Swimming in Fresh Water Marinas...Don't do it!

"Do you know anyone who got hit by a car crossing the street? Does that mean you shouldn't EVER cross a street again?"

You have a far better chance of seeing a car coming than seeing electricity.

"I won't advocate swimming in my marina's waters, but b/c they are disgustingly stagnant. There were probably a dozen people swimming off the docks in Atlantic City back in July - third year in a row. Men, women and children. No one said or thought anything about it."

After being made aware of the potential risk, would you still jump into your marina's waters if they cleaned up the stagnant water situation?

As it is with most things in life, it all comes down to the choices that we make. In this particular case I choose not to take that chance of jumping into any marina waters simply because I cannot see electrical current in the water. There was a time in my life when I too was not aware of "ESD" just the same as the people that you referred to in Atlantic City. I am not pushing people to agree with my point of view on this topic, but If they were made aware of the risks and still chose to swim off the marina docks, then I can only say they value human life far less than I do. Each to their own.
 
rondds said:
Maybe I'm ignorant but I have NEVER heard of any such warning in the 44 years I've been on/around/in boats. Nor have I ever heard of this type of occurrence on any of the message boards I've frequented in the past 10 years. This is truly a freak tragic accident and should be treated as such.

A couple links that list accidents of documented ESD. It is a fresh water issue and maybe not as freak as you think. And you are right, we have choices to make in life. And we should make them with full awareness of potential consequences. My only intent was to raise awareness. Safe boating to all!

http://www.qualitymarineservices.net/electric_shock_drowning_incident_list.html

http://www.lifesaving.com/general-interest/news/electric-shock-drowning-hidden-danger-fresh-water

http://www.lifesaving.com/forums/electric-shock-drowning-hidden-danger-fresh-water
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Sum Escape said:
And still no great solution to marina wiring according to this article. And it is not always a marina wiring issue as faults on boats can be the cause as other posters have pointed out. Please just be aware of this danger in fresh water and make the decision that is right for you.

http://www.iaei.org/magazine/2010/09/ground-fault-protection-for-marinas-and-boatyards/
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You may remember the deaths which occurred around 12 years ago on Spring Lake. A Sheriff in his boat notices a swimmer in distress and his partner jumps into the water to save the swimmer and they both die. Turns out, the wiring on the nearby dock was chaffed by years of flexing and grounded to the metal conduit sending power into the water around the dock.

The accident occurred across the lake from our house and we watched without knowing what was going on until it was reported on the news.

As we were about ready to replace our dock, I discussed the issues with my electrical contractor and made the decision to use nonconductive conduit for all of the wiring in addition to the standard GFI system for docks.

Good heads up Tom.
 
if there is a short between the AC and the ground of the DC system then if the genny is running its the same problem. We do swim sometimes with the Genny running, I am assuming our boat is good. I have not made any 'after market' upgrades that would cause a leak of AC power the DC ground. But it is a risk.
 
jmunro123 said:
if there is a short between the AC and the ground of the DC system then if the genny is running its the same problem. We do swim sometimes with the Genny running, I am assuming our boat is good. I have not made any 'after market' upgrades that would cause a leak of AC power the DC ground. But it is a risk.
Click to expand...

True? We swim ALL the time with the genny running.
 
First it was Jaws, now stray electricity. Does stray electrical current work on jellyfish?

Just how far does electricity travel in water? I swim in anchorages all the time and I know lots of people out there have their generators on.

Here's some fascinating reading...
Recreational Boating Statistics 2010







 
If I am not mistaken the gen set poses different issues than dockside power, the " ground " that the power produced by the gen set seeks is the gen set itself. The generator is not connected in any way to " earth " as the power on the dock which is generated from a power station. There was a pretty horrible accident in washington State a few years back which a child that was swimming off the dock and started to struggle, mom goes into the water and notices that as she gets close to the kid she starts to convulse, mom survived, the kid did not. I thought about this indecent as I slipped into the water in my marina to retrieve the dinghy davit I dropped off the swim platform. A few years back I got a call from a bud that operates a passenger ferry, he had picked up a crab trap line and was in a rush to get the boat back in service. When I suited up and dove I got zapped when I grabbed the 3" prop shaft to steady myself to cut off the line. When I had him disconnect the shore power there was no issue. Boy was I glad I was in salt water. My rule is no swimming for the kids in or very near the marina. It takes only milli amps to disrupt your heart rhythm.
Nigel Calder really covers the grounding and shock potential well in boat owners mechanical & electrical manual

EXPRESSBOY
 
I wasn't aware of such a hazaard until last July when I was on Glen Island which is on Lake George, N.Y. where the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has one of it's headquarters. The island is small having enough area for the Ranger Station and a small grocery store for campers. It has about 8 -10 docks for boat docking.

I was on the island in July buying some groceries and I took a walk down by the docks to take a look at the old miniature stone lighthouse that was originally built back in the early 1900's and is about 40' off shore. I had read in the local newspaper that it had been restored and "re-wired" so it could be lit at night. When I looked down into the water I was aghast! I saw a straggely piece of cheap grade Romex running into the water and out to the lighthouse as my pics show.

