German man swims 2 km to work every day to avoid traffic

Rather than commuting by land, Benjamin David opts to swim his way to the office each day. Photo from Facebook/BBC

Most people working in a 9-to-5 job can attest to how demoralizing the morning commute could be.

Fed up with the congested roads and city traffic gridlocks, office worker Benjamin David decided to take an unconventional route—by swimming a 2-kilometer stretch of a river near his home in going to work.

The 40-year-old German national, as per the BBC, avoids the packed roads by swimming through the Isar River in Germany, which just happens to flow right past his apartment.

“The traffic on the road next to the Isar is so wild that it is no fun,” he told the news outlet. ”When I’m swimming, I am indeed quicker and also more relaxed.”

Photo from Facebook/BBC

Instead of donning the usual corporate attire, David wears a pair of swimming trunks or a wet suit, as well as rubber sandals to protect his feet from rocks and rubbish from the river.

He packs his work clothes, a towel, laptop and shoes inside a waterproof bag, which also doubles as a floatation device, the report said.

The two-kilometer swim usually takes him 30 minutes to reach his destination, where he dries himself and changes into his work clothes.

Although he admittedly enjoys the form of exercise that comes from his unusual route, David takes due diligence before each plunge—checking both the water level and water temperature first.

On days when the weather and the current are not so cooperative, David returns to the conventional way of commuting.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra