“Tired of y’all dying yearly”: Netizens react as Lake Lanier Island’s no swimming policy comes into effect

The lakefront resort, Margaritaville in Lake Lanier, Atlanta, opens for the summer season this weekend. However, it was recently announced that Lake Lanier wouldn't be allowing visitors to go into the water beyond the sandy shores. Visitors won't be allowed to go wade into a portion of the lake, except in a "controlled environment," but authorities have kept the beach open. The move to not allow swimming comes in as the Island prepares for a busy summer season.

Although swimming won't be allowed, the only area of Lake Lanier where people will have access is the Aquatic Adventure Wibit Attraction. Additionally, Margaritaville officials also added that they will continue to offer kayak and paddleboat rentals at LandShark Landing.

The vice president of Margaritaville, Bucky Perry, declined to explain what specific safety concern triggered the events. Perry, however, did describe the renovations that the park will be undertaking before it opens fully for the summer. The time period of the ban is still unclear and the dates haven't been disclosed to the public yet, but officials say it will start in the summer season.

The new shutdown comes in light of the safety concerns that Lake Lanier has been called out for. There have been several conspiracy theories about the numerous deaths that take place in the lake each year. As soon as people heard that swimming was banned, they took to social media to express relief. While some said that they were glad that swimming was banned, one person said that they were tired of people "dying yearly" at the lake.

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Lake Lanier at Margaritaville will remain untouched this summer and netizens are talking about it

As mentioned earlier, are happy about the new decision. The water park has incurred many deaths over the years and numerous social media users are elated with the new safety concerns. While some stated that over 700 people have died in the lake since the 1950s, others quote-tweeted WSB-TV's tweet and that it was a long overdue decision.

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More information about the new policy

Lanier Islands's Margaritaville announced that they were planning to keep the beach open but not allow anyone to go into the waters. The officials have also installed a fence about a foot high around the shoreline so that beachgoers cannot go beyond the waters.

Margaritaville officials added that it is after careful consideration that they have decided to no longer let people swim in the lake area. In their statement, they also discussed the environment they hoped to build.

Authorities said that they understood that the decision might not be one that everyone agreed with. However, they noted, that it was something they believe would help maintain a safe environment for their guests. Their statement also said that the band would allow them to focus on other parts of the park and offer guests a "better overall experience."

The statement ended with officials saying that the beach would remain open for lounging and soaking up the sun. Management of Lake Lanier declined to give any comments on the safety concerns.

Kim Densmore is one person who isn't too pleased with the management's decision to ban swimming. Densmore, who was reportedly enjoying the water at Lake Lanier on Tuesday, said that closing the water entrance could dry up considerable business.

She added that she didn't think the decision was right and wasn't sure why the management would ban swimming unless it was because the boat traffic.

Lake Lanier is one of the most tourist-friendly lakes with around 12 million people coming to enjoy its waters annually. There have also been reports of several drownings at the lake each year.

One such drowning took place last year when a 20-year-old named Jose Camarillo drowned nearly 30 yards away from the shore on Memorial Day Weekend.

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However, the ban wasn't all that authorities announced, they also said that the lake part is also being expanded to include more inflatable attractions. They are also planning on making some changes to the wave pool, the water park's major tourist spot. The wave pool will be made shallower at its deep end and will go from eight feet deep to five feet nine inches deep. It will also have as many as twelve new wave patterns.

In addition to this, the park also plans on bringing back the splash bucket by the LandShark Bar & Grill. However, it won't have any water guns. Some other renovations include the Aquatic Adventure, Parakeet Springs kids' zone, and the new Parrot Mountain summer tubing slide.