Do you know to get out of the water if there's lighting around?

[MaggieFS]

I'm currently on holiday and we're having frequent thunderstorms. There's one now and most people have left the pool but one family of two adults and two 5ish year old children and still swimming and have just cheered at an almighty grumble from the Gods.

It's a private apartment block so no lifeguards. I grew up in a hot country so it's ingrained to get out of the water but it's just set me wondering if people brought up in the UK who have less chance to swim outside and less frequent thunderstorms really know this?

When we had an outdoor pool, we left the water if there were sounds of thunder and went indoors for visible lightning. No return within 30 minutes.

Absolutely. Learned that at school. U.K.

No. I didn't know that.

I mean it's probably common sense (electricity and water!), but I wasn't taught it. I live in the North of England so hot weather is hard to come by and there's no outdoor pools nearby so it's never something that's come up and not really something my parents have had to teach me!

No they probably don't know. I don't think many people would take that risk with kids if they did.

I know, but I also wild swim regularly. Not sure I would have known otherwise (obviously water/electricity don't go well so it's common sense really but it's not something I'd had to think about before)

I knew this from childhood, but I wasn't born/raised in the UK

I'm really struggling to keep a lid on my inner busybody!

I wasn’t taught it, but it’s common sense isn’t it.

I'd be unsurprised if many people in the UK are ignorant of it. I've never been taught to, even though I grew up near water, but commonsense would tell me to do so (and has).

I suppose it would come down to a person's ability to think laterally and how reinforced the danger of not mixing water and electricity is for them.

I've always wondered how sealife seem to survive.

Only learned in adult life in a foreign country. Makes sense really, water/electricity. I also had a close shave in this country where lightning struck the ground feet away from me - thought the storm had passed but the term 'bolt from the blue' doesn't exist for no good reason and that was the case with me. I think that I was wearing rubber soles and sitting on a bike with rubber tyres saved me. I now know the noise I make when I'm utterly terrified.

I remember being told this in the 1970s. I used to go to an outdoor pool a lot in the summer holidays and we were always made to get out of the pool in a storm.

I have no idea if my (adult) children know though. I will have to check!

Should you go and suggest they get out of the water?

Ooh - great question about sea life. I've no idea!

The sky is darkening so I think it's heading more our way, I suspect the lack of sun and potential rain might do the trick.

I'll add this to my mental list of life skills which would be far more useful than half of the stuff taught in schools!

I’ve never been told but it’s common sense. Some people don’t have any!

@Knittingupastorm

I wasn’t taught it, but it’s common sense isn’t it.

Same.

Lots of people are stupid though.

I didn’t know.

Fish don’t die because most of the current goes across the surface of the water, not down to where the fish would be.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28521789.amp

I don't think it's a lack of common sense/stupid if it's not something you've ever thought of though.

I found out last year on holiday in Tenby Wales. In answer to the sealife question- we saw lightening hit the sea in flash storm, at high tide. Finished our meal, sunny and lovely again so walked along the beach- hundreds of dead and dying starfish littered the beach as the tide drew out. It was only then i twigged. Thank god I'd never been tempted to swim in a storm eh?

Never been taught this but I also wasn't taught lightning comes up either

Surely that's the very definition of lack of common sense?! If you know what lightning is, and know that water conducts electricity (or just that water and electricity don't mix, which my DD knew from five at least) the ability to put two and two together is basic common sense, isn't it??

I didn't know until my first trip to Florida as an adult.

Isn't there a life guard or attendant about who can tell them if you're on holiday?

I vaguely thought it wasn't a good idea. Imagine my husband would claim I was BB ring over-cautious.
What about cycling, or even standing still with a bike during lightening - I've always thought that was potentially dangerous too. Does anyone know?