On a sunlit Saturday afternoon at Ettalong Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast, a young man swimming in calm, clear water was struck by lightning that seemed to come from nowhere. The storms that had battered Greater Sydney were far off over the horizon, yet the bolt traveled through open sky to reach him, a reminder that the atmosphere's violence does not always announce itself above our heads. Strangers rushed to the water, pulled him ashore and kept his heart working until paramedics arrived. He now lies in critical but stable condition, and the beach, like the wider state, is left w
Man in critical condition after 'blue sky' lightning strike at Ettalong Beach on NSW Central Coast
A man in his 20s is in critical but stable condition in hospital after being struck by lightning while swimming.
All along the beach was so sunny.
Mark
Why does this one stand out? Lightning strikes happen.
Mimi
Because of the sky. Everyone on that beach was looking at sunshine. The people there said the dark clouds weren't overhead, and that's exactly the point of blue sky lightning.
Mark
How far can it travel?
Mimi
The Bureau's Sarah Scully says strikes have been recorded up to 30 kilometres from the nearest storm, typically 15 to 30, and that the bolt comes out of the top of very tall storms, up to around 30,000 feet.
Luke
Worth being clear on what's established. The strike and the man's condition are confirmed. How far away the parent storm was at Ettalong isn't stated in the reporting.
Mark
And the man himself?
Mimi
Believed to be in his 20s, a Central Coast local, critical but stable at Royal North Shore after Gosford Hospital.
Luke
Critical but stable tells us little about his outlook. No further detail on his injuries has been given, so it's an open question.
Mark
What about the bystanders?
Mimi
They pulled him from the water and did CPR until paramedics arrived. Brandon Duffy saw them still doing it when he got there.
Luke
One caution: Duffy arrived after the strike, so his account covers the aftermath, not the moment itself.
Mark
What's next?
Mimi
More storms today, with potentially dangerous cells forecast for the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers.
Der Puls
- A sunny beach turned into an emergency in an instant when a man in his 20s was struck while swimming, with no storm cloud overhead.
- Bystanders pulled him from the water and kept up CPR, a desperate and unbroken effort until paramedics reached the sand.
- Shocked families and beachgoers were left grappling with how a bolt could strike from a sky that looked entirely clear.
- He was moved from Gosford Hospital to Royal North Shore Hospital, where doctors are holding him in critical but stable condition.
- With about 250 emergency calls already logged across NSW and dangerous storm cells forecast for the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers, the danger is still moving.
On a sunlit Saturday afternoon at Ettalong Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast, a young man swimming in calm, clear water was struck by lightning that seemed to come from nowhere. The storms that had battered Greater Sydney were far off over the horizon, yet the bolt traveled through open sky to reach him, a reminder that the atmosphere's violence does not always announce itself above our heads. Strangers rushed to the water, pulled him ashore and kept his heart working until paramedics arrived. He now lies in critical but stable condition, and the beach, like the wider state, is left watching a sky that still holds more storms.
Around 3:00pm on Saturday, a man in his 20s was swimming at Ettalong Beach when lightning struck him. The sky above the beach was sunny, and the dark clouds that had brought storms to Greater Sydney sat far away on the horizon.
Bystanders pulled him from the water and began CPR, continuing it until paramedics arrived. He was first taken to Gosford Hospital and has since been moved to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, where he remains in critical but stable condition.
Among those on the beach was Taylor Lee Quimby, who was there with her three children. She heard a massive bang about 200 metres away and was shaken, because none of the clouds were overhead. She only learned later what had happened.
Senior meteorologist Sarah Scully of the Bureau of Meteorology explained the phenomenon, known as blue sky lightning. Bolts can leap out from the top of a storm and travel through clear air, sometimes striking 15 to 30 kilometres away. The storms across NSW have already produced about 250 calls for help, and more are expected, with potentially dangerous cells forecast for the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers.
Around 3:00pm on Saturday, a man believed to be in his 20s was swimming at Ettalong Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast when lightning struck him. The sky above the beach was sunny. Bystanders pulled him from the water and started CPR, and kept going until paramedics arrived, according to a NSW Ambulance spokesperson.
He was first taken by ambulance to Gosford Hospital. He has since been moved to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, where he is in a critical but stable condition.
Brandon Duffy arrived at the beach shortly after the strike. He describes a chaotic scene. People were already performing CPR when he got there, he said, and a lot of bystanders were looking on. He said people were very concerned, and that when the strike happened, it was pretty clear what it was.
Taylor Lee Quimby was on the beach with her three children when she heard what she called a massive bang, about 200 metres away. She said the noise shocked her because none of the dark clouds were above them, and the whole beach was sunny. Her seven-month-old daughter was lying under an umbrella with her eldest son when it happened. It was only after she arrived home a short time later that she learned someone had been struck by lightning despite the clear skies.
The phenomenon has a name: blue sky lightning. Sarah Scully, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, said strikes of this kind have been recorded up to 30 kilometres from the nearest storm system. She explained that thunderstorms are very tall, sometimes pushing up to 30,000 feet into the atmosphere. Lightning can occasionally shoot out from the top and travel through clear air before hitting the ground, sometimes 15 to 30 kilometres away.
The strike came after severe storms across Greater Sydney, which led to about 250 calls for help across NSW. Beachgoers at Ettalong could see dark cloud in the distance, but none was overhead.
The weather isn't finished. More thunderstorms are expected across NSW today, and the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast potentially dangerous storm cells across the Mid North Coast and the Northern Rivers.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Lightning can occasionally shoot out at the top and travel through the clear air before it strikes the ground, sometimes 15 to 30 kilometres away.— Sarah Scully, senior meteorologist, Bureau of Meteorology
They were commencing CPR when I arrived. There were a lot of bystanders looking on.— Brandon Duffy, witness
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