If you haven't thought about it it's time you did. Best choice is always 'live to kite another day'.
If you need convincing of the lightning risk try this.....
When there's charged clouds about (but pls - NOT when there's actually lightning happening) just do a little boost off the beach. ie with your board on.
The crack might be enough to convince you that you make a great conductor.
(and you can easily replace the melted footpads)

Has anyone heard of anyone actually getting struck?

Don't know if it actually strikes....it's more like a static build up

and yes it happened to me one day when there was some lightning/storm activity nearby....

was doing a back roll handplant with my fingers a few inches off the water and zapp! It was a loud crack and it feckn hurt through my fingers and up my arm....

like puppet said, once you leave the water it needs u become a connductor

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bjw said..
Has anyone heard of anyone actually getting struck?

I got hit at safety bay many years ago. Was in the air and when I came down it belted the bejeesus out of me.

thanks for keeping the crowds down today anyway puppet, it was nice and quiet at Trigg!

yep, happens a lot in our neck of the woods during the monsoon season, luckily no one has been struck.

Years ago landing a jump the shock was big enough for my hand to jolt off the bar right in the middle of redirecting it after a decent jump. You can hear the arcing zaps as the board makes contact with the water!

It usually happens at the leading edge of a storm just before the rain buckets down,,,, especially if the wind suddenly changes direction and the temperature drops 10 degrees,,,, definitely time to come in. Once, a few of us had literally just landed the kites and just a few hundred meters away, a damn strike,,, a serious flash of light and instantly ionized the air,,,,crazy weird smell,,, bloody hell that was close.

Cheers,

Robbie

Yep Albany three or so years ago. Weird ****.