Currents and diver experience level

[Poi]

My dives 5 & 6 were done with strong current and some down current. Although it made a very quick learning curve I wouldn't recommend it, I'm making a point of making sure my next 20 odd dives are a lot more straight forward so I can just gain confidence.

 

[LaMissJude]

What makes a experienced diver for me could include but is not limited to: his ability to deal with his buoyancy, air consumption, equipment, being able to plan his dive, to read a computer properly and understand what it basically does, to kick efficiently, to not forget his air gauge and his buddy or group, to respect the reefs and the people with whom he is diving (including his guide if there is one),to keep his self control and to have basic diving theory knowledge.
Taking informations about the place he his going to dive, so he doesn't have bad surprises (depth limitation, time limitation, local regulations, level of the other divers on the group, weather paterns, currents...)
Also, being abble to recognise his own limits and admit that the ocean will always be stronger than him. Not matter the equipment, the level of fitness etc...

Even if a beginner diver can be good, and sometimes very good, a diver usually doesn't become what I consider a good diver after 20 dives. Nothing disrespectfull here...

Concrete exemples:
-I love climbing, but unfortunetely, where I live (Maldives) I don't have the chance to practice often (Really? :shocked2 Next time I climb, I'm not going to try the mount Everest, or challenging places...
-Someone who just has his driving licence might not feel really confortable during rush hour on the highway...

All the things I mentionned before come with experience. Taking courses and proper instruction will help, but with no or little practice, it will not make a diver more experienced. Nobody can learn to swim taking information from internet, no matter how hard he reads!

So, dive dive dive, as much as you can (eventually, as much as your wallet allows you ) but don't put yourself (and eventually your buddy or group) in dangerous situations because you think you can handle it. (I'm not saying you will or did, better to prevent than treat.)

Diving in strong current can be really exciting and incredible, regarding adrenaline and things you can see. However, the level that should come with diving this kind of places comes with... experience, and experience usually comes with time, even if I have seen better divers with 50 dives than some with 200.

 

[blues_diver]

Guys, would like to get some opinion on diving in Lembongan and the current conditions.

We are planning to go in Jun. I have about 100+ dives logged but have not dive for almost 2 years! 2 of my dive buddies probably have less than 50 dives and have not dive for longer period.

Do you think is a good idea to go Lembongan as long as we avoid sites like Blue Corner or Crystal Bay? How is the current normally in Jun and how is the other sites?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Cheers

 

[Quero]

Currents at Lembongan and Penida are present year round. They are largely a product of the Indonesian Throughflow since the islands are at the boundary of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the water exchange happens between the islands of Indonesia.

Many of the dive sites accessible from Lembongan have currents, but there are places where the currents are more manageable than at those two sites specifically. For example, the last time I did a dive at Mangrove, the current was running very, very fast, but it was running horizontally, like a river rather than a waterfall. My bubbles were flying out straight in front of me rather than up. To be honest, the dive was a blast, but I know that some of the people on the boat who had less experience found it stressful in that they were having to steer to avoid crashing into coral heads. It probably would have been a lot of fun to snorkel, though. I've also had strong down currents with falling tides at SD and surrounding dive sites, but you're at the bottom already when you feel them, so at worst you just have to pull yourself upslope to keep from being pushed deeper than you want to go. SD at slack tide, though, is easy. And Toyapakeh, in a channel between two islands, although it has current, is often okay for intermediate divers and might be a decent place to get some experience dealing with horizontal currents. The problem is less likely to be that there are no dives appropriate for your buddies, but rather that you'll hear other people raving about some wild dive and you'll be thinking you want to do it. It's hard to resist the temptation!

 

[offthewall1]

All divers who enter the oceans and rivers will eventually encounter strong current... and so I've never understood when people say these dives are for experienced divers only. The only way to gain experience in current is to dive in current.

The most important factor in dealing with current is to understand what to expect when you enter into a strong current and have a plan of action in place. In most cases you'll know you're jumping into current before you jump in. While that is not the case 100% of the time, it is the case often enough.

Physical fitness should not matter for properly planned "current" dives. The plan is never to fight the current. Planned "current" dives are usually done as drift dives and are extremely easy and relaxing. When doing a site dive with current, such as a shipwreck, you will learnt o use the structure as protection from the current to minimize your exertion. On these types of dives it is important to use your down/anchor line when ascending and descending. You don't get in trouble unless you lose contact with the line.

If you do lose contact with the line and can not get back, it is important to not struggle agaisnt currents. Have the proper safety and signaling equipment with you everytime you enter the water. Fighting a strong current will tire you, but more importantly may cause rapid air depletion. Conserving your air will be important should you have to stay on the surface awhile before being picked up.

It is important to understand how currents work. There may be surface, mid-water or bottom current and these may subside as you rise or fall in the water column. Simply ascending or descending may allow you to swim back to your target.

If you jump into the water and the current begins sweeping you away right from the start... it is probably a good idea to abort the dive. Listen carefully to briefings. These will explain any known current and usually what to do. "Jump in, grab the line, pull yourself forward," etc...

Most importantly, I think anyone diving into a known current for the first time will benefit by partnering with someone who has been there - done that. Experienced divers who have spent lots of time in strong currents can help you build your confidence in these situations.

