Every year, an average of more than 40 Americans fall victim to fatal lightning strikes. An additional 400 suffer non-fatal strikes, often with permanently debilitating injuries. It’s a sure bet none of these individuals woke up in the morning expecting to be hit by lightning.
And which state do you suppose leads the nation in lightning fatalities? You guessed it; it’s Florida.
Because of this, we at Blue Grotto take lightning safety seriously. You should, too.
No safe haven
You might think that being underwater will keep you safe from lighting. It won’t. Two of our staff members have experienced lighting strikes while underwater.
- In one instance, a staff member was 50 feet down and 150 feet back in the Grotto at Peace Rock.
- In the other instance, a staff member was 70 feet down and 200 feet back in an underwater cave at Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park.
Even under this much water and rock, both staff members report the same experience. It felt as though their entire nervous system momentarily short-circuited. Had they been closer to the surface or at the surface, they might have lost consciousness. In the water, this is easily fatal.
Even if being underwater afforded some degree of protection, your air won’t last forever. You could be forced to surface during a lightning storm. With your head sticking up and a metal lightning rod on your back, you might as well have a gigantic target painted on you.
Ever vigilant
At Blue Grotto, we keep a constant watch for storm clouds and the sound of distant thunder. When this happens, we use our phones to see if lightning is coming our way. If it is, we head for the water and sound the diver recall signal. This sounds like someone banging loudly on a gigantic tank.
If you hear this signal, make a safety stop, if needed, then head for the surface. We will tell you what to do next, which is usually to get out of the water immediately.
Bear in mind that it is not enough to simply exit the water. You are at greater risk standing on the deck or in the parking lot. To be safe during a thunderstorm, you must be:
- Under one of the pavilions.
- Inside the store.
- Inside a vehicle.
Among the worst places you can be is standing under a tree. YouTube has several videos showing what can happen to a tree trunk when lightning strikes. Basically, it can explode like a bomb.
A silver lining
The good news is that the danger posed by lighting generally passes within a half hour. When it does, we unlock the gate and let divers back in the water. On a few occasions, however, we’ve had to keep divers out of the water and under cover for an hour or more.
This means that, if you teach, you should try to have all your training activities wrapped up by 3:00 pm. Most thunderstorms occur in the afternoon. A late afternoon storm could force us to close the Grotto for the balance of the day.
Questions?
If you have questions about our lightning safety procedures or any other policy, please feel free to ask. Remember, we’re here to help.