Swimming in the St. Lawrence River might not be everyone's idea of a good time, but a group of brave souls disagrees.
About 70 activists jumped off of a pier in the Old Port on Friday morning as part of an event called Grand Splash 2009.
They say the river water is safe and that Montreal should create more access points for swimmers.
CTV News reporter Annie DeMelt asked participant Pierre Lussier how the water felt.
"It was really good," he replied. "The water was 20 degrees Celsius.
He said the water is safe for swimming, though the group did not provide any data to back up its claim.
"The thought of this (dive) is to deconstruct the given thought that if you jump in the St. Lawrence river, it is so polluted that if you put your hand in the water, only bones will come out of it."
As this point, the only official swimming areas in the region are at Jean-Drapeau Park, Cap St. Jacques in Pierrefonds and a nearby beach on Ile-Bizard.
The Grand Splash participants say there are dozens of other areas with easy access to the water.
