Diving in a thunderstorm

[parrothead600]

Last August, my daughter & I dove on the Keuka in Lake Charlevoix. My wife stayed with our boat. After approx 40 minutes, I noticed that the boats anchor had broken loose & was climbing the side of the ship. I figured that the weather had turned nasty & we better end the dive & return to the boat. When we surfaced, my wife reported that a thunderstorm had passed over & it looked like another one was on it's way.
How much danger were we in being 22'-44' below the surface? How much danger was my wife in at the surface on the boat?
Keep in mind that I always listen to the weater station on the VHF prior to lainching the boat. This was one of those sudden storms that Lake Michigan is famous for in the late summer.

 

[ThatsSomeBadHatHarry]

Last August, my daughter & I dove on the Keuka in Lake Charlevoix. My wife stayed with our boat. After approx 40 minutes, I noticed that the boats anchor had broken loose & was climbing the side of the ship. I figured that the weather had turned nasty & we better end the dive & return to the boat. When we surfaced, my wife reported that a thunderstorm had passed over & it looked like another one was on it's way.
How much danger were we in being 22'-44' below the surface? How much danger was my wife in at the surface on the boat?
Keep in mind that I always listen to the weater station on the VHF prior to lainching the boat. This was one of those sudden storms that Lake Michigan is famous for in the late summer.

There is a post that just talked about this called "diving in the rain" we can't decide...

 

[Gary D.]

If you don't already have it get insurance on the wife. She was the one in danger. I also think I would stay away from the anchor line unless your 100% sure that it won't conduct the super juice.

Gary D.

 

[Nemrod]

Well, I don't think you are in extreme danger. Water will conduct current but there is so much water the current is dissipated rapidly. However, you can drop an electrode into the water and zap fish. It is a sort of well known but illegal fishing method. Electric eels employ electricity for defense. I suppose if you were so unlucky to be very shallow and there was a strike right above you there could be a shocking result.

On the water in boats, people get caught out all the time, it is dangerous, fortunately most boats are not struck but clearly the danger exists. Larger vessels, much like a house or building, are designed with methods to carry the current to ground, which in this case is the water, lake, ocean, which by the way, putting those electrodes I mentioned earlier into the ground will bring up nightcrawlers. N

 

[scubapolly]

I think this topic has been discussed on here before, and if I remember correctly we ended up deciding that divers in the water aren't in that much danger because you aren't grounded, but I don't remember all of the great science behind the discussion. People on the boat are in danger though.