There are few things in the world of nature that are more relaxing than the sound of the ocean surf. Something about the combination of the waves hitting the shore, seagulls, and the wind is just incredibly soothing. Ocean surf sounds are so peaceful and relaxing that there’s a market for them. If you’ve ever used a white noise or soothing sounds app on your smartphone or computer, likely there was an ocean surf option. The ocean is also a lot of fun to play in. There’s a reason that beaches are the world’s hotspots for people of all ages. We swim, splash, dive, snorkel, surf the waves, and more. The rhythm of the ocean is something that is impossible to replicate anywhere else.
However, there’s something that people often overlook when they’re enjoying the sea. The ocean is an extremely vast and powerful body of water. In fact, it’s the most powerful force on planet Earth. Ocean storms are legendary in their fury. Whether it’s hurricanes or tsunamis, the power of the ocean has overpowered human beings and manmade structures for millennial. Some of the most devastating natural disasters known to man have been ocean-related disasters. If you’re ever at sea when a storm strikes, you’ve witnessed this firsthand. It’s terrifying. So it’s no wonder that when lightning strikes the ocean, it’s a thing of terrible beauty.
A typical lightning bolt measures about 30,000 amps and 300 million volts, according to BBC. When lightning strikes the water, most of the discharge from the electricity spreads horizontally, not vertically as it does when lighting strikes on land. The current of the lightning radiates across the surface of the water. When lightning strikes land, it hits one spot. That’s why it’s rare for lighting to strike people. On the ocean, it’s a whole different ballgame. The water acts as a dangerous and powerful conductor of electricity from the lightning bolt. This is why it’s rare for fish to die when lighting strikes the sea. The electricity goes wide, not deep. If a fish (or a person) is right there where the lightning strikes, they’ll probably die for sure, but if they’re a good depth under the water, they’ll survive.
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Although lighting strikes more often on land than on the ocean, there are ocean strikes occasionally, and a camera at Daytona Beach, Florida captured a strike. In the video below, you can see the spreading out in action. It’s actually quite beautiful, but as we said earlier, it’s a terrible beauty and one best observed from a far distance away, or in a video.
