Could lightning strike you underwater?

Surely you just make sure you keep hiding under different shoals of fish? We all know lightning never strikes twice the same plaice.

Dave Smith, Hastings

Surely lightning strikes the oceans as for many places on earth there is no land for miles. The charge will then disperse whether you would experiance any noticeable affects is dependant on your depth.
I can't imagine it's possible for lightning to strike freshwater except prehaps in the great lakes in canada. Would ions dissolved in water raise resistance?

callum

As far as I know - and I could be very wrong - the more saline a solution is, the better it be at conducting electrical current.

The electrical current probably spreads in all directions, weakening as it spreads out. (as stated in another post ). Since large numbers of dead fish aren't found after thunderstorms move across bodies of water, the current probably weakens in short distances. So if your far enough away from the point of impact you should be safe, unless your body is above the water and your struck that i imagine would be the same as being on land and have the same effect.

It was quite a few years back while i was on holiday with friends & we were swimming in the sea when lighting struck the water not far from where we were.
We didn't feel anything apart from the sudden water temperature change.
We were playing about in the water & we couldn't touch the sea bed which i think would have made a difference.

Jimbo