How do you drift dive?

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FPDocMatt

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Middletown, Maryland, USA
# of dives
25 - 49
I'm attending the Cozumel Invasion. I've only got 14 dives (will have maybe 10 more by then). I've heard Cozumel is all drift diving. I understand the concept--they put you in the water one place, and pick you up down-current, right? Is there a skill to drift diving? Are there things I need to watch out for? Kind of makes me nervous. What if I get pulled away from the group? How do you know you're at the pick-up point? Any pointers appreciated.
 
Work on buoyancy and trim. If you have a good handle on that you will enjoy drift diving. You just glide along looking at the pretty stuff until you reach the end of the underwater road. The DM will let you know when the road has ended. I understand they shoot a marker to the surface to let the boat identify group location.

Since everyone is gliding along on he same current you should not get separated unless you duck behind a coral head (you can get out of the current there) and lose sight of the group.

Mostly, just relax and enjoy the ride.

I'll see you there. :thumb:
 
Drift diving in Cozumel is awesome and the easiest kind of diving you can do. You consume very little air since you often don't have to kick at all, just relax and enjoy the ride.

They usually get the buddy pairs to jump in at about the same time so you stay together. The current at the surface moves faster than the current below, so you both need to be ready to descend quickly once you've jumped in and given your big ok. It will be calmer and slower below. Many sites in Coz have a slow, easy current. Some advanced sites have a much faster current.

The current is slower closer to the reef or structures. In the wide open, the current moves faster. You want to be pretty close to the reef or wall, but not extremely close to a wall, since currents can also move down a wall.

Usually in Coz, the boat follows everyone's bubbles and the Dive Guide has a marker. They tend to do multi-level dives, so everyone can off-gas pretty well. As people are getting lower on air and signal the DM, they ascend in buddy pairs and the boat picks them up wherever they surface. People keep going up two by two wherever they may be until the last couple of divers go up with the DM. Even during a night dive, the boats do a fabulous job of keeping track of the divers.

Safety gear is always a good precaution - a whistle, SCUBAlert, and Surface Marker Buoy at least. An electric or chemical light stick for night dives plus a dive light or two.

Before the first time I went to Coz, I asked questions similar to yours. I also found that reading the Drift Diving chapter in the AOW manual really helped as well.

Hope that helps. Have fun!
 
My first ocean dives were in Cozumel. Using the same operator you will be using, staying at the same hotel you will be staying. Drift diving in Cozumel is, in my limited experience, the easiest diving you will find. Giant stride off the boat. Enjoy the ride, get back on the boat. The boat follows your group. When you surface the boat is right in front of you. If it looks like a bit of a swim the boat will come back around and get you. Of course you need to pay attention to where the group is and stay with it. Watch your depth in Coz, the water is clear it can fool you. The life on the reefs is amazing, the walls and swim thru's are fantastic, the formations are mind blowing beauty at it's finest.

There is a DM on every dive group that will point out the things you want to see. Be sure to ask them about their safety procedures, they are more than happy to show you. Ask them about their diving experience and their families. They will grin from ear to ear. Ask the boat captain about his boat, he will be happy to show you where the PFD's are, the DM's will be glad to show you where the O2 is. Oh, and don't forget to ask how to operate the marine head.:D
 
Drift diving is awesome but there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Make sure you have the safety equipment others have mentioned and don't mess around on the surface have all your stuff together before you jump in. Some of the boats will throw a current line out so the group can hold on until everybody is ready and then drop all at one time,or hang on to it until it is your turn to get back onboard. Just remember when the dive guide says go it's time to go not time to be messing with your equipment. Once your down just relax and enjoy the ride.
 
