VIDEO: Lightning strikes boat with 7 onboard in Florida 

A boat carrying seven people on board was hit by lightning on Saturday about 100 miles off the Florida coast. 

The five men and two women, one of whom was pregnant, were rescued by a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter that flew two hours to reach them, according to the Coast Guard. They were taken “to the air station where family greeted them.”

The group was participating in a fishing tournament and was headed to shore when they encountered an unexpected storm. 

"There was only one way to go. And that was kind of through the storm," the co-captain of the boat, Glenn Rumer, told NBC's TODAY show. "I’ve been through storms. I’ve had lightning around me in the past, but nothing like this."

The lightning storm also had 35 mph winds that caused 6-foot waves. "Every second, there was lightning," added his sister, Sherrie Kelley.

Suddenly, one of those lightning strikes hit the 39-foot boat. 

The lightning strike was caught on video and is seen very close to some of the passengers on board. While no one was injured, the lightning did cause the outrigger to catch fire and explode into splinters.

"The motors, the electrical, everything went out. We were completely dead in the water," Rumer said.

#BREAKING USCG Air Station Clearwater rescued 7 people after their boat was hit by lighting 100 mil offshore of #TampaBay. Everyone is ok & reunited w/ family & friends thanks to them activating their EPIRB. Read more @ https://t.co/sINUsheQ9t #EPIRB #lightningstrikes #USCG pic.twitter.com/08SCd6WKoq

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) June 26, 2022

After the frightening moment, Sherrie rushed to get all the passengers below deck to keep them safe. 

The boat was equipped with an emergency position-indicating radio beam, allowing the Coast Guard to quickly locate the vessel. 

“Lightning storms are routinely encountered in the Florida maritime environment and can pose a significant hazard to boaters,” said Lt. David McKinley, Coast Guard pilot. “Fortunately, the boaters, in this case, were well prepared with all necessary safety equipment including an EPIRB, flares, and a marine VHF radio to ensure a quick and efficient rescue.”