HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Firefighters and police hope one swimmer's embarassing false alarm will stress safety to everyone this summer.

To beat the summer heat, many like to take a dip in the pool -- whether it's at a community pool, a local lake, or even the region's rivers.

"I just wanted to swim man, that's it," said Wesley Johnson.

But Johnson learned the hard way that trying to swim the span of the mighty Ohio River isn't a good idea.

"Somebody else must've called them," said Johnson.

"I seen him swim out through there," said Steven Starr, who saw Johnson go into the water on the Huntington side. "He was swimming like this and he turned around and did backstrokes like this."

So, someone called 911, prompting search teams to respond from both the Huntington Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.

They found Johnson safe and sound on the other side of the river.

"I went all the way across man. that's what I intended to do. I intended to come back. I didn't mean to do all this," said Johnson.

But experts say the swim isn't so simple.

"I certainly don't recommend anyone try to swim across the Ohio River," said Huntington Fire Marshal Captain David Bias. "I'm sure there's a lot of people that can do it, but as you can see right there, we've got a barge going across, there's a lot of traffic and stuff that you really don't count on maybe when you're starting to go across the river, and a lot of stuff could happen."

For Johnson, it was a successful swim -- but one searchers say could have left him under water.

Firefighters and police told us Johnson will not face any charges because it isn't illegal to swim the river. However, they stressed that just because you can do it, does not mean you should.