Lightning- how to avoid

Tell us about your own or others' fishing, boating, 4X4 or camping trip gone wrong. With pictures.
Eman
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by Eman »

And no I don’t do yoga, but looking at the point of view that rubber is a good insulator, also those mats can come in handy for over night trips.


Eman
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by Eman »

Already tried to post this before but it disappeared. Might sound like a dumb question, but I am in hospital drugged up so that’s my excuse, but would thick rubber yoga mats that could double as bedding for overnight trips provide any sort of insulation to you? Or would the energy from the strike come at you from more than one direction?
Eman
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by Eman »

Just worked why I repeated that post time to go back to sleep:-(
ronje
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by ronje »

Yoga mats would be good. Something to kneel on when praying for storm to go away.

Mate, the best advice was given by somebody very early on. Get away from the storm.

When a strike hits there are massive circulating ground currents generated. They'll travel easily through metal objects including those on your body. Watches, nose rings, earings, belt buckles, car keys etc.

If you're at home, you're advised to pull electrical cords from sockets. That's because the earth connection on the plug isn't switched. It's connected all the time even when the wall socket is switched off. Those ground currents can travel up that earth lead into the house wiring and get into appliances via that earth connection. So pull the lead right out. Most people don't though.

Aircraft in flight get hit. They're the highest thing around and they're not earthed to anything. They build up a static charge during the flight and leak it away via trailing arrestors off the wings.

Cars used to have a metal impregnated rubber strap on the back bumper and dragging along as you travel for the same reasons. Leak the building static charge away to ground as you travel.

All you can do is simply reduce chances of getting hit in the first place. If you do get hit out in the boat, then s..t is trumps and it'll be the scariest day of your life. So try to avoid it in the first place.

What happened that you ended up in hospital? Forget the yoga mat? :twisted:
Regards
Ronje
Eman
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by Eman »

Fair point, shows how little I know about the subject. In hospital with a really bad case of the flu.
ronje
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by ronje »

Flu is no good, mate and most certainly not if its bad enough to hospitalize.
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Ronje
NinjaFish
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by NinjaFish »

Taken just now @3pm. Loving it. :D
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NinjaFish
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by NinjaFish »

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Matt Flynn
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by Matt Flynn »

We have had thunder and humidity here the past month. First time I've heard it repeatedly, it is otherwise rare in the local area.

Port Augusta SA sitting on 45C atm, second day in a row, Whyalla not much better, so can't complain :D

http://www.bom.gov.au/sa/observations/s ... ml?ref=hdr
I Wish
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Re: Lightning- how to avoid

Post by I Wish »

Must be enough rain now as I saw a couple of small Box Jellyfish in the shallows this afternoon. So be careful when launching and retrieving your boats!
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