carts, 2 safes, 1 Vespa, dozens of bottles of nitrous oxide, piles of iron bars, and even 5 pots. In total, 1.7 tons of metal removed from just one spot in the span of 24 hours. That’s certainly a quantity that raises questions. Already about the other secrets hidden by the river. What about the plastic or the glass? But also regarding the consequences for us, poor Parisians, who dive headfirst into these murky waters.


Under the Seine

Well, we want to reassure you, opposite to what Netflix has tried to make us believe with lots of special effects, there’s no nightmare in sight regarding the contents of the Seine. In fact, according to several experts, the rusting iron in the water poses no danger to wildlife or humans. The only exception is cars, which release fumes and oil. However, the Seine is frequently monitored to avoid such situations. Additionally, all the sites invested in by the City of Paris have been thoroughly cleaned to reduce any risks, whatever they may be. So, the Seine is definitely not very clean (which we strongly suspected), but at least it’s – pretty much – safe.

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