'It's deep. It's cold': Beach-goers dip toes in Lake Ontario but few swimming in bone-chilling waters

Lake Ontario is clean enough for swimming, says Toronto Public Health, but an unofficial survey by CBC News has found few people are taking the plunge this early in the season because it's so cold.

"There are a lot of people who do not want to go in the lake at all. They're afraid of it. They think they'll turn nuclear or something, come out glowing," Stevan Jovanovich, a Toronto resident, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Monday at Woodbine Beach.

"My experience has been fine. It's a very cold lake. It's deep. It's cold."

The City of Toronto flies Blue Flags as part of an international program at its beaches on Lake Ontario. The flags mean the beaches meet certain high standards for water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety.

Ten beaches, including Woodbine Beach, were considered "safe to swim" at on Monday as part of the Blue Flag program, according to Toronto Public Health.

"Conditions are based upon E. coli counts in beach water samples taken over the past 24 hours," the city says on its website.

Jovanovic, who is retired, said he has been swimming in Lake Ontario every year for the past 40 years. He said which way the wind is blowing makes all the difference. He grew up in Woodstock, Ont., but has lived in Toronto since he was 18.

If the winds are onshore and blowing north, it's warmer, but if offshore and blowing south, it's colder.

"If the wind is onshore, it brings the warm water up to the surface, and then it's quite nice. When the wind is blowing south, the Americans are having a nice fine warm beach," he said. "When it's coming our way, it's our turn."

LISTEN| CBC Radio's Mary Wiens asks people how the water is at Woodbine Beach:

Linda Moore, a Toronto resident, said she and her husband John Moore would swim in Lake Ontario if they had pool shoes because they want to protect their feet. She remembers the water being cold from when she went for a dip when she was 16.

Back then, she went into the lake with a group of young people and was wearing a white bathing suit. Green seaweed ended up on it when she came out of the water. "It wasn't very pretty," she said. 

Now, she said she isn't too worried about the lake's temperature or its water quality and noted that the people who were swimming on Monday "were not dropping dead." . Moore added: "This is our lake and our beach. We're proud of it. It's nice. We're lucky to have it. There's a lot of cities that are nowhere near any water so this is nice. It's a lovely beach."

For Andrea Whitener, a resident of North Carolina, the water was very cold but still enjoyable for wading on Monday.