Electric Shock Drowning: The Hidden Danger Near Docks and Marinas

Electric shock drowning happens when electricity leaks into the water from a dock, a boat or marina wiring, and the current paralyzes a swimmer so they can't stay afloat. Never swim near a dock or marina that has electrical power, and if you feel tingling in the water, swim away from the dock, not toward it.

Most families have never heard of it. It doesn't leave a sign on the water, and it can happen on a calm, beautiful day at a lake. A few simple rules keep your family away from it.

100 yards

What electric shock drowning is

University of Illinois Extension's Safe Electricity program explains it this way: electric shock drowning (ESD) happens when electrical current leaks into water from a nearby electrical source, such as a yacht, boat or marina dock (opens in a new tab). When someone swims in that water, their body can become a conductor for that electricity, and once it moves through the body, a person may become paralyzed and drown (opens in a new tab).

How does electricity get into the water? Safe Electricity says outdated wiring and a lack of proper safety equipment on boats and docks can cause it (opens in a new tab).

The hardest part: it is impossible to know if water is electrified just by looking (opens in a new tab).

Where it happens

Tennessee's State Fire Marshal's Office says that while ESD can occur virtually anywhere electricity is near water, the majority of deaths nationally have occurred in public and private marinas and docks (opens in a new tab), and that the victims are typically children swimming in or around a marina or dock where electricity is present (opens in a new tab).

Places to be careful:

• Marinas and boatyards. The Fire Marshal advises: never swim within 100 yards of any freshwater marina or boatyard (opens in a new tab).
• Private docks with power. The same advice applies: never swim within 100 yards of any dock using electrical power (opens in a new tab). That includes docks with lights, boat lifts or outlets, and boats plugged in to shore power. Safe Electricity says don't swim around docks with electrical service or boats that are plugged into shore power (opens in a new tab).
• Neighbors' docks. Even if your dock is safe, the Fire Marshal warns that nearby docks can still present a shock hazard (opens in a new tab).
• Pools and hot tubs. Safe Electricity advises you to check hot tubs, pools and water parks for faulty electronics, and get out of the water if you feel tingling or unusual sensations (opens in a new tab).

If you're renting a lake house, ask whether the dock has electricity before the trip. Then make the swimming area somewhere well away from it. The American Red Cross also lists boating and other activities in the same water (opens in a new tab) as a hazard, which is another reason to keep swimmers away from docks and boats. See lake swimming safety for the full lake-house checklist.

Warning signs in the water

The Tennessee Fire Marshal says to know how to tell drowning from ESD: tingling, numbness and pain all indicate ESD (opens in a new tab).

Ordinary drowning often looks quiet and still, too. If you can't tell which one is happening near a dock with power, treat it as electric shock and follow the steps below. Learn the general signs in what drowning looks like.

If you feel tingling or a shock

From the Tennessee Fire Marshal and Safe Electricity:

1. Don't swim toward the dock. The Fire Marshal says do not follow your instinct to swim toward the dock (opens in a new tab). Safe Electricity's memory aid: "If you feel a shock, swim away from the dock." (opens in a new tab)
2. Shout. Let everyone know what's happening (opens in a new tab) and yell to others to cut the power source (opens in a new tab).
3. Stay upright and back out. Try to stay upright and back out of the area the way you came (opens in a new tab). Safe Electricity adds: tuck your legs up so you are more compact, and swim away from anything that could be energizing the water (opens in a new tab).
4. Head for shore away from the dock. The Fire Marshal says to head for shore 100 yards or more from the dock (opens in a new tab).
5. Get checked. Go to the hospital to make sure there are no lingering effects (opens in a new tab).

How to help without going in

Both agencies are firm about this. The Fire Marshal says to fight the instinct to enter the water, because many rescuers have died trying to help ESD victims (opens in a new tab). Safe Electricity says do not jump in to try to save someone you suspect might be exposed to electricity in the water (opens in a new tab).

What to do instead:

• Cut the power. Turn off shore power using a switch or other mechanism, usually found on the meter base, or unplug the shore power cords (opens in a new tab). Safe Electricity says to eliminate the source of power first, then call 911 (opens in a new tab). If someone else is with you, one person calls while the other cuts the power.
• Throw, don't go. Throw a float (opens in a new tab), and use a rope to pull the person to shore or the dock. See reach or throw, don't go.
• If they aren't breathing once they're out of the water, start CPR if you are trained, and follow the 911 dispatcher's instructions until help arrives.

What dock and boat owners can do

If you own or rent a dock or a boat with an electrical system, these steps come from the Tennessee Fire Marshal and Safe Electricity:

• Have the boat's electrical system inspected every year by a qualified electrician who knows marine codes and standards (opens in a new tab).
• Install ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) on circuits feeding electricity to the dock, and test them monthly (opens in a new tab).
• Have an equipment leakage circuit interrupter (ELCI) installed on the boat, or use one in the shore power cord, and test it at least once a month (opens in a new tab).
• Don't use household extension cords for shore power. Use shore power cords built to UL standards (opens in a new tab).
• Have a licensed electrician wire the dock and inspect it at least once a year (opens in a new tab), because docks are exposed to the weather.
• Never swim off your dock without shutting down all shore power to the boat and the dock (opens in a new tab).
• Talk with neighbors. The Fire Marshal suggests you work together with them to make the waterfront safe (opens in a new tab).

At a marina, ask the operator about safety. The Fire Marshal suggests that if no-swimming signs aren't posted, you ask your marina operator to post signs prohibiting swimming at their facility (opens in a new tab). For general boat prep, see the boating safety checklist.

What you can do today

• Teach your family the rhyme: "If you feel a shock, swim away from the dock."
• Make a family rule: no swimming near marinas, boatyards or docks with power, ever.
• If you're renting a lake house, ask whether the dock has electricity, and plan the swim area away from it.
• If you own a dock or boat with power, book an inspection and test your GFCIs this month.
• Show every adult where the power shut-off for the dock is.

If you also fish from docks, see fishing safety.