Lightening strikes multiple SoCal beach-goers!

[yugi]

So... IF you are still on the water when lightening begins, what is the best thing to do?

[SaMoSUP]

On one of the L.A. t.v. shows this evening, they interviewed two SUPpers that were out in Venice.  They were on carbon fiber boards.  The guy said they felt the struck.   The lifeguards checked them out, and said they were fine.  LUCKY!

It was definitely an eerie day. I was paddling by the Santa Monica pier a few miles north of the Venice pier. The ocean seemed strange so I paddled closer to shore than normal. Then a couple of hours later I heard the news. Here's one of the SUPpers being interviewed about the incident.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/1-person-dies-7-hospitalized-025036522.html

Good PR work for SUPs in offering assistance for SAR for missing surfer. If I remember correctly, a few weeks ago it was a SUPper who came to the rescue of the swimmer who got bit by a shark down in Manhattan Beach.

[TallDude]

Whats interesting, is I think the Lifeguards are getting the picture. I just saw a Lifeguard truck driving away from the Hobie warehouse with 4 new SUP's on the rack of their truck.

[Bean]

So... IF you are still on the water when lightening begins, what is the best thing to do?

Get out of the water and seek shelter...if you get hit on land, at least no one has to swim for your body.

[PonoBill]

Being low in the water would help a little. If the lightning was striking within sight--meaning you could see bolts hitting the water in your vicinity I'd be tempted to stuff my paddle under me and prone for shore. Otherwise you're probably faster standing and heading for shore.

Being inside a car or a metal structure helps--it's a Faraday cage. The gasoline can ignite, but you'd have a few seconds to get out. Being under a tree is a really bad idea. The strike is not a single discharge and the bolt doesn't travel in a narrow line. It's millions of discharge tracks moving up and down between earth and the cloud in plasma columns. They take LOTS of paths back and fourth so the effect is spread over a fairly large area, which explains why one bolt might kill one person and injure dozens of others.

[Bean]

The old maritime thinking was that a "cone of protection" exists within a 45 degree of a well-grounded mast.  I used to think that my outriggers were sufficient lightning protection until I came to the realization that they were not grounded at all and were in-fact isolated to protect the beautiful anodized finish...

[stoneaxe]

I've had a couple of paddle sessions where I fled the water because of lightning. First time was crazy, BIG storm with bolts shooting out all over was headed straight for me. I just made it to the shore before it hit. I figured I might use my paddle (lightning rod) to my advantage and ran down the beach 200 ft and stuck it in the sand standing straight up. Ran back to my board, leaned it against a couple rocks and got under it to get out of the rain that was starting to pour down in buckets. I was almost hoping to see my paddle get hit to see what would happen and if I'd get any glass. I've always wanted to try making fulgurite (lightning glass) with model rockets and wire spools but have never done it... 

It definitely does weird things and the raw power is simply awe inspiring. The tree in the backyard of our house growing up was split by lightning when I was a teen and a huge chunk of it got was thrown 100 ft into the neighbors yard across the street.

You expect the power but the weird stuff is even more amazing. I was commuting home from Boston 20 years ago with my wife when lightning struck the overpass that was 100 yds in front of us....lots of people walking on the sidewalk, road packed with cars. The lightning flicked all over the whole structure making a lace like pattern , mostly in the fencing and rails but also down the columns into the ground.....nobody on the bridge even seemed to notice...
I think Florida has to be the epicenter of lightning activity in the states. Every time I've been down there I've seen crazy violent storms that nobody that lives there seems to think much of. I love watching storms, I was standing under a car port down there once watching it crash all around when all the hair on my body stood on end.....followed immediately by a blinding flash and a massive CRACK so loud my ears were ringing and the right ear actually hurt. Scared the absolute crap out of me.

[pdxmike]

Or, if you're certain people from a certain land, you go out paddling in a lightning storm and amuse yourselves watching how the electricity makes your paddles buzz when you hold them up in the air:

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,9803.msg85505.html#msg85505

[jdmotes]

 We lost my Mom in June of '83 to lightning. She was fishing off her favorite bridge (Tom's Harbor Channel) in Grassy Key, Fl... Storm was approaching quickly and my Mom's friend (Ruth) said it was time to  quit fishing and head for shelter but my Mom (forever the fisherman) told Ruth to go ahead and she would follow as soon as she lost her bait on her line... Ruth said she had just got to the parked car when she saw/heard the flash/crack of the lightning. She ran back onto the bridge and saw my mom laying motionless on the bridge. It had hit her head and excited her left foot scorching the asphalt to leave us a memorial of where she left this earth.
 We (the family) were pretty freaked out about the whole ordeal. However, I was able to come to terms by keeping fact that my Mom loved to fish and how many of us pass over doing what we love to do...
 I still think of her (after all these years) whenever I'm near the water with a storm approaching...    Paddle on,     JD

[stoneaxe]

Terrible tragedy JD, I thought exactly the same as I was reading your post. I've often said if I can't go in my sleep I want to go doing something I love. I bet your Mom didn't even notice the change, sounds like she was already in her heaven....maybe the trophy tarpon she suddenly had on her line gave it away...

[PonoBill]

Sad story JD.

I'm not sure that dieing while you're doing something you love is a better way to go, but I'm absolutely sure that doing things you love is the best way to live.

[yugi]

Sorry JD. Just goes to show this shit does strike, and the sad consequences.

Yes, I know I'd paddle for shore as fast as possible. Been there done that, was the first to hit shore.

Yes, I know if hairs begin to bristle definitely don't use the paddle. Paddle with hands.

Yes, I know not to stand up. But here's my question. Better to kneel hand paddle or lie prone?

Here's why I ask. I know that if exposed in the mountains once in the safest place you find (that's an interestingly not obvious one I could expand on but on water we don't have those options) one should crouch (feet close together, can expand on that if not obvious) or kneel on your pack because a discharge can travel across the wet ground surface. Don't lie down or sit direct on bum to protect vital organs.

So I would guess place paddle on board and kneel paddling w hands making oneself as small as possible. I wonder if we are best off jettisoning our paddle alltogether. We are told to get rid of all conducting things like metal and that would include a paddle. Are there any known recommendations? Other than book for shore before it hits (my current strategy).

[hbsteve]

Maybe attach the leash to the paddle and drag it behind you.