Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Where can you safely fresh water swim near Columbia, SC? I have read in other threads that there are alligators/crocs, water moccassins in the fresh water ponds & lakes-is Lake Murray in this category?
in the 4 years since we moved here from WI, we have not seen nor heard of any gators in Lake Murray and we live in a neighborhood on the lake (though they can be common in lakes further to the south/coastal areas). I believe there may be an occasional one sighted in the river systems on the southeast side of Columbia but would defer to a local on that. I also heard of what i believe was a caiman in the lake once, though if true then it likely was dumped there.
The water should be too cold in Murray for consistant gator populations, though one can find a snake near or in the water on occasion. After all, the benefit of living in the south for us humans (mild winters, no hard freeze) means critters not common to the north also enjoy said mild temps.
We have spent a fair amount of time in the lake and love it, and for those who have no boat there is a nice and very affordable park/beach by the dam to use for swimming.
And when we have the urge to go see gators, we'll travel towards Charleston and hit one of the plantation tours or perhaps the National Wildlife refuge on the SC/GA border near Savannah. In those waters..... we'll pass on swimming lol
The northwestern extent of general alligator habitat is Congaree National Park, about 20 miles south of downtown Columbia. There are a couple of relatively small alligators that live in the Congaree River around the Columbia Canal, but I've never seen them get close to people at the park.
I've been building docks on Lake Murray for 14 years, no crocs., gators(maybe Florida Gators), and I've never seen a Moccassin. I have seen lots of Banded Water Snakes(harmless), a couple of Copperheads, Rat snakes. There are 649 miles of shoreline and I've seen most of them.
Regardless of where you swim in SC, gators are rarely an issue. I do a lot of canoe and kayak trips and camp on the river banks. I see gators all the time. However, a gator is not an aggressive animal. In 20 years of paddling, I have seen thousands and not once has one ever even approached us. They want to avoid us as much as we want to avoid them. If you even get close, they will submerge and swim away. Crocs are different and can be aggressive. However they are not up this far. Only the very southern parts of Florida have a croc population.
Snakes are similar in behavior. They will never seek you out. However, they tend to hide and most accidents occur when you accidently step on them or if they are provoked. I have heard that water moccasins/cotton mouths can be agressive but that is a myth. They don't want anything to do with us. Only when poked or chased will they defend themselves. I once was hiking in Woods Bay State Park and nearly steped on one laying right in the middle of the trail. My foot was in the air when I saw him and had to jump over him to avoid stepping on him. He never got aggressive. I watched him from a distance of about 10 feet as he slowly slid off the trail and into the woods.
Enjoy the outdoors without worry of being "Attacked." We didn't get to the top of the food chain by accident. Just be aware of your surroundings when outside in their enviroment and leave them alone and they will oblige.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
