How many of you STers get kicked out of the indoor pool at the slightest rumble of thunder? Have there ever been any documented cases of people dying due to swimming indoors during a storm and getting electrocuted? This is more of a rant than anything, but I think this policy IS RIDICULOUS! (And ya, I know this has been discussed before.)
raises hand
Been denied more than once on the lightning thing.
This past Friday it was “it was tough to get someone in for this weekend”. I can go on a separate rant about my gym’s lax hiring policy… but I won’t.
I’ve never heard of tht, its never happened to me, I’ve been in the pool a few times with thunder and lightning. Maybe cause I go to the rec center they don’t care if we die.
Not only has indoors never (I don’t think) happened, I don’t think it happens outdoors. Now this may be due to the fact that lifeguards get everyone out of the water…it’s usually a gold course, or soccer field. Never a pool.
I talked to someone once that did some research on indoor pools and lightning. I wish I had his name and where he found the info.
a quick google found… http://www.weatherquesting.com/indoor-pools.htm
S.Fl is crazy with lightning. Drives me nutz! But being kicked out of and indoor pool I think I would lose it. Do they kick people out of the showers too?
Yep me to at the new Lifetime Fitness indoor pool in Parker CO - if the lightning was 5 miles away we all had to take shelter in the locker room. Never made sense to me.
It was mentioned by someone in the other “why does the pool close during thunder” thread but is worth repeating that at most gyms when lightening strikes, it walks around naked for an hour and then uses the blow-dryer on its junk.
We could find no reports of deaths or injuries in indoor pools related to lightning causes," says Richard Kithil of the National Lightning Safety Institute and Kevin Johnston, a senior consultant. They suspect such incidents happen, but go unreported. They have observed: a main circulation pump destroyed, injuries to employees touching electrical panels and the concrete footing of a water slide blown apart.
I read it. And I call BS on lightening hitting the pump and conducting electricity indoors. There is certainly circuitry which would prevent something like this. Even the article (which I think was written to created FUD), admits not being able to find deaths or injuries.
And, from your link:
The authors know of no databases recording deaths to persons in indoor pools.
Please, someone point me to data on lightening related injuries or deaths in an indoor pool. Could it happen? Sure, anything could happen. My monitor sitting here on my desk could spontaneously burst into flames, or I could accidentally get my mouse cord tangled around my neck and hang myself.
There is probably something out there. It seems the risk of me getting hurt in the pool is about the same as me walking outside and being struck by a meteorite.
If you’re in the water and not touching any metal, theoretically there would be a - close to zero - voltage drop across your body to make a significant current flow through your heart (or brain). This assumes the water is at the same potential, which seems a good assumption for an indoor pool.
If it were up to me personally, I would keep swimming (indoor pool only) and not touch any metal. (Can you flip turn at your indoor pool without touching metal?)
When my workout was finished, I would propel myself out of the pool - fast - without using a ladder or touching metal.
I guess the problem for lifeguards and pool managers is eliminating contact with metal in the pool area.
yeah, we get out of the pool and then go sit in the whirl pool, steam room or shower.
Stop trivializing this. I died last week because I was swimming in an indoor pool during a lightning storm. It hurt. 
Not sure about your situation (or mine for that matter! 
but around here it seems that the indoor pools that close during lightning are at clubs that also have an outdoor pool. To me it makes at least a little sense that they are connected enough thru plumbing, etc, that if the outdoor pool got struck it could affect the indoor pool.
Not sure about your situation (or mine for that matter! but around here it seems that the indoor pools that close during lightning are at clubs that also have an outdoor pool. To me it makes at least a little sense that they are connected enough thru plumbing, etc, that if the outdoor pool got struck it could affect the indoor pool.
Now that actually makes sense!
That article can be summed up in it’s conclusion – “A Risk Management/Safety Professional will err on the side of caution every time and will be found harmless from allegations or claims of negligence. Such a conservative approach will find many objectors.”