Currents/checking before gettin in...

Is there a way to check for currents before getting in the water? Say throwing some sort of floating object out to where you are about to dive, if it moves swiftly across the surface does that correlate with what it will be like below?

Any advice concerning currents and checking them, lets discuss.

www.saltwatertides.com is the website I use for tide estimations along our coastlines. It won't give you current speeds, but slack tide at the entrance of Pensacola Bay is at high tide and low tide.

Currents can and will vary on the surface and on the bottom... and mid-water, for that matter.

Tide charts and common sense go a long ways. Be careful near rivers, jetties and other modifiers. Wehn traveling seek local advice, maybe even an orientation dive.

Pete

TyTy:

Is there a way to check for currents before getting in the water? Say throwing some sort of floating object out to where you are about to dive, if it moves swiftly across the surface does that correlate with what it will be like below?

Any advice concerning currents and checking them, lets discuss.

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You can find lots of current info at this site ...

http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/index.html

Sometimes tossing a stick out can give you an indication of what's going on. But at many sites, the current at the surface will bear little resemblance to the current 20 feet below (or deeper). On some sites I've dived, usually walls, the current reversals happen every 15 feet or so ... we'll do "switchbacks" as we ascend the wall.

Best thing to do is rely on local knowledge ... whether that be found in a book, web site, or just by talking to folks who dive there a lot ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

NWGratefulDiver:

Best thing to do is rely on local knowledge ... whether that be found in a book, web site, or just by talking to folks who dive there a lot ...

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That's the truth!

Dived a site just down-flood from Deception pass the other day - Strawberry Island, I think - that I called the Washing Machine. Current was going one way at one depth, another way at another. I thought I had it dialed in, and signaled my buddy, let's do a circle... But when we went back around, the current shallower had changed, so we went back down and it had changed there two. At one point we sailed over another pair of divers from our group, who seemed to be riding a different current just a few feet below us. There was absolutely no consistency in the ever-changing current at this site, which was half dive, half carnival ride.

Fun!

Rick Inman:

That's the truth!

Dived a site just down-flood from Deception pass the other day - Strawberry Island, I think - that I called the Washing Machine. Current was going one way at one depth, another way at another. I thought I had it dialed in, and signaled my buddy, let's do a circle... But when we went back around, the current shallower had changed, so we went back down and it had changed there two. At one point we sailed over another pair of divers from our group, who seemed to be riding a different current just a few feet below us. There was absolutely no consistency in the ever-changing current at this site, which was half dive, half carnival ride.

Fun!

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Rick- I know that area (I grew up around there) those currents can be a bugger! That's probably the single most unpredictable spot in the sound. I'm sure that's where the name "Deception Pass" comes from!

TyTy:

Is there a way to check for currents before getting in the water? Say throwing some sort of floating object out to where you are about to dive, if it moves swiftly across the surface does that correlate with what it will be like below?

Any advice concerning currents and checking them, lets discuss.

Click to expand...

Ty, Sometimes it's just as simple as how much tension is on your anchor line when diving off of a boat. Like I mentioned in the other thread, it gets easier as you get more familiar with the site, like knowing how much tension to expect, etc.
Also, along jetties, one of the things to look for is along the rocks...how much movement can you see there? (watch for turbulence created by water passing along the rocks) and turbulence around bouys, etc also.
As you said, floating objects, too. When your boat is anchored, how fast are you being passed by sticks, etc?
As mentioned by Rick above, sometimes that has no correlation whatsoever with what's below....but it should give you an idea when the tide has stopped moving. In the area of the Gulf where I do most of my diving, the current can be ripping along pretty good, but at 70 or 80 feet there might be none at all, or sometimes it can be just the opposite. Mostly it's just going to take getting out there and getting more experience. If you don't have a dive buddy that's familiar with the area, you'll learn it all yourself.....you already learned alot on the first one.

TyTy:

Is there a way to check for currents before getting in the water? Say throwing some sort of floating object out to where you are about to dive, if it moves swiftly across the surface does that correlate with what it will be like below?

Any advice concerning currents and checking them, lets discuss.

Click to expand...

I would discourage throwing anything into the water; especially if it is not rapidly degradable. Just adds to flotsam.

If unsure, one way is to throw a line with a buoy secured at the entry point. That should give a fairly good indication of surface current. If the decision is to proceed with the dive even if the current is fairly strong , the line will also provide a holding point in the water just in case your buddy's entry is delayed and avoid a tiring fight against the current while waiting.

If swimmimg against current, reduce air in BC and do not change to snorkel if you have sufficient air.