I got electrocuted the absolute bejesus out of today so I packed up the kite and went home. It happened when I was doing massive boosties on the beach. I saw sparks fly out of my toes and my arm hurt like fark.

Is this a normal thing that happens a lot to everyone?

Also afterwards I became really hungry and ate heaps and heaps of chicken.

Does anyone keep kiting after a big zappo? Im guessing that this would be less than sensible (even less sensible than doing massive boosties on the beach I guess )

It happen a couple of times a year here in Sydney, often around this time of year as afternoon thunder storms start to gather. You go for a jump and as you are in the air you and your kite build up a static charge. As you land you earth that charge. When this happens I often come in or keep riding but try to do more wake style trick and don't go big, till I see a flash of lightning. Some times the condition are quite mild and you get Zapped other time You see lightning before you get Zapped

Advice from a nearly graduated Electrical and Electronic Engineer
YEP-Salt water is a brilliant conductor-u can actually use it in an experiment instead of copper wire to make a light bulb shine!!
But lets apply some famous history - Ever herd of the Ben Franklin's kite and key experiment?? Basically flew a kite and put a key on the end to see if lightning would be attracted to it! And guess what - it was!! So now lets put a big kite in the air, (Note that your kite strings are more conductive than air so lightning will more likely go down them instead of through air). Put something metal at the bar (oops guess what - thats already there in many of your bars, harnesses and connector pieces) and kite on salt water (a big conductor!!) guess what?? You are now a perfect target for lightning to hit.
So, no dont take the advice of Toughen the f. up-If your smart you'll avoid kiting in lightning.

It's happened to me before. I was standing on the beach and my lines were buzzing like mad and vibrating all over the place. Every time I touched the bar I got a shock and it made no differance when i got into the water. The diff with mine is that I was just standing on the beach while a big storm was coming through. Everytime I took a step on the sand I would get a zap and had the sparks coming from here there and everywhere!!!

An interesting experience and somehow I got given the nickname of 'carbon neutral' !!!!

Ample......Dutchy.....ample

j murray said...

Ample......Dutchy.....ample

watt??

Has she installed that gizmo correctly for smiles?

PS miss Jessie
In this situation keeping your hand in your pocket would not really Help the connection point of the kite(the main source of the charge) is the kite. Most of the shock is felt in the legs. Most of what you say is true. AC and DC current make the body behave in different ways. What you say is true for AC. Ask your lectures about he shock from a large capacitor like a tube telly.it makes you jump across the room. 240 AC makes you hang on

IanR said...

PS miss Jessie
In this situation keeping your hand in your pocket would not really Help the connection point of the kite(the main source of the charge) is the kite. Most of the shock is felt in the legs. Most of what you say is true. AC and DC current make the body behave in different ways. What you say is true for AC. Ask your lectures about he shock from a large capacitor like a tube telly.it makes you jump across the room. 240 AC makes you hang on

yeah to tru (but was assuming topic was lightning, AC), (also assuming rubber connection at harness - i'll pass on testing which way the current goes) - ultimately some of my sarcasm was lost by putting my thoughts to page. And u ruined my chance of getting some gullible questions about not getting killed if they kite with one hand in a pocket...

Overall this topic is a great source of fun amongst my friends as I love winter/summer storms for kiting. (Tho I do check the lightning tracker b4 I go out in one)

Miss Jessie said...

Prob why all thoes electricians out there look lazy with one hand in their pocket!

Funny, I though they were doing something else.

IanR said...

Lightning is DC Miss Jessie your fundamental error

That is actually an age old dispute. There are arguements for both sides, and lightning doesn't actually fit the properties of either AC or DC fully. But ultimately u wud prob be more right with DC. (Had a robotics and automation exam today so not quite with it today on other topics). Although my uni degree has been very disapointing in the knowledge it has given me.

dirtyharry said...

How much chicken is heaps and heaps?

If it's seriously heaps (like more than 2.5 chooks in total), then I'd say it was definitely lightning, not static build up.

2.5 chooks is pretty good, especially when he has been 'electrocuted'...

I'd be stoked if I was able to be electrocuted and then eat afterwards. How does that work? Was someone asking you to head to the light, and it turned out to be the light out the front of KFC?

Salt Water as pointed out is a great conductor, one of the best, when your in it your at earth potential, ie zero. Its probably best to keep your kite and lines dry.

Air breaks down and becomes conductive at 33kv/cm. Its not really conductive. Believe it or not they reckon more lightning stikes are from the ground UP!

And just looking at wiki on air discharge potential And I read the following

An average bolt of negative lightning carries a current of 30 to 50 kiloamperes, transfers a charge of 5 coulombs, and dissipates 500 megajoules of energy (enough to light a 100 watt light bulb for 2 months). However, an average bolt of positive lightning (from the top of a thunderstorm) may carry a current of 300 to 500 kiloamperes, transfer a charge of up to 300 coulombs, have a potential difference up to 1 gigavolt (a billion volts), and may dissipate enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for up to 95 years. A negative lightning stroke typically lasts for only tens of microseconds, but multiple strikes are common. A positive lightning stroke is typically a single event. However, the larger peak current may flow for hundreds of milliseconds, making it considerably hotter and more dangerous than negative lightning.


Just tie a copper wire on your chicken loop and drag it behind you in the water and I am sure you will be Ok.

Miss Jessie said...

... Although my uni degree has been very disapointing in the knowledge it has given me.

Don't underestimate what you are learning.

Engineering Degrees are about ensuring you know the fundamentals of how the universe we live in works (1st couple of years) and then providing the tools and analytical skills to then solve problems and further that knowledge (next couple of years...or more)

The real knowedge only starts once you graduate.....Kinda like Doctors, but the exams are harder.

I hope your right. Cos after the vac work I did so many of my 5 years I did at uni seemed useless!

peanuticus said...

Don't be jumping on the beach!! problem solved!!

I have been zapped on the water.

But you original comment is a good tip regardless...