JimC
Contributor
RimGreaper:
Problem is, you ARE the path of least resistance in water, especialy fresh water.
What is the risk of lightning
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Problem is, you ARE the path of least resistance in water, especialy fresh water.
I would *not* want to be in a body of fresh water during a storm. ZAP!
Should be no problem underwater in salt water, but obviously getting out will be...
Should be no problem underwater in salt water, but obviously getting out will be...
Appropriate handle you have there... you're just trying to GET more people aren't you?RimGreaper:
I would say the risk of strike is similar to being stuck out in an open field to big to cross. Not something you want to encourage but when it happens, enjoy the show. It's no coincidence that most farm claims to livestock have to do with lightning strike.
Of coarse if you are wearing a tank which serves as a nice lightning rod. Getting out of it doesn't do you much good unless you plan on sinking it and the rest of your metal gear.
I think I'd opt for a really long safety stop.
Of coarse if you are wearing a tank which serves as a nice lightning rod. Getting out of it doesn't do you much good unless you plan on sinking it and the rest of your metal gear.
I think I'd opt for a really long safety stop.
RimGreaper
Guest
jonnythan:Appropriate handle you have there... you're just trying to GET more people aren't you?
Shhhhh.
I'm hunting. The underworld is a bit vacant as of late....
My instructor was actually hit by lightning in a fresh water lake. She was taking two students out for their open water certs. and a storm rolled over quickly as they were underwater. She was carying the dive flag and the bolt came right down the line and hit her. She was O.K. but temporarily paralyzed. They had to pull her up onto the boat. They were pretty shallow too ( 15 - 20ft. max ) so I think that had something to do with it.
RimGreaper
Guest
JimC:
Like I said, I'm no expert, however, unless you were on a large body of water, and surfaced (making you the highest thing around) I would say the chances of injury are rather slim. We must assume that large bodies of water take lightening strikes. If that is the case AND it could cause problems for divers, there should be an abnormal amount of dead fish floating after a thunderstorm.
Suspended in water, you aren't in contact with the ground. I would say you're ok. BUT I found this
"Get out of water. It's a great conductor of electricity. Stay off the beach and out of small boats or canoes. If caught in a boat, crouch down in the center of the boat away from metal hardware. Swimming, wading, snorkeling and scuba diving are NOT safe. Lightening can strike the water and travel some distance beneath and away from its point of contact. Don't stand in puddles of water, even if wearing rubber boots. "
But I've also found this "since saltwater conducts electricity and freshwater does not"
http://cars.er.usgs.gov/REB_and_Sou...s_in_the_Mangroves/gaps_in_the_mangroves.html
So go figure.
To be absolutely safe, I'd hang out inside. But in theory, i'd say you're ok
JimC
Contributor
Salt water is a decent conductor, fresh water is a very poor one. This is what makes fresh water dangerous. In salt water, the lighting will just disperse though the water and ground out unless your directly in the path of the thing.
A lightning strike anywhere near you in fresh water is going to hit you, being the path of least resistance. Getting electrocuted has little to do with being grounded - it has to do with becoming part of the circuit. Lucky for you, after more than a dozen or so feet of water the strike isn't going to to much other than stun you. Mind you, being stunned under water will probably kill you anyway.
Lightning does kill fish, but again, not many since after a few feet it ends up just stunning them.
A lightning strike anywhere near you in fresh water is going to hit you, being the path of least resistance. Getting electrocuted has little to do with being grounded - it has to do with becoming part of the circuit. Lucky for you, after more than a dozen or so feet of water the strike isn't going to to much other than stun you. Mind you, being stunned under water will probably kill you anyway.
Lightning does kill fish, but again, not many since after a few feet it ends up just stunning them.
derwoodwithasherwood
Contributor
My son was hit by lightning. Twice. In both cases he was not the highest object in the immediate vicinity nor would one think he was the most electrically conductive.
The first time, he was indoors, watching a storm through the closed window. He had wanted to go outside and play in the rain, but I told him it was unsafe to be outside because of the lightning. I told him he would have to watch this storm through the window. I was seated within 2' with my back to him. His brother was standing beside him, a foot to the west. My sister was 16' away, walking towards him. There was a huge bang, my sister cried out, I spun around and caught him as he fell over backwards, stiff as a board. The carpet at his feet, laid on a wooden subfloor suspended on wooden joists, was smoking and my sister said she saw a flash or ball of light at his feet at the moment of the thunder. Outside that same exterior wall, 5' west from the edge of the window, was a 30' tall television antennae tower, properly grounded. 25' northwest was a tall tree, approximately 40' in height. Our guess is that the tower played some sort of role in attracting the lightning, but we have no idea how it struck him inside the house or how his brother, standing closer to the tower, and I, on his other side, were missed.
I did not witness the second instance, but many years later he was loading a truck. There were gathering clouds and distant rumbles, but no sign of lightning anywhere in the area. He was 1/2 way along a 12' metal loading ramp between the 2 story building and the metal-bodied truck carrying a commercial display stand constructed primarily of metal. In this case, we suspect that even though the vehicle was both a better conducter and taller, and the building was much higher still, the wire racks were a sharper point than the flat roof of the truck, making it a more efficient electrode. (Spark plug manufacturers have demonstrated that a finer point is more efficient).
Based on these experiences, I don't think it is possible to accurately predict exactly where lightning is going to strike. Just because you are not the tallest object around does not make you immune. Just because the storm is not directly overhead does not make you immune. Being indoors behind glass is no guarantee of safety either, so I sure wouldn't want to take my chances climbing in or out of the water wearing a nice pointy tank valve on my back.
Just my 2¢.
The first time, he was indoors, watching a storm through the closed window. He had wanted to go outside and play in the rain, but I told him it was unsafe to be outside because of the lightning. I told him he would have to watch this storm through the window. I was seated within 2' with my back to him. His brother was standing beside him, a foot to the west. My sister was 16' away, walking towards him. There was a huge bang, my sister cried out, I spun around and caught him as he fell over backwards, stiff as a board. The carpet at his feet, laid on a wooden subfloor suspended on wooden joists, was smoking and my sister said she saw a flash or ball of light at his feet at the moment of the thunder. Outside that same exterior wall, 5' west from the edge of the window, was a 30' tall television antennae tower, properly grounded. 25' northwest was a tall tree, approximately 40' in height. Our guess is that the tower played some sort of role in attracting the lightning, but we have no idea how it struck him inside the house or how his brother, standing closer to the tower, and I, on his other side, were missed.
I did not witness the second instance, but many years later he was loading a truck. There were gathering clouds and distant rumbles, but no sign of lightning anywhere in the area. He was 1/2 way along a 12' metal loading ramp between the 2 story building and the metal-bodied truck carrying a commercial display stand constructed primarily of metal. In this case, we suspect that even though the vehicle was both a better conducter and taller, and the building was much higher still, the wire racks were a sharper point than the flat roof of the truck, making it a more efficient electrode. (Spark plug manufacturers have demonstrated that a finer point is more efficient).
Based on these experiences, I don't think it is possible to accurately predict exactly where lightning is going to strike. Just because you are not the tallest object around does not make you immune. Just because the storm is not directly overhead does not make you immune. Being indoors behind glass is no guarantee of safety either, so I sure wouldn't want to take my chances climbing in or out of the water wearing a nice pointy tank valve on my back.
Just my 2¢.
Wow, twice! I hope that he completely recovered. Is it a wives tale that some people attract lightning more than others? I'm not at all implying that he did anything to attract the shocks, I just mean it seems like I read somewhere that people's body chemistry can cause them to be more prone to lightning strike.
Foo
Foo
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