Have you ever been on the water when lightening hit?

Post by **scuro** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:02 pm

I was out at a lake today swimming and we saw some lightening. Brought me back 3 summers ago when we got caught fishing on a pond that was on an island. We didn't see the storm coming because of the tall trees so as soon as we heard the first thunderclap ( and it was close by) we high tailed it back to the boat and then headed back to the cottage. Half way back to the cottage, we got walloped, the waves were rough and we saw a few lightening strikes but it never hit on the water. I have always wondered how stupid that dart to the cottage may have been?

Has anyone been on the water when lightening hit, and if they were what happened? Is it safe to be on a boat when lightening hits water?

Post by **jbarker** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:12 pm

water itself is a poor conductor. Unless it hits within say 100 feet of you, you should be fine. Now given you are in an aluminum boat probably with graphite rods I would be more worried about lightning hitting the boat or the persons in it.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:56 pm

No. And thank god. My tube would probably explode, my waders fill and I sink like a stone.

Chris, stay clear of the bad weather eh, next time just take the rod hold it high and run into the nearest field

Post by **DV_8** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:38 am

Quite a number of years ago my brother and I got zapped while fishing on Lac Poisson Blanc in Quebec. We were bass fishing in Simon Bay when a storm came up real quick. We didn't have a motor on our 12' alluminum boat so we were just oaring it. We made it to shore but on the opposite side of the cottage. We decided to flip the boat over and sit under it so we wouldn't get drenched. One of the corners of the boat was touching the water and I guess lightning hit the lake somewhere close by. Because we were leaning on the edge of the boat we both got zapped in the rear end

It wasn't really bad, somewhat like getting a shock from a wall plug. After the storm passed, we made it back to the cottage but my parents weren't too pleased. I guess they were worried. My brother and I always talk about that every time we go fishing. Funny memory!

Post by **Lunker Larry** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:19 am

Went up to visit my sister and family who were camping somewhere around Barrie years back. There were some god-awful thunder storms on the way up. The weather cleared for a bit but turned bad and forced us into the kitchen tent. My brother-in-law, his neighbour and I were standing there drinking a beer in ankle deep water it was raining so hard. All of a sudden the sky exploded. Everything around us turned a bright blue. We all shot about a foot into the air and our beers foamed like we dropped an alka-seltzer in them. We were kinda super charged and laughed as we were all talking like we were on fast forward.
We could hear the women and kids in the trailer so headed over there to see how they were. My sister said she was reaching for the baby when the lighting hit and a spark jumped from a nearby lamp to her wedding ring. Meanwhile we forgot about the rest of the kids outside in the tent-trailer so my brother-in-law went outside to check on them. CRACK!!! another strike and here he is standing on bare feet on the steel step to the trailer. It knocks him head-over heals and into the garbage cans. Talk about seeing someone over charged. He was bug eyed and bouncing around like a 12 volt trolling motor on 24 volts. Two close strikes - I think we were pretty lucky. Funny when we talk about....and lucky to be able to.

Post by **scttsmpsn** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:38 pm

Isn't water a good conductor thus the reason you never use electrical gizmos near water, etc.

Cheers,

Scott

Post by **Moosebunk** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:55 pm

scttsmpsn wrote:Isn't water a good conductor thus the reason you never use electrical gizmos near water, etc.

Cheers,

Scott

Think it all comes down to space and voltage there Scott. ie, and ant in a thimble might survive the introduction of a watch battery, but if that thimble was hit by lightening there might be a sh!tload more to conduct.

Post by **jbarker** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:09 pm

Water conducts electricity as well as the ground. Think about when you throw a rock in the water. The ripples go out and with each ring it is weaker and weaker. Say lightning hits the water in the middle of the lake at 200,000 volts. 50 feet away it may be 150,000 volts and 100 feet away it may be 100,000 and so on. Just like a bullseye. Farther away from the bullseye the less you get. And it is not the voltage that hurts you (all though it does factor in) it is the amperage. In any cases I have heard about where electrical devices and water the person was either holding or in very close proximity. The only time I have ever worried on the water was when I cast my tube out and it doesn't sink. Line stayed arked , couldn't fish all afternoon. If that happens get of the water and put your rod down because the air is statically charged and could be very dangerous.

Post by **scuro** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:05 pm

So I take it that being in a boat is dangerous during a lightening storm. Funny you never here of fishermen dying in their boat from a strike.

Post by **wolfe** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:17 pm

Scary stuff.

I remember hearing about a jet skiier who was struck by lightening and killed on a lake. They say part of his necklace actually melted. That's frightening and tragic.

Me, my mom and my boys made a terrifying dash, if you can call it that in my underpowered boat, from a good distance back to the cottage. I tried to stay close to the shoreline for whatever it was worth. We could see the forked lightening and the thunder was deafening. It really erupted just as we pulled up to the dock. So we got lucky. But I wonder, too, if we should have raced the storm or gotten out on shore sooner...

W.

