Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave R
Salt water is sort of like a Faraday cage in this regard. The current follows the path of least resistance so it goes around the human body in salt water.
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Not totally correct.
Salt-water is anywhere from 50 to 1,000 times more conductive than fresh water. The conductivity of the human body when wet lies between the two, but is much closer to saltwater than fresh. In saltwater, the human body only slows electricity down, so most of it will go around a swimmer on its way back to ground unless the swimmer grabs hold of something — like a propeller or a swim ladder — that's electrified