If you dive Cozumel often enough you are bound to encounter a downcurrent. That holds true for almost all the reefs that have walls. I actually believe that due to its distance from shore, that Barracuda is less prone to that than say Santa Rosa Wall
The downcurrents function exactly the way a rip tide/current does on the beach. In the case of rip tides, large waves wash up on the beach, sometimes joining and then rushing back out to see in a narrow band. All life guards will tell you to not fight the current, but to swim parallel to the beach and you will soon be out of the current, and can probably let a wave push you back in. It is those who continue to fight the current who get into trouble.
In Cozumel, during seasonal transition, like we have for the next few months, there are large eddies of open ocean currents that sometimes push large bodies of water up against the shore, raising the water level. But gravity prevails and that water has to rush back out to sea. Most generally that water rushes down thru cuts in the coral heads and can have a serious velocity. But like the beach rip tides, it is almost always a very narrow band and that is why you hear stories of divers 20 feet away not having the same problem.
As best I know, the downcurrents start to diffuse below 150 ft and normally are gone by 200ft. But that does not suggest that you just go along for the ride! The best bet is to do as your beach lifeguard told you. That is, to swim quickly across the reef and you will probably be out of it in 20 to 50 feet. They also may be difficult to detect but if you think you are swimming horizontally and all of a sudden you have to clear your ears, look at your depth gage and the reef rising above you!
We try to address this issue on every dive briefing, but especially at this time of year.
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
The downcurrents function exactly the way a rip tide/current does on the beach. In the case of rip tides, large waves wash up on the beach, sometimes joining and then rushing back out to see in a narrow band. All life guards will tell you to not fight the current, but to swim parallel to the beach and you will soon be out of the current, and can probably let a wave push you back in. It is those who continue to fight the current who get into trouble.
In Cozumel, during seasonal transition, like we have for the next few months, there are large eddies of open ocean currents that sometimes push large bodies of water up against the shore, raising the water level. But gravity prevails and that water has to rush back out to sea. Most generally that water rushes down thru cuts in the coral heads and can have a serious velocity. But like the beach rip tides, it is almost always a very narrow band and that is why you hear stories of divers 20 feet away not having the same problem.
As best I know, the downcurrents start to diffuse below 150 ft and normally are gone by 200ft. But that does not suggest that you just go along for the ride! The best bet is to do as your beach lifeguard told you. That is, to swim quickly across the reef and you will probably be out of it in 20 to 50 feet. They also may be difficult to detect but if you think you are swimming horizontally and all of a sudden you have to clear your ears, look at your depth gage and the reef rising above you!
We try to address this issue on every dive briefing, but especially at this time of year.
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers