Rhine So Low That Skipper Stands on the Riverbed Beside His Ship

The water level of the Rhine has dropped so low that skipper Peter van der Veen (35) decided to do something few have done before: lower a ladder from his ship, step into the flowing river and stand on the riverbed.

Van der Veen commands the Sakura, a 73-meter inland vessel with a draft of 2.60 meters, currently moored near Mannheim, Germany. The water there is so low and so clear that the bottom is visible right below the hull. "I figured I could stand there too," he said. "You can see the bottom, and it's getting very close to the underside of our ship."

Despite the low water, the current remains strong, so he held onto the ladder alongside the ship. "And would you believe it - I was standing on the bottom quite easily."

He filmed the stunt and posted it online; reactions flooded in by the hundreds. "It's really booming," he laughed. Some commenters dismissed it, saying standing on the riverbed is no different from standing on the bank. "I understand that, but I'm not standing on the bank. I'm standing on the bed of the fairway, which is much deeper."

His children, he says, are thrilled that dad stood on the floor of the river.

It wasn't his first attempt - shortly before, he had done it again, but the camerawoman forgot to press record.

On Friday afternoon he plans a second attempt, hoping to keep his head above water this time. He will take a speedboat back toward the Netherlands, where a sandbank lies in the Rhine. "I don't dare promise I'll manage it," he said. His wife will stay nearby in the speedboat so he can get back on board quickly.