Matt, your desire to absorb every bit of scuba knowledge that you can get your hands on is a sure sign that you are completely hooked on diving. Congratulations and welcome to the club of fellow addicts. You will become an excellent diver as a result. There is also a place for experiential learning in developing your skills. Developing a comfort level with your equipment for example is best acquired through actual dives under varying conditions. Over time skills like bouyancy control will become automatic muscle memory responses to varying conditions. At each stage of your skill development different pieces will fall into position as appropriate. There is so much to learn and so many sources of instruction, confounded by changing standards and for profit mass education business models. As a new diver, the best improvements in your skills will come from doing more dives. You have more Knowledge than a new diver should. Your next series of dives should be appropriate to your level, focused on developing your comfort level. You shouldn't have to be thinking of all the complex issues involved with advanced diving at this stage. As others have said, relax and go dive as often as you can. Anyone who has such a quest for diving knowledge and has posted such thoughtful questions as you have is someone I would be happy to dive with. The type of dive op you choose will make a big difference in how much attention you get. Some locations group divers by skill level and don't take novices to advanced sites, eliminating issues like strong current or deep reefs. Some ops are just a shuttle to a site and you either bring your own buddy or you take pot luck. Save these type of ops until your skills advance. I can highly recommend Cozumel as your goto dive local. My son and I have been diving with Aldora since he was 12. I would like to invite you to join the March invasion if you can get away for a few days between the 12 and the 19. A few dives with them and your comfort and skill level will skyrocket. However, I won't stay within an arms length of you, as I have been kicked in the face or had reg or mask knocked off one too many times. I will however stay within a fin kick or two. You can also hire a private DM to practice skills development. If you can't make it that week, I still recommend you squeeze in a visit with them prior to the big invasion. You will be much more comfortable at the big event. Any of the downtown hotels are good for a short stay and are very affordable. I also recommend you get a copy of Jim Lapenta's book, very informative and supports a fellow SBr. Good luck and safe diving. See you on the boat!:confined:Get out of the jar!
 
I am still trying to go to Invade Cozumel. I just gotta go,sounds like to much fun
 
You can also read the Drift Diver section of PADI's Adventure Diving (AOW) book.


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I relax and try not to kick too much. Unless you are against the current each kick will have a force with the current (force vectors if you're technical) and make you go faster.
Don't fight the current and go with the flow. Caveat: Walls may have a down current so you may have to face a bit up wall and fin a bit. Check your depth often and let your ears help you.
The current is less the closer to the bottom (not walls) but don't get too close or you might get a face full coral or hydroids. Good bouyancy is a key.
Currents can vary alot. It can be fast and slow on the same dive and on different days.

If you want to cross territory, swim diagonally not directly perpendicular to the current. It's less effort.
Find places to duck behind to wait for others. Much less effort than finning against the current.
Keep the group in sight or close depending on you skill, comfort level and pre-dive briefing.

As said the boat follows your group. DM will put up a marker. At the surface and if a distance from the boat, wait for it to come to you unless you want/like a surface swim. The boat will be drifting too.

If you want to descend fast, take care of your ears. Equalize often. I descend slow the first 20 feet then fast, then join the group. Get your weighting proper the first day.

If you want to know what the current is doing while diving especially on walls, watch the stuff floating in the water and other divers bubbles and see which direction it's going and how fast. Also watch the plant and corals to see what the current is doing.

If you have a large group and it's not maintaining a good line or spacing (i.e gaggle) and the DM tries a swimthrough you may find everyone try to pile into it resulting in a cluster. If there is a stronger current then you can bail on the swimthrough, drift a bit, find something hide behind and wait for them to come to you. Watch for their bubbles. If this is something you feel you may do then talk to the DM on the boat so he doesn't think you got lost.

If you have been snow skiing then you will know about picking lines. If not, watch experienced divers/DM and if you don't understand why they moved, ask them on the boat.
 
Normally I would suggest a new ocean diver hire a private DM for the first couple of tanks, one trip - but there may be some professionals or very experienced divers in the group who will volunteer to buddy with you the first day. One or the other...

Whomever you buddy with, stay with him or her, period. Buddies enter together, descend together, stop at 15 ft together if needed for either to work out clearing, do the dive together - following the DM, ascend together, stay together on the surface until exiting, etc. If you get sent up alone because you're low on air and s/he has air left - get a new buddy. Most are pretty good about it tho. Plan your dive together which includes following the DM, dive your plan together.

It'd be good to do a shore dive first day to check your gear and get your weights right. You want enough to stay down with a low tank if you hear a boat. :eek:

You'll get full info on the Invasion forum. Remember that a group of American divers is called a Pod.

have a great trip! :pilot:
 
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