BCD gave me an electric shock....

[BRT]

An excellent question. Spoken like a man who has spent too much time sticking his fingers where they arguably don't belong I presume.

Cameron

A person who has been an electrician, and a mechanic for over 40 years.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Question would be was it a burning sensation like a DC voltage or a buzzing sensation like an AC voltage?

Buzzing sensation’ the cart wasn’t plugged in at the dock.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

I think you are saying your BCD and cylinder were on an electrically powered golf cart for transport. If so, that sounds like the most likely source.
If your light was shorting and rapidly discharged, you would probably have noticed the heat and maybe even some damage once you went to recharge it or change the batteries.

Yep, the cylinder was not on the cart though, although the saltwater ad plate may have been enough. I think they need to check their carts to be honest...light was fine. I dove with it that night.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

...so not quite like licking a battery.

 

[BRT]

...so not quite like licking a battery.

No, the buzzing would indicate AC. Couldn't come directly from any battery source. Many voltage controllers work by chopping the current. How it would get to you through the tires seems difficult. Interesting.

Edit. I suppose the carbon in the tires conducts better than I would have supposed.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

No, the buzzing would indicate AC. Couldn't come directly from any battery source. Many voltage controllers work by chopping the current. How it would get to you through the tires seems difficult. Interesting.

Edit. I suppose the carbon in the tires conducts better than I would have supposed.

Interesting, but more concerning as it would suggest a dock issue and not a battery issue which could be more serious. Strange thing was it was only my BCD, no one else’s. Either way. I’m going to brief them in email for the record and speak to them this afternoon.thanks for your help with this.

 

[Rred]

Tires can be relatively conductive these days. In the 50's you might have seen fuel tankers trailing grounding chains, and cars had static problems on the new AM/FM radios because the (tubed) tires built up a charge. These days? No chains, no static build-up. At least with car and truck tires, they're conductive enough. Presumably the same "rubber" is on golf carts?

 

[kelemvor]

Salt water (or any water that is impure) is very conductive. If anything was wet after being in the red sea, it would probably do a bang-up job at conducting electrocity. So all you need in a salty and wet environment is a power source, and the lack of a path for current flow with less resistance.

That's why if you've got electricity near water, then everything involved should be bonded and grounded... in addition to using standard safety gear such as ground fault circuit interrupters.

As others said, good chance it's the light and/or wiring on that dock (combined with salt water). The owner of the dock needs to fix it before someone gets hurt. Not to mention that all that extra current flow is probably costing him money.

Tires can be relatively conductive these days. In the 50's you might have seen fuel tankers trailing grounding chains, and cars had static problems on the new AM/FM radios because the (tubed) tires built up a charge. These days? No chains, no static build-up. At least with car and truck tires, they're conductive enough. Presumably the same "rubber" is on golf carts?

I didn't know cars ever used inner tubes.... I did assume that tires were a good insulator. Thanks, now I'll be even more nervous when driving through lightning storms !

 

[Rred]

kel-
I was visiting a friend one stormy day, my car parked on the street outside pretty much under a very mature tree. And I know we took some nearby lightning strikes, the kind where you wonder how you got under the couch so quickly.
When it was time to leave? I couldn't leave so quickly. Found two blown fuses in my car, just from the induced charge or whatever indirect current got into the car. No damage visible to the tree, or in the area, but blown fuses in the car.
Which is why you also don't want to be in or on the water when there's lightning. I'm told the strike can product lethal current within a hundred yard radius in salt water.