If you do any boating (or swimming) in fresh water, pay heed. Stray electrical current from nearby boats or marinas could kill you. Indeed, there were seven confirmed deaths from electric shock in the water last summer, with many more injuries. And all of these could have been prevented.
The problem stems from 120-volt alternating current leaking from boats and docks, which can electrocute people in the water. This is called Electric Shock Drowning, or ESD. And it doesn’t take much. Even tiny amounts of AC current can kill. Current can leak from shore power, from ground fault protection, from the AC safety ground fault or other places. The leakage can cause the boat’s underwater metals – props, stern drives, through-hull fittings – to be energized, radiating electricity out through the water.
Here’s a good story about how to find out if your boat is leaking current, and how to eliminate it, as well as tips about what to do – and not to do – to keep safe.
Read it here: http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazine/2013/july/electric-shock-drowning-explained.asp#.WPK2PsdaCno.facebook
