A little excitement at BHB Friday !

[idive2]

Just toward the end of slack tide Friday we had a pretty nasty thunder and lightning storm move through.
I had been to the north of the little bridge when I noticed it was getting a bit dark so I started to make my way
back south toward the small bridge. Before I could get to the bridge I could actually see the lightning overhead.
I decided to hunker down under the bridge on the bottom for a bit then decided to surface while under the bridge
while the storm passed. There was a a couple divers under the same area as myself and another large group taking
cover under the bridge to the east a bit. Two fisherman in a small inflatable had the same idea. Actually had a good dive
till the weather changed but still got in over sixty minutes and was happy to get back to the parking area after the storm
subsided. Hogfish, rays, lionfish (scheduled to be expedited at a later date) and all the other usual subjects were out and
about.

 

[jimw]

Lightning and Diving link, click it

We had lightning after beginning a dive at BHB a couple of weeks ago, so I googled it.

From this--it appears the things to do are-- if not in the water--don't go!!
If diving--stay uw--as the current from a lightning strike tends to flow along the surface of a conductor and water IS a conductor. So, we should stay OFF the surface, or out!

 

[idive2]

Yeah, I was wondering about the conductor factor on the surface. Of course being toward the end of the dive I was not in a situation to hunker
down on the bottom for as long as it may have taken. Under the bridge seemed like the next best thing. I don't often check the weather for
my bridge dives but would definitely not enter with any lightning present. Being here in florida the weather can change quickly and a lot can
happen in an hour or so.

 

[jimw]

When i read that "electricity flows mostly on the surface of a conductor", in the link I posted--it rang a bell--I once took some electronics classes and remembered "flow on the surface", but I had never thought of it in terms of water.

 

[fisheyeview]

Had the same thing happen years ago at the bridge. I did the exact same thing as you as I was past the 2 hour mark and getting a bit low on air. Next time will stay under til I run out.

I remember the thunder under teh bridge was quite loud as the lightning was hitting very close. Got so scared I peed myself.

 

[squidproquo]

I happened to be taking my AOW class a there as the storm rolled in. We were working on navigation and took cover under the bridge to the west. The water got really nasty from the crap on the beach floating into the water. Good dive before that saw the largest Sheepshead I've ever seen.

 

[BLoaf]

Lightning and Diving link, click it

We had lightning after beginning a dive at BHB a couple of weeks ago, so I googled it.

From this--it appears the things to do are-- if not in the water--don't go!!
If diving--stay uw--as the current from a lightning strike tends to flow along the surface of a conductor and water IS a conductor. So, we should stay OFF the surface, or out!

To be more accurate, water IS NOT a conductor, rather the impurities in the water conduct the electricity.