What my pics don't show is that there is a camping island less than 20' from this island separated by a narrow channel which teenagers and adults actually swim to and from the store for drinks and treats. I went into the Ranger's station and told him about the hazaard and he said "that wire has been like that for 2 years, through the ice and everything, it's got waterproof covering on it, it's fine".

I was flabbergasted....I told other boaters at the docks to have a look and no one seemed to care. So I decided to take these pics just in case someone ever was electrocuted, I could prove the atrocious "re-wiring" job.The thing I wonder is if the campers on the island just 20' away could be in danger of electrocution. Could the electricity escaping from this Romex reach the island's swimmers or would it dissipate before reaching that far?

Since that day, I have told scores of boaters and campers about the wire. Amazingly, no one seems to think it's a big deal. I even printed out these pics and sent them to the main office of NYSDEC but have heard nothing.

And the wire is still there just like the pics show to this very day....


Romex.jpg


IMG01089-20110807-1733.jpg


IMG01088-20110807-1733.jpg


IMG01091-20110807-1734.jpg
 
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Powderfinger said:
I wasn't aware of such a hazaard until last July when I was on Glen Island which is on Lake George, N.Y. where the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has one of it's headquarters. The island is small having enough area for the Ranger Station and a small grocery store for campers. It has about 8 -10 docks for boat docking.

I was on the island in July buying some groceries and I took a walk down by the docks to take a look at the old miniature stone lighthouse that was originally built back in the early 1900's and is about 40' off shore. I had read in the local newspaper that it had been restored and "re-wired" so it could be lit at night. When I looked down into the water I was aghast! I saw a straggely piece of cheap grade Romex running into the water and out to the lighthouse as my pics show.

What my pics don't show is that there is a camping island less than 20' from this island separated by a narrow channel which teenagers and adults actually swim to and from the store for drinks and treats. I went into the Ranger's station and told him about the hazaard and he said "that wire has been like that for 2 years, through the ice and everything, it's got waterproof covering on it, it's fine".

I was flabbergasted....I told other boaters at the docks to have a look and no one seemed to care. So I decided to take these pics just in case someone ever was electrocuted, I could prove the atrocious "re-wiring" job.The thing I wonder is if the campers on the island just 20' away could be in danger of electrocution. Could the electricity escaping from this Romex reach the island's swimmers or would it dissipate before reaching that far?

Since that day, I have told scores of boaters and campers about the wire. Amazingly, no one seems to think it's a big deal. I even printed out these pics and sent them to the main office of NYSDEC but have heard nothing.

And the wire is still there just like the pics show to this very day....


Romex.jpg


IMG01089-20110807-1733.jpg


IMG01088-20110807-1733.jpg


IMG01091-20110807-1734.jpg
Click to expand...


Report it to the local Electrical Inspection Authority.
 
rondds said:
Do you know anyone who got hit by a car crossing the street? Does that mean you shouldn't EVER cross a street again?
Click to expand...

Actually... I was... got nailed in a crosswalk by a Honda Civic in 1995 and threw me in the air about 20'. Got to meet the guy's wife through the windshield and bent in the a-piller on the car. I now set off a metal detector in the airport with the rod and pins in my arm and my left lung is all scared up. I'm scared to cross the street now... and ride the Jitney in AC.

Speaking of AC... I bet their AC is just fine on the docks.
 
got nailed in a crosswalk
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You should have been paying attention.

I don't recall any tingle when swimming off the dock in AC but now that I think of it, shortly thereafter, I did sort of snap out of the catatonic funk I had been in for months.
 
rondds said:
I don't recall any tingle when swimming off the dock in AC but now that I think of it, shortly thereafter, I did sort of snap out of the catatonic funk I had been in for months.
Click to expand...
Just be careful with those treatments, remember what happened to McMurphy?
 
was browsing through the forums and saw this thread. Literally 3 minutes later when I opened up my web browser this news story came up.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...while-swimming-in-lakes-3-drown-in-river?lite

granted that it's a rare occasion but i tend not to swim near anybody with an onboard Gen, or at least make sure it's powered down, and sure as hell never understand parents that let their kids swim in a marina. I see it everyday. One day it may be safe, but tomorrow's a different story. Murphy's law's a *****, no sense giving it another excuse to loom it's head, especially when the outcome is perminant.

Stay safe and enjoy the summer!
 
Sum Escape said:
A recent article on the subject of ESD. Again, just passing this on to raise awareness.
Electric Shock Drowning

A Little Understood Hazard at Freshwater Boat Docks


http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/eline/shock0812.asp
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this. Great article and I posted it to the forum for the lake I am on. I also clicked on the link in "br1212's" post below yours and didn't read all of that story. Since it is an MSNBC site, I kept getting a pop up that wanted me to sign a birthday card for Obama :smt021
 
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