Lightening zap on the Hill 400 at Ginnie

My buddy and I had a lightning incident in Madison Blue in 2008. Effects were not as severe as in this incident. The storm came in after we had already entered the water. Getting out during the storm was scary also.

Here is the write up for those interested.

http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...ison-blue.html

John

For whatever it's worth, I work outdoors for a living. I'm an electronics engineer for CBS News. The BEST, SAFEST place to be in a lighting storm is inside a METAL car, truck or van. NOT convertibles, or conversion jobs made from fiberglass.

The metal shell of a motor vehicle forms a Faraday Cage, and makes you completely invulnerable to lightning strike AS LONG AS you are completely inside the vehicle (no body parts hanging out) and the doors and windows are closed.

If you get caught at a park or on a dive site with a storm approaching, get in your car and enjoy the show.

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Originally Posted by Slüdge

I remember this day well. It was the first annual CDF Social, and Ron & Kim Bear and I were preparing to make our second dive of the day. A storm blew in and I suggested we wait a few minutes. Yeah, as if anybody's ever convinced Ron Bear to postpone a dive a few minutes. The lightening (in keeping with Forrest's classic spelling of the word) got closer and closer, but Ron was determined to go ahead with the dive.

After gearing up, we went over to the Devil Eye platform, and I was standing in the middle of the platform and Ron & Kim were waist-deep on the steps. I watched as a bolt of lightening hit next to the orange ball at the Ear, and Ron yelled, "Yow!" He felt a huge shock while Kim, standing right next to him, felt nothing. And they were wearing identical drysuits.

We heard Angie and John's story later in the day, and I still think we were all nuts to be even NEAR the water during that storm.

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So hows come when we were at Hart, and I was balking at going diving with the giant storm coming, you shusshed me into the water?

While doing one of my check out dives in 1983 a storm blew up just as my buddie and I were entering the water of a fresh water lake. A close strike made my hands feel as if I had just grabbed an electric cattle fence. My buddie said what shall we do now. I said I am gettin under water. we got in and did the dive and heard lots of thunder but felt nothing else. I thought under water would be better than sticking above it.

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Originally Posted by gschaut

For whatever it's worth, I work outdoors for a living. I'm an electronics engineer for CBS News. The BEST, SAFEST place to be in a lighting storm is inside a METAL car, truck or van. NOT convertibles, or conversion jobs made from fiberglass.

The metal shell of a motor vehicle forms a Faraday Cage, and makes you completely invulnerable to lightning strike AS LONG AS you are completely inside the vehicle (no body parts hanging out) and the doors and windows are closed.

If you get caught at a park or on a dive site with a storm approaching, get in your car and enjoy the show.

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Great advice! Several of us took shelter in a van once, except my ex, who insisted in standing outside, with her hand on the van. She got zapped pretty good, but those inside felt nothing.

While researching lightning fatalities on golf courses, I discovered that the number one cause was standing in an open field during a storm. The second most common was standing under a tree. Inside a building is probably best, followed by being inside a metal vehicle.

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Originally Posted by Squirrel Girl

So hows come when we were at Hart, and I was balking at going diving with the giant storm coming, you shusshed me into the water?

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It was starting to rain and I'm afraid of getting wet.

Only peripherally related, but it does have to do with a shocking experience.

Tracy's department is starting to issue their officers TASERs. Apparently, in order to be TASER certified, you have to be shot with one. (Good thing they don't apply the same thinking to guns...) Since she has a variety of surgical screws, plates, pins, and rods in her legs, she was not enthusiastic about being shocked. Plus, she is very leery of lightning, after seeing several of her family's horses killed by one lightning bolt as a child. She won't wash dishes, take a shower, or talk on the phone during a thunderstorm, and tells me that I shouldn't either.

First, she wasn't going to attend the training, figuring that as a detective lieutenant she wouldn't be carrying one. Then she said, "Well, I'm supervising people who will be carrying TASERs, so I should at least go to the training, but I'm not getting shot with one!"

So, guess who came home with two little puncture wounds in her butt, each surrounded by a quarter sized bruise? "I couldn't be the only one who didn't get tased..." The initial shock from a TASER lasts five seconds - according to Tracy it doesn't seem like much more than 10 minutes.

Mike

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Originally Posted by Squirrel Girl

So hows come when we were at Hart, and I was balking at going diving with the giant storm coming, you shusshed me into the water?

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Are you sure he wasn't hoping to end up with a whole bunch of pink dive gear when you got zapped?

-Jon

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Originally Posted by FW

Several of us took shelter in a van once, except my ex, who insisted in standing outside, with her hand on the van. She got zapped pretty good, but those inside felt nothing.

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I can hear it now... "Honey, if you stand outside and put your hand on the car, it will ground us all and we'll all be safe..."

So she insisted...

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Originally Posted by jlillest

Are you sure he wasn't hoping to end up with a whole bunch of pink dive gear when you got zapped?

-Jon

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That's a dangerous game of Russian roulette! It'd be as likely as not that he'd get it as me. Then I might end up with a bunch of regs???