 

[electrix]

After my wife got certified we were going to Tahiti, I was concerned about her reaction to currents so I took her to a spring fed river where the water gushes out of the ground in the millions of gallons an hour creating a very strong current, that was better than a thousand words about how strong a current can be and how you can't fight it.

 

[TSandM]

All divers who enter the oceans and rivers will eventually encounter strong current... and so I've never understood when people say these dives are for experienced divers only. The only way to gain experience in current is to dive in current.​

The only way to gain tolerance for task loading is to experience task loading, but we deliberately try not to task load beginners, simply because they don't have the bandwidth to deal with a great deal more than the basic mechanics of diving. Putting someone who still has trouble remembering which button to push to exhaust their BC into a downcurrent is a recipe for a problem . . . as the video that started another current-related thread so clearly showed.

Yes, you need to expand your boundaries and gain additional competence as a diver, and you do that by stretching a bit. But you do it wisely, and you don't jump into a site with 1) no hard bottom within OW depths, or even recreational depths; 2) strong current; 3) known possibility of up and downwellings, when you are a novice diver. You dive pleasant sites like Paradiso, with a hard bottom in a reasonable range, and no strong vertical structure to create downwellings. That site can also have current, but at least in our experience, it's generally mild, and great for a beginner to start thinking about how to shelter from it to watch things, and to learn the challenges to keeping a buddy team together in moving water.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

All divers who enter the oceans and rivers will eventually encounter strong current... and so I've never understood when people say these dives are for experienced divers only. The only way to gain experience in current is to dive in current.

The most important factor in dealing with current is to understand what to expect when you enter into a strong current and have a plan of action in place. In most cases you'll know you're jumping into current before you jump in. While that is not the case 100% of the time, it is the case often enough.

Physical fitness should not matter for properly planned "current" dives. The plan is never to fight the current. Planned "current" dives are usually done as drift dives and are extremely easy and relaxing. When doing a site dive with current, such as a shipwreck, you will learnt o use the structure as protection from the current to minimize your exertion. On these types of dives it is important to use your down/anchor line when ascending and descending. You don't get in trouble unless you lose contact with the line.

If you do lose contact with the line and can not get back, it is important to not struggle agaisnt currents. Have the proper safety and signaling equipment with you everytime you enter the water. Fighting a strong current will tire you, but more importantly may cause rapid air depletion. Conserving your air will be important should you have to stay on the surface awhile before being picked up.

It is important to understand how currents work. There may be surface, mid-water or bottom current and these may subside as you rise or fall in the water column. Simply ascending or descending may allow you to swim back to your target.

If you jump into the water and the current begins sweeping you away right from the start... it is probably a good idea to abort the dive. Listen carefully to briefings. These will explain any known current and usually what to do. "Jump in, grab the line, pull yourself forward," etc...

Most importantly, I think anyone diving into a known current for the first time will benefit by partnering with someone who has been there - done that. Experienced divers who have spent lots of time in strong currents can help you build your confidence in these situations.

I find many of your comments confusing.. You talk about drift diving and actually drifting and then talk about pulling down a line. A diver can not pull down a line in a strong current, it is impossible.

The comment about saving more air on a drift dive because you might need more compressed air on the surface is also "hard to follow".. And of course I agree with TSM... currents add a lot of stress and danger with respect to entanglement, buddy separation and being transported to depths that are dangerous, bouynacy control becomes very confusing when you are being transported by a turbulent current that alternates with carrying you up and then down.... These are all very good reasons not to take beginners on a high current dive. Many people enjoy diving without ever experiencing strong currents. ....

 

[blues_diver]

Thanks Quero for your feedback. I have dive in current situation before. But after reading the Board about strong up and down current around Penida, I probably worrying a bit too much, especially I have not dive for 2 years!

Ok I will aim for the intermediate site and will try to resist the temptation on some of the stronger current sites if I am not comfortable!

Cheers

Currents at Lembongan and Penida are present year round. They are largely a product of the Indonesian Throughflow since the islands are at the boundary of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the water exchange happens between the islands of Indonesia.

Many of the dive sites accessible from Lembongan have currents, but there are places where the currents are more manageable than at those two sites specifically. For example, the last time I did a dive at Mangrove, the current was running very, very fast, but it was running horizontally, like a river rather than a waterfall. My bubbles were flying out straight in front of me rather than up. To be honest, the dive was a blast, but I know that some of the people on the boat who had less experience found it stressful in that they were having to steer to avoid crashing into coral heads. It probably would have been a lot of fun to snorkel, though. I've also had strong down currents with falling tides at SD and surrounding dive sites, but you're at the bottom already when you feel them, so at worst you just have to pull yourself upslope to keep from being pushed deeper than you want to go. SD at slack tide, though, is easy. And Toyapakeh, in a channel between two islands, although it has current, is often okay for intermediate divers and might be a decent place to get some experience dealing with horizontal currents. The problem is less likely to be that there are no dives appropriate for your buddies, but rather that you'll hear other people raving about some wild dive and you'll be thinking you want to do it. It's hard to resist the temptation!

 

[Quero]

I think a little worrying is a good thing. It keeps one from becoming complacent. Have a great time on Lembongan!