Kayaker Erik Walasek Caught in Florida Thunderstorm; Frantic Efforts To Get To Shore Caught on Camera

Sean Breslin
Published: August 24,2015

Erik Walasek knew he was in trouble when a huge storm began to build over Florida's Gulf coast and didn't have any way to quickly get out of the water. Fishing with a friend in a waterway near Aripeka, Florida, Walasek attached his GoPro to the front of the kayak to record the terrifying moments and began paddling as fast as he could.
"The storm built up pretty quick, but it was probably about a 15, 20-minute kayak ride back to the nearest house," Walasek told The Weather Channel.
Within minutes, lightning was crashing all around his kayak, and Walasek was convinced that a few bolts were so close that they might have hit one of the fishing poles, or even the camera. As you can see in the video above, the bolts were hitting points nearby, but Walasek was fortunate to avoid getting hit directly.
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"I knew that the lightning was striking all around me, but that first big crash – I felt like it was right on me," he told The Weather Channel.
Walasek also said he feared the fishing rods would attract lightning, and considered ditching them during his frantic efforts to get back to shore.
The incident happened on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 15, according to ABC News. Aripeka is about 40 miles northwest of Tampa on Florida's Gulf coast.
Paddling.net says it's a good idea to take a weather radio with you on any kayaking trips and be prepared to act quickly to get off the water if a storm rapidly develops.
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