Big Boys Hobbies

DANGER to Swimmers and Waders Around Boats

ScubaDetective

ScubaDetective

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As most of you know, I dive in marina's to get lost items for folks. One thing that I haven't mentioned is the DANGER of doing such things.

http://www.news5cleveland.com/news/...rent-in-water-near-familys-boat-at-put-in-bay

If anyone has a desire to do what I do, test the water before you jump in. I am researching more information on it but I have put my hand in to make sure I don't feel a shock. Probably not the best way to know but a way. Getting electrocuted doesn't seem like a fun way to go.

I do have a volt meter. If I grounded the negative and placed the positive side in the water seems like I should get a reading. Any thoughts on this? Any electricians in the house?

I did some fast research and I just ordered this on Amazon. Looks like it will give me peace of mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Shock-Alert-42500/dp/B06XDGC9B4

I was told by the company it is not for salt water. 149.00 is peanuts compared to electric shock drowning.
 
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Good reminder, I've heard several cases of this lately and it's kinda spooky... Be careful out there on and in the water!
 
Turn your detector on you should be able to hear/detect it .. I know I'm around piers a lot where people have boat lifts, etc. I can hear it pulsing and often when I go under the piers I see how poorly they have maintained it over the years. Many times bare wires drooping. I guess best to have them turn off the Power..


Also there is so much trash one really has to be careful of where they get in, I have jumped off the ski and landed in big rocks. One reason I use my Hummingbird imaging before going into a new place.
 
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I was thinking of doing recoveries but I'm still weighing the pros and cons and now I have another thing on the cons side!
Scuba I don't know if you could trust a reading as you describe in your post because isn't the water already grounded? You may not get a reading because it is grounded directly and a wire and volt meter would have some resistance. Take note I am not an electrician, just thinking out loud.
Thanks for the heads up because this scenario never crossed my mind.Another thing to watch out for.
I can't help but think that the marina that this happened at must have a problem, I can't understand why the breaker would have held if the electricity was flowing to ground through the water, I mean everyone has to have gfis in their kitchens bathrooms and outdoor outlets now. A real tragedy.
 
OBN said:
Turn your detector on you should be able to hear/detect it .. I know I'm around piers a lot where people have boat lifts, etc. I can hear it pulsing and often when I go under the piers I see how poorly they have maintained it over the years. Many times bare wires drooping. I guess best to have them turn off the Power..


Also there is so much trash one really has to be careful of where they get in, I have jumped off the ski and landed in big rocks. One reason I use my Hummingbird imaging before going into a new place.
Click to expand...

That is a good idea OBN. However I don't use my machines at marina's that much but I could have taken them out and turned them on. This just came in the mail today. I am sure it will work the best since that is what it is intended for anyway.

The main goal here is to just stay safe.

 
ScubaDetector said:
That is a good idea OBN. However I don't use my machines at marina's that much but I could have taken them out and turned them on. This just came in the mail today. I am sure it will work the best since that is what it is intended for anyway.

The main goal here is to just stay safe.

Click to expand...

Very, very cool safety device. I'm going to have to steal that idea and show my employees. At least a third of our employees work in water.
 
Thanks for bringing that hazard to our attention, Scuba. :nicethread::good:

But one has to keep their eyes open on the dirt, too. Earlier this Spring, my local CERT group had the local electric company give us a presentation on electricity safety in relationship to disaster aftermath. They showed a video of a power line that had fallen down at the back of a residential lot, and was in contact with the swing set and the yard's chain link fence. The grass under the chain link fence was smoking the entire circumference of the fence. Anyone that contacted that fence would have been fried--think dogs, children, neighbor, first responders, etc., and you get an idea of the danger! So before you go on to a property, or touch a gate or fence, it is a good idea to do a size-up of the property, and look for danger signs.
 
This is a great post Scuba! I live in the area where this recently happened and I'm still scratching my head as to why the GFI plugs aren't mandatory at marinas. I mean, they're mandatory in each and every bathroom because of the sinks, so why isn't there a law for docks at marinas, or even around public swimming pools?
 
bruinvikes said:
This is a great post Scuba! I live in the area where this recently happened and I'm still scratching my head as to why the GFI plugs aren't mandatory at marinas. I mean, they're mandatory in each and every bathroom because of the sinks, so why isn't there a law for docks at marinas, or even around public swimming pools?
Click to expand...

From what I have read, electricity can spread through a large body of water and not be strong enough to set off a GFI. However it is strong enough to effect your muscles to where you can't swim and you drown before anybody realizes it. This tool I bought will pick up the smallest amount of current so you are aware it is there.

Every marina I have ever seen has warning about swimming in them. In order to find what people have lost though that is a must. So I will pull this around a boat or a dock to make sure there isn't even the slightest electrical current in the water, and if there is, have the shore power shut off at the dock before I go in.
 

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ScubaDetector said:
As most of you know, I dive in marina's to get lost items for folks. One thing that I haven't mentioned is the DANGER of doing such things.

http://www.news5cleveland.com/news/...rent-in-water-near-familys-boat-at-put-in-bay

If anyone has a desire to do what I do, test the water before you jump in. I am researching more information on it but I have put my hand in to make sure I don't feel a shock. Probably not the best way to know but a way. Getting electrocuted doesn't seem like a fun way to go.

I do have a volt meter. If I grounded the negative and placed the positive side in the water seems like I should get a reading. Any thoughts on this? Any electricians in the house?

I did some fast research and I just ordered this on Amazon. Looks like it will give me peace of mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Shock-Alert-42500/dp/B06XDGC9B4

I was told by the company it is not for salt water. 149.00 is peanuts compared to electric shock drowning.
Click to expand...

After reading your thread, yesterday, imagine my surprise when I opened up this month's issue of Popular Mechanics, and found THIS:
 

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I see electrolysis issues all the time in marinas due to improper equipment and faulty wiring. One of the more common causes can be attributed to the use of "Automotive" type battery chargers. They do not use an isolated transformer like a "Marine" charger does.
High resistance or faulty grounds will cause current to seek earth through the water, thus creating a current flow from the vessel to another vessel or earth, thus electrifying the water in that specific area.
I have seen just as many problems in "Fancy" marinas with large expensive yachts as I have in low rent honky tonk marinas.
Faulty wiring can exist any where especially in the marine environment.
Best to shut off mains supply before you stick your toe in.
 
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