Post by **marc Thorpe** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:09 am

Almost got hit several times,once about half a football field away,another time the rods were humming even those laying in the bottom of the boat,this year it barreled on me and had nowhere to hide so I called my mommy.
Weather is dangerous,dont play games with mother nature,you might loose you life

I play storms but sometimes,I get got with a bad hand and its not a good feeling lossing,best you play safe.I admit,lighting scares me,ya only fry once.better to get to shore and wait it out under good cover not trees

Post by **Lunker Larry** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 7:01 am

From Scruro "So I take it that being in a boat is dangerous during a lightening storm. Funny you never here of fishermen dying in their boat from a strike"
Read an article once on this. Some guys were fishing norther Ontario and stayed out on the water too long when a storm rolled in. They thought because they were driving along within a few feet of the cliffs along a rocky shoreline with high trees that if lightning struck, it would go to the highest point so they should be safe .... but no such luck. Buddy on the tiller got a direct hit and was killed.

Post by **joco** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:37 am

HI ALL

I like this subject and read your stories,,,,,,,,,,,and happy that no one off you was hurt baddly,,,,

ANYONE off you saw some balls off fire,,,,,,,,,,,,,some people in my family saw a balls off fire (bright white/blue color) enter there window and went out the othere window,just at the same moment then the BANG

hi jbarker,,,,,,,one place you say water dont conduct electricity the other you say is like ground,,,,,,,,,,

le tme tell you guys,,,,,,,,i have been zap a a lot a the powers plant where i work,,,,,,,,not by very large voltage,,,,,,,6000v......but no curent and it those suprise everytime,,,,,,,

ITS the current that kill you not the voltage,,,,,,,,,,,,

and water is not mutch conductive ,,,,,,,,,ITS THE IMPURTY IN IT'''''all the minerals etc etc,,,,,,,,,,,,pure water a lot less conductive then lets say dirty water,,,,,,etc etc,,,,,,,,,,,,,

same thing for the ground,its depend what in it,,,,,,,,,what minerals,,,,,,and the humidity in it,,,,,,,,

I love that subject,,,,and love to whatch thunderstorm in summer,,,,,,,and get overtime,,,,,,

,,,,,,,,

did you guys no that the light you see is going upward and not down ward,,,,the srick go down but the light go up,,,,,,,,but its so fast that everybody see it going down,,,,,,,but film a strick and watch it,,on very very slow motion and watch it,,,,,,,,,

joco

Post by **saskie** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:52 am

I've sailed through some pretty wild wx on a ship - tall metal mast, spinning radar/com antennae pumping out RF energy - the tallest thing for 200miles in any direction and never been hit. Never even heard of a ship getting zapped. Go figure...

Post by **Lucannus** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:30 am

This might go under the Stupid Story Forum as well.

My Uncle fishes in North Quebec in the Val D'or region. Up visiting my wife's family he asked if I wanted to go out for some walleye. " OF COURSE!"

Out on the water in a nice large princecraft, Uncle, father and brother -in-law, catching beautiful 4-6 lb walleye. Having a great day.

When rain moves in quickly! VERY QUICKLY!, he starts the motor up and says we should head to an island with a cottage and sit under the eaves until the rain lets up!

Before we could get there BOOM! SNAP! Lightening was striking around us. So close you could hear the blood in your ears and smell the sufur in the air. I mean it was LOUD.

One of us (not me) decided to troll so out casts a line and sure enough the lure doesn't hit the water but kind of floats! We yelled at him that he best get his Carbon rod INTO the boat.

At this point my uncle with no regard to anything but safety GUNS his motor and aims at an island, full out we hit the shore and beech and go running to the cabin, and stood under the eaves and ate our lunch.

45 minutes past and Sun breaks out and air is fresh and it couldn't be a more beautiful day. So we all hop into the boat and head out again.

Now hindsight tells me I should have seen this coming, becuase we were the ONLY things moving when the sun came out. No birds, wildlife or sound is being made. ERRRIE Quiet.

Well back to fishing and within 10 mins BOOOM! CLAP!, SNAP. Now we couldn't even see the island we just got off of and are racing for anything we can spot. LIghtnening crashing around us and I have never been so scared. My ears were pounding, we couldn't hear each other and the visibility was nil.

My uncle sees something and races at it. Its an island , but there is no beach but only a rocky shelf. He hits it anyway and as the bow goes over the lip of the submerged rock shelf he grabs the back of the engine and yanks for all this life and pulls the engine up without it getting harmed but still running.

Here is it funny, boat is in 1 foot of water and if we leave it it would be pulled back out into the water. so we grab our lifejackets and use them to insulate our hands from touching the boat and pull the thing to shore, so we don't get standed. Was it smart, not so much!

We soon realised that the beautiful sunshine was actuall the eye of the storm. So we sat patiently and waited for it to clear and then waited some more until the birds started to sing and fly again.

So you would have thought that after all this experience and literally hair raising fright we would head home! Nope, went back to fishing!

We enjoyed fantastic Walleye fillets that night and an even better to story around the fire!