Mary Malmros wrote:

Jim Esler writes:

Mary Malmros wrote:

writes:

Has anyone ever been caught in a lighting storm while Kayaking?
I was wondering if lighting could get you if you kind of slid into
your kayak and had it on top of you while out of the water. I'm just
looking for some tips what others do, seeing iv'e been pretty close to
being caught in a storm.

Assuming you've made it to shore -- which is what the paragraph
above sounds like -- you'd be better off on top of your kayak rather
than with your kayak on top of you. You want to be insulated from
the ground. I've always heard to take off your PFD and sit on it,
though...not sure why (or if) a kayak wouldn't work. Bad places to
be are underneath the tallest tree (flagpole, whatever) in the area,
on bare rock, in a shallow cave, in a gulley or ditch where
rainwater runs, or out in the open. Good places to be are under a
group of trees of approximately equal height, or in a deep cave.
Also, if you are in a party, you should spread out -- if someone
gets hit and you are close, the blast can injure others close by.

A kayak or a PFD will not provide any significant protection.
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_...to_editor.html dismisses
a similar myth concerning protection in a car with the statement, "
RUBBER TIRES WILL INSULATE ME FROM LIGHTNING (it has traveled miles
through space…a few inches of rubber mean nothing at all.)"

Er...re the car, see the skin effect. It does work.

It works as long as you are not touching any metal surfaces. If you are,
some stray part of the bolt could wander through you. But this is not
relevant to a kayaker unless they are totally enclosed by a metal shell,
which would not be the case if they are sitting on a PFD or a kayak.
--
Jim Esler