something I keep forgetting to ask....

[Becca65]

Ok - this may sound silly but it's something I've thought about and it wasn't really covered in class and no one has mentioned it when we've visited dive lakes...what is the risk at a lake - or in the ocean - if a storm blows up while you're diving? None of the people at the dive lakes have ever said - nor have I seen it posted or in their literature what you should do or if they somehow signal divers to get out of the water if a storm happened to come up. What if you surface to find stormy skies - should you try to get out of the water as soon as possible or is the risk minimal?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'd be concerned if there was lightning ... or if the wind was blowing such that it created a hazard getting out of the water (big waves make exiting more difficult). Weather, and weather predictions, are always something you should factor into your dive plan. If it looks like there's a storm blowing in, it's probably a good idea not to get in the water in the first place.

Most boats do have a recall signal ... an audible signal that they'll give if it becomes necessary to tell divers to cut their dive short and exit the water. The boat crew will describe that signal to you as part of your briefing prior to the dive. If you should hear such a signal while diving, begin your ascent immediately. Unless you've been pushing your no-deco limits, I'd even suggest you skip the safety stop and make a slow, continuous ascent to the surface ... recall signals usually mean that something's going on that requires a prompt exit from the water. It could be a storm ... getting back on board a pitching boat can be anywhere from adventuresome to downright dangerous, and the sooner you exit the better your chances of getting back on board before things become too difficult to manage safely.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

Absent lightning or high winds, a storm blowing in just means a wet and miserable session of getting out of gear and exposure protection, and packing everything. I have geared UP in a torrential downpour, and also in the snow.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Checking the weather report is an important part of dive planning- for you if you are off on your own, or for the dive operator if you are on a charter or group outing. Here in Colorado we ar famous for summaer afternoon thunderstorms- with wind, lightening, and sometimes hail, and occasionally a tornado. The reservoir where we do our ope water dives is in a location where such storms are common. Accordingly, we start early and try to have students gone before the afternoon storms move in, and have so far been successful However, in June we had staff there that, after the students had all safely departed, had to hunker down in a shelter for over an hour until a sever storm passed and tornado warnings ended. The best planning can still go awry. JUst plan for weather as well as all other factors, to minimize danger and risk.
DivemasterDennis

 

[tbone1004]

Good advice by all, but if you are in a lake or ocean and there is lightning, stay deep and don't touch anything. The worst thing you can do is climb on a ladder in that situation or surface at all where you have a bunch of metal on your back. Most dive boats watch the weather very carefully and are usually better weathermen than those that get paid to do it. They won't go out if there is a storm rolling in so outside of a freak storm you'll know. Most of the time for inshore diving though the best bet is to just stay down if you see lightning, and when you do get out, I usually leave my gear tied to something on shore and head for cover, if there is no lightning in the area, get it up to the divesite and keep it on the ground until the storm passes. Regular rain is no big deal though and wind is just irritating.

 

[tr3a]

From a lightning standpoint I would worry more about entering/ exiting the water. If lightning were to strike while you are underwater I would expect that the dispersion would protect you (otherwise everything else would also get fried).

 

[scubadiver888]

I have been diving when a storm rolled in. Before the dive they noted a storm off in the distance. It is hard to predict where it will go. So the boat captain didn't want to call the dive. First dive was without incident. Second dive a thunderstorm rolled in on us. Boat dispatched a rescue diver on each dive. On the second dive the RD signaled everyone to get out of the water. When we got to the surface they had a line off the back of the boat. When everyone had grabbed hold of the line the boat crew hauled us in as fast as they could. Storms could last hours. So rather than leaving us out there they felt they needed to bring us in.

The most important part was that the boat crew knew this could happen and had a plan on how to deal with it. If you are boat diving, ask the crew if they have a plan for such a situation. If it is shore diving, ask local, seasoned divers how they deal with it.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have several times surfaced after a very pleasant dive to learn that there had been a horrible storm on the surface while we were down below with no idea whatsoever that it was happening. The danger of coming up to find that a storm is going on is what might happen as you exit the water, with lightning being the chief concern. If it is a typical lightning storm that is not going to last too long, I would probably be strongly tempted to drop down to 15-20 feet and wait it out. I think you are normally very safe under water.

 

[pasley]

July 2014 in Los Angeles California we had one person killed and several injured when lighting struck the ocean. The bolt was the first one seen, and no clouds were overhead. If you can hear thunder, the lighting can find you. This is by the way covered in your books. The instructor expects you to read the books, and does not necessarily repeat every word of the books.

First of all, you should check the forecast before going diving and observe your local weather. If there are thunder clouds on the horizon, today may not be the best day to dive. Lighting can strike over 20 miles from the clouds.

 

[Donnah]

It is totally awesome diving with lightening overhead! During a storm it can get really gloomy, then POOF! Just like someone set off an enormous flash underwater. We were in at CB once and could see the lightening making its way across the water toward us. DM yelled "Let's Go Diving!" I felt a lot safer u/w than I did on that boat. Of course, afterwards, I wondered if that had been a wise choice. When we came up, all the excitement had passed and the sun was out. We have also begun a dive in tranquil conditions and come up to find that the conditions were frightening. We looked at the radar when we finally got back -- there was a tiny storm cell and we had been right under it.

It happens. You just hope you have a good captain and crew, and following their instructions.