Pool Indoors - Lightning Outdoors

A few years ago the Y started closing the pool (indoors) during lightning. After all these years. All of a sudden. How many of you practice at facilities where the pool closes down in lightning storms? Is there a good reason for this? Have we all been risking our lives for the last 50 years? Just wondering! I swim at a YMCA and they use this rule. I had never heard of it before - but one of our swimmers, who is an electrical engineer, said it was not irrational. At our pool, swimming stops for 30 minutes after hearing thunder or seeing the flash of lightning. At times in practice, I have thought about having a remotely triggered photo flash that I can activate to simulate nearby lightning - when we get one of those sets like 18 x 100s on 1:15. I will admit that there have been times that I was glad to hear a rumble in the middle of workout.

Apparently not one death recorded. Here's another article on the topic.

I had difficulty persuading someone to get out of the lake when thunder and lightning (ground strikes) were occurring within a mile. :D

I live in Arizona where we have crazy electrical storms during our summer monsoons. I've witnessed many storms where there is a lightning flash just about every second for an hour. Granted, most of the flashes are not cloud-to-ground, but there will be hundreds of ground strikes during such a storm, not to mention lots and lots of loud thunder. I love it! The most active month tends to be August. I joined my gym and started swimming again last November, well after the monsoon season was over. After reading this thread I'm dying to know what the policy is regarding electrical storm activity. In case anyone is interested, here's a link to a blog post of mine from August of 2008 where a particularly wild storm was taking place: debaru.blogspot.com/.../white-lightning.html The weather images show how many lightning ground strikes were taking place along with a neat little video of a close strike.

I have a lap pool at my house and yesterday, we had a series of thunder and lightning episodes throughout the day. Even though our pool is grounded, and indoors, it just freaked me out too much to think of swimming. I waited for a break in the storm, and as soon as I was finished with a few hours in the pool, it started right up again. Even if it is safe, I guess I'm a wimp.

This is a subject that makes me almost as crazy as noodlers and 95 degree YMCA pools. I have never understood in my entire life why we have to get out of the pool and huddle on deck. Are you more likely to die in the water versus on deck? Is lightning more likely to strike a pool versus the gigantic trees surrounding the pool? And, I would think if you are in a lake on a boat the safest place is the water versus the boat, which is an attractive lightning rod. Obviously if it is a big thunder boomer no one wants to be in the pool or on deck but sometimes lifeguards get a big crazy and clear the pool when it is obvious there is no threat in the least nearby.

And, I would think if you are in a lake on a boat the safest place is the water versus the boat, which is an attractive lightning rod. Say you're swimming in a lake and lightning actually does strike the lake itself. I wonder how far away from the strike you'd need to be to be safe from electrocution? I really have no idea.

This is a subject that makes me almost as crazy as noodlers and 95 degree YMCA pools. I have never understood in my entire life why we have to get out of the pool and huddle on deck. Are you more likely to die in the water versus on deck? Is lightning more likely to strike a pool versus the gigantic trees surrounding the pool? Agreed. Whenever there's serious talk of shutting down the pool, I always half-jokingly offer to sign some kind of liability waiver, but the lifeguard will have none of it. The overall odds of getting struck by lightning are what, like one in 10 million? Unless it's really bad outside, I'll take my chances.

Say you're swimming in a lake and lightning actually does strike the lake itself. I wonder how far away from the strike you'd need to be to be safe from electrocution? I really have no idea. I've been wondering the same thing myself. Lightning was such a rare occurrence when I lived in California, but now that I'm in Arizona, it is quite common. I did find this on the Internet, but are far as I can tell, no one really knows for sure. scuba-doc.com/lightdive.htm

Several times when I first joined my health club, we had to get out b/c of thunder for 1/2 hour. The first time I ever went to master swim, ten minutes into the workout, we were "evicted." I swam in indoor pools for 25 years and never had to get out until I joined this club. I was able to find the rules and regs and the thunder rule only applied to OUTDOOR pools. I sent it to the club owner and the response was that it was the club rule. I do believe many a young lifeguard has often heard airplanes/trucks passing by my outdoor pool and yelled "thunder" when they want to close early. lol.