Lightning seeks earth ground. If a pond makes the better
connection from cloud to earth, then so is your excitement.
If miles of air did not stop lightning, then what difference
is a silly little power switch or even the mythical surge
protector. Lightning is not stopped, blocked, or absorbed
except in myths.

Franklin demonstrated effective protection in 1752.
Lightning must be intercepted and diverted to earth to not
find destructive paths through church steeple - or now through
electrical and transistorized appliances.

Protection for that pond would be a Franklin air terminal
(lightning rod). Sharp or blunt rod? Irrelevant. That air
terminal will only be as effective as its earth ground. Earth
ground (not a surge protector) is surge protection.

Others are still confused. They actually think a plug-in
UPS claims protection from such surges even though the
manufacturer makes no such claim. A UPS connects appliance
directly to AC mains when not in battery backup mode. No
protection there. Protectors only work when they connect the
incoming surge to surge protection - earth ground.

Again, nothing stops lightning. Lightning must be diverted
to earth before it enters a pond or a building. Telephone and
cable lines (are suppose to) have effective 'whole house'
protectors or equivalent - to do what Franklin air terminals
do. They earth the surge before it can enter the building.

But the one incoming line that typically has no such
protection is AC electric. Lightning to AC electric is, for
example, the most common source of computer modem damage.
Those who forget their elementary school science forget that a
surge must first form a complete circuit. Only then is
something in that circuit (ie modem) damaged. Nothing stops
that surge. But a 'whole house' surge protector connected
less than 10 feet to household central earth ground does
provide effective protection from direct lightning strikes.

This is but introductory. Further discussion among
engineers can be reviewed in the newsgroup misc.rural in two
threads:
Storm and Lightning damage in the country 28 Jul 2002
Lightning Nightmares!! 10 Aug 2002
http://tinyurl.com/ghgv or http://tinyurl.com/ghgm

Lightning may have struck the pond because a direct
connection existed to breaker box earth ground. We do know
that lightning struck that pond because pond was a best path
to earth. Since household appliances were not in that path (no
incoming and outgoing path through appliances as required by
elementary school science on electricity), then appliances
would not be damaged.

BargainTraveller wrote:
This past weekend I pulled my back out putting in a water pond in my
backyard. When it was installed I have to admit that I did find it
relaxing to sit on the back porch and listen to the water while doing
my devotionals. I actually felt pretty good about how it was turning
out.

Until Monday night...

Sherry and I were sitting downstairs watching the Tour de France when
suddenly lightning flashed outside the window and the thunder crashed.
It was a direct hit. It had hit my water pond! The pond was actually
lifted out of the hole and the water was just about all gone.
Fortunately we hadn't put fish in it yet or else we would be eating
fish sandwiches!

I have reinstalled the pond and checked into what contributed to my
shocking experience.

Could it be that by leaving the pump on during an electrical storm
that a negative charge was created that the lightning was attracted
to?