Kayak Ontario - Lightning Protocol
Lightning Safety Protocol
How we monitor for, respond to, and recover from electrical storms before and during on-water programs.
For Organizational Program PartnersPurpose
What your group can expect when lightning is a factor
Lightning is the weather hazard with the most clearly defined response. This protocol sets out how our instructors monitor for it and what happens to a session if it develops, so the steps are understood by everyone before a program runs.
It is written to be shared in full with your staff, supervisors, and the guardians of any participants. All field guides hold Advanced Wilderness First Aid certification.
The rule we operate by
If you can hear thunder, lightning is within striking distance. When thunder is heard, the group comes off the water.
Thunder means 10 km
Audible thunder means a strike can reach the group, so it is the point at which we begin moving to shelter.
The 30 second count
If under 30 seconds pass between a flash and its thunder, the storm is roughly 10 km out. The group moves to shelter.
30 minutes clear
A session resumes only after 30 minutes have passed since the last thunder or flash. The count restarts with each new one.
Who decides
The lead instructor makes the weather call
The decision to delay, shorten, relocate, or cancel a session for lightning rests with the lead instructor in the field, who has the most current view of conditions on the water.
Before you arrive
Planning around the forecast
Forecast monitoring
We review the forecast and the Environment Canada Canadian Lightning Danger Map in the days before, the morning of, and regularly through the session. Convective storms in Ontario most often build between early afternoon and evening.
Scheduling and routing
Where the forecast warrants it, we shift start times earlier, adjust the on-water plan, choose routes that keep shore and shelter close, and brief the group on the exit plan before launch.
On the water
From detection to shelter
-
Detect early
Building cloud, distant thunder, a wind shift, or a flash starts the response. Open water is an exposed position, so we act on the first indication.
-
Call it and group up
The instructor announces the move, accounts for every paddler, and sets a direct line to the nearest safe landing. Pace is controlled and the group stays together.
-
Get off the water
Reaching land is the priority. A small craft without a cabin offers no protection, and an upright paddle acts as a conductor. We land, then move away from the shoreline and the boats.
-
Move to enclosed shelter
A fully enclosed building with wiring and plumbing, or a hard-topped vehicle with the windows up, is the goal. We keep clear of common hazards: lone trees, picnic shelters, gazebos, open pavilions, high ground, and metal objects.
-
Wait out the full 30
We hold for 30 minutes after the last thunder or flash. The count restarts with every new one. We then reassess whether the day can continue.
Two response tiers
Set by the type of program
Shelter is not equally close on every trip. We tell you in advance which tier applies to your booking, because it sets how early the weather call is made.
Shore-accessible programs
Day clinics, intro courses, skills sessions, and any program run within a short paddle of a known landing and built shelter.
- Sessions launch when a reasonable weather window is expected.
- We plan routes to keep a safe landing and shelter within a conservative paddling distance.
- At the first sign of lightning the group lands and shelters using the sequence above.
- The default is to delay or stand down, and a clinic is straightforward to rebook.
Committed and expedition programs
Multi-day trips, crossings, and coastal travel where built shelter may be more than 30 minutes away.
- Weather decisions are made earlier and held longer, because shelter may be further off.
- Daily travel is planned around forecast windows, with escape points and protected camps identified as part of trip planning.
- We follow the NOLS principle that no position outdoors is fully safe. There is safer terrain and less safe terrain, so we move off exposed water and high ground and put distance between people.
- If shelter cannot be reached within a reasonable time, the group moves to the least exposed terrain available and uses the position below.
Last resort · used only when no shelter is reachable
If shelter cannot be reached
This reduces exposure when no better option is available. It is a fallback, not a routine part of a program.
- Move off the water and away from the highest ground and any lone tall objects.
- Spread the group out so a single strike does not reach everyone.
- Reduce contact with the ground: crouch low on the balls of the feet with feet together, and do not lie flat.
- Hold the position until the immediate threat passes, then move to enclosed shelter.
What it means for your booking
How a weather stop is handled
- Weather stops follow our policy. When we delay, shorten, or stand down a session for lightning, the program is rescheduled or credited in line with our published cancellation and credit policy rather than handled as a participant cancellation.
- We confirm the plan. The instructor or office will confirm the alternative date, the credit, or the revised plan with your booking contact.
- Full terms are published. Cancellation, credit, and transfer details are at kayak-ontario.com/policies/refund-policy, and your booking contact can walk your group through them.
What helps on the day
Three things that keep it simple
- Share this document. Pass it to your supervisors, your on-site staff, and the guardians of any participants, so the response is understood before it is needed.
- Build in buffer. Where your schedule allows, leave some room around the session. Flexibility makes an early weather call easier to accommodate.
- Support the call. If a session is paused or stopped, supporting the decision with participants helps the group respond quickly.