skip wrote:
Four of us were paddling one of the spring creeks in Florida's Ocala
National Forest when a thunder storm blew up rather suddenly. The
temperature dropped quickly and the rain was cold. The lightning was
following the thunder by only a second or two. Much too close for comfort.

We were in a swampy area with cypress knees and brush on each side - we
could not see solid land. The first solid land in sight was about 15-20
minutes down river.

One of the paddlers in a tee shirt and shorts paddling a sit on top kayak
was complaining about being cold. It was raining hard and we didn't have
extra rain gear for her.

What should we have done?

Statistically, the most dangerous place for a paddler to be in such a
situation is where the water meets the land, which means that heading to
shore is somewhat risky. You're actually safer - from lightning, that is
- on open water. However, if wind and water conditions or other factors
create a greater risk, heading to shore may be the safest bet. Avoid
tall trees, but my understanding is that sheltering in low brush or a
grove/forest of short trees is no problem, so if it provides enough
shelter to alleviate exposure problems, that's a good place to be. The
safest place to be in the outdoors is in a shallow depression, well away
from shore, squatting down on something that will insulate you from the
ground, with both feet on the ground and not touching the ground with
your hands.

What you REALLY need to do is learn from this experience. ALWAYS carry
extra clothing, food, water and emergency gear, including a reliable
means of emergency communication (on the water, a marine VHF radio is
the best bet). Check the weather before leaving and watch it carefully
throughout the day. As your experience shows, a seemingly benign day can
turn ugly in a hurry. BE PREPARED! Lack of preparedness is a major cause
of outdoor injuries and fatalities.