A trio of fishermen are lucky to be alive after a lightning storm at sea struck a fishing rod attached to their boat.

Kim Ford said he and two friends left the Broome coast early this morning, eager to begin fishing again after a period of poor weather.

They took the 6-metre aluminium boat about 18km offshore and watched as a storm developed over town.

Mr Ford said the weather radar had shown a small front brewing but they thought nothing of it, and even when the weather hit they decided to wait it out.

"We thought we'd sit out there to start with, it'll probably pass in 20 minutes, half an hour, but it didn't," he said.

"It got quite ferocious.

"We couldn't actually see in front of us because the wind was coming and the rain was coming so hard, just stinging your eyes and your face.

"That's when the lightning came all around us."

He said the weather became so fierce they could not even pull the lifejackets out of storage.

A near miss

A front was brewing but it took the fishermen by surprise. ( Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology )

They had decided earlier on to keep a fishing rod in its holder so any lightning would strike that instead of the boat.

Mr Ford said they could feel the power of the lightning as it struck closer and closer.

"You can feel the force of them when they're cracking and the noise but when that one hit so close it was deafening.

"It hit the tip of the rod, travelled down and blew the reel apart.

"When I heard the big bang I knew exactly what happened because I could smell burning straight away.

"The rod was less than a metre from me. I sort of closed my eyes, tried to calm a little bit, then another one crashed near us, which the other two saw.

"They said that made the water turn red. It was like a big, big glow of red all around."

Risking it to get back

It was then they decided they had to risk it and make the trip back to shore, he said.

"I was concerned for my life but I was more concerned about the two people on board.

"I think we were just saying a few silent words and hoping we could get back to see our families."

Waves were crashing over the bow and the GPS unit kept turning on and off but they managed to slowly guide the boat back to land.

"We came straight home and had a quick drink, just a scull in a shot glass each and said, 'mate, we cheated death.'

"Just mother nature the way it can turn on you — it's incredible.

"Unless you experience it and see it, you can't explain until you're in that situation."

A fishing rod was destroyed after being struck by lightning at sea. ( Supplied: Kim Ford )

Prepare for conditions

Broome Volunteer Sea Rescue commander Brett Winfield said four boats were monitored that morning, although everyone made it to shore safely and no-one needed to be rescued.

"It didn't look too bad on the radar, however as it got closer to the ocean it grew in its size and intensity and that's what caught everybody out," he said.

"The message to boat owners is at this time of year the weather can be very unpredictable."

He urged all boat owners to ensure their vessels were seaworthy and equipped with a working radio, lifejackets and EPIRB.

"People might want to ask themselves: is that fish worth risking my safety or the safety of the people that need to come out and look for me if I get into trouble?

"We all love fishing, we all love getting out on the water. But if there's any doubt, often delaying that departure just to see what that storm cell might do is a very worthwhile thing to do."

Mr Ford said he would ensure he checked weather reports before heading out again.

"You feel stupid because you went out in that weather but you honestly don't think it's going to be a big deal.

"I think we were just so keen to get out there because we'd had so many westerlies and it was the first break we could get and actually have a fish.

"I've been out there in a couple of little storms but nothing like this."

