Boat cleaning fatality - Fort Myers, Florida

[DandyDon]

Abyrd, I too am very sorry for your family's loss. Condolences are actually not allowed in the Accident forum, restricted to our Passings forum - but still. Such a sad loss.

I have been learning as much as I can about ESD

When I googled that term, it gave me "Electrostatic discharge," which is not the cause here.

Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) in freshwater.

That's it. Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) Explained - Seaworthy Magazine - BoatUS

Very scary. Seems impossible to notice before too late, as well as nearly impossible to save anyone stricken. I thought about this accident earlier today while out on a farm and the habit some have of sticking a toe in the water, wondering if that would help?

We lived aboard in Legacy Harbor Marina which is just east of the Edison-Ford Marina (about 10 minutes up river). The water is definitely brackish and supports barnacle growth. At our condo (another 2-3 miles east) the river is still salty. I doubt that the Lake O releases have turned the river fresh.
Dockside electrics and onboard generators are different animals from residential AC electricity. You have to be careful with the wiring of the neutral wire or bad things can happen- to the boat, the wiring or you! Be careful out there!

The Edison-Ford Marina is only about 10 miles from the gulf so I'd expect it to be brackish, but I guess that'd depend on tides and river flow. Is this not a risk in salt water, if salty enough? I have heard of other freshwater hits of divers and in swimming pools, but not in saltwater. Some Cozumel divers have mentioned feeling tingles near the cable from the mainland, but nothing more.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok, I read this from that site: Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) Explained - Seaworthy Magazine - BoatUS

Why fresh water and not salt? Salt-water is anywhere from 50 to 1,000 times more conductive than fresh water. The conductivity of the human body when wet lies between the two, but is much closer to saltwater than fresh. In saltwater, the human body only slows electricity down, so most of it will go around a swimmer on its way back to ground unless the swimmer grabs hold of something — like a propeller or a swim ladder — that's electrified. In fresh water, the current gets "stuck" trying to return to its source and generates voltage gradients that will take a shortcut through the human body. A voltage gradient of just 2 volts AC per foot in fresh water can deliver sufficient current to kill a swimmer who bridges it. Many areas on watersheds and rivers may be salty, brackish, or fresh depending upon rainfall or tidal movements. If you boat in these areas, treat the water as if it were fresh just to be on the safe side.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Stop me if wrong - volts don't kill amps do...

 

[jzipfel]

OK, this got me thinking. Why aren't there more fatalities in lakes then? Is this a big issue.

Closer to home, my son does milfoil removal in lakes. He dives when the water is below 10 feet so he can be more efficient. Should he have each dock owner shut all AC power to the dock before he goes in?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

If it were my son - yes... Lock out - Tag out...
You cant see, smell or hear electricity - why take a chance?

 

[abyrd]

OK, this got me thinking. Why aren't there more fatalities in lakes then? Is this a big issue.

Closer to home, my son does milfoil removal in lakes. He dives when the water is below 10 feet so he can be more efficient. Should he have each dock owner shut all AC power to the dock before he goes in?

This is a very big issue!!! It is a silent killer and there is no way to PROVE it. So many people die with "drowning" and in reality they didn't drown. The above link Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) Explained - Seaworthy Magazine - BoatUS is a fantastic article and I have spoken with the writer and researcher. This is just not talked about enough. The AC power needs to be shut off for complete safety.

 

[abyrd]

Ok, I read this from that site: Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) Explained - Seaworthy Magazine - BoatUS

This is the best article I have found since our story happened. I spoke with the writer and got quite a lesson. He also has several other cases in the article. The biggest problem is so many cases go cold or don't get reported. I want to be an advocate for this cause and make sure swimmers and divers are aware of the risks involved when swimming near electricity and/or marinas. I live in Tn and we have had 2 small kids die this way in a lake marina. They had swam there many times before...but this one time was all it took to take their lives.

 

[DandyDon]

Stop me if wrong - volts don't kill amps do...

Beats me. I never understood all that electrical stuff, which makes the risk greater. I think our cattle fences were high voltage, but the ones powered by approved chargers wouldn't kill a person - just jolt like hell.

OK, this got me thinking. Why aren't there more fatalities in lakes then? Is this a big issue.

Closer to home, my son does milfoil removal in lakes. He dives when the water is below 10 feet so he can be more efficient. Should he have each dock owner shut all AC power to the dock before he goes in?

I've read of a few, in pools and lakes. I suspect many get reported as simple drownings. Pretty scary thinking about jumping into a field for whatever reason. It'd be difficult to watch a child drown without going in.

This is the best article I have found since our story happened. I spoke with the writer and got quite a lesson. He also has several other cases in the article. The biggest problem is so many cases go cold or don't get reported. I want to be an advocate for this cause and make sure swimmers and divers are aware of the risks involved when swimming near electricity and/or marinas. I live in Tn and we have had 2 small kids die this way in a lake marina. They had swam there many times before...but this one time was all it took to take their lives.

Sounds great. I have a couple of causes I push, one online and one locally. Sometimes I feel like it's just not worth my efforts, but I keep going, and now & then I get news or a thank you that helps me go again.

 

[Lee Coller]

This is generally only an issue with boats hooked up to shore power, so it's an issue in marinas where there are generally rules against swimming and diving, and I would imagine in fresh water divers involved in underwater maintenance check the water before they dive (at least I hope they would). Perhaps fstbttms can answer that (though I think he works only in salt water where it's less of an issue). I actually think this is one thing missing from our diving education. I was aware of this, as it is talked about regularly on boating forums.

 

[jzipfel]

This is generally only an issue with boats hooked up to shore power, so it's an issue in marinas where there are generally rules against swimming and diving, and I would imagine in fresh water divers involved in underwater maintenance check the water before they dive (at least I hope they would). Perhaps fstbttms can answer that (though I think he works only in salt water where it's less of an issue). I actually think this is one thing missing from our diving education. I was aware of this, as it is talked about regularly on boating forums.

That's kind of my concern. What if the dock off someone's property has AC power for decorative lights, maybe a boat lift, etc. Then I think I want the power off before he gets in.