Down Currents.. how real of a threat?

[Landlocked123]

Was researching down currents in Cozumel for an upcoming dive sometime next summer. Not sure this video even took place there but very scary video of an apparent down current. How real of a threat are they ? do they only manifest themslves on wall type structure? Can they occur in open water non adjacent to walls? Anyone ever been in this situation?

Diver caught in downcurrent, heart-stopping footage - YouTube

 

[Davidccs]

From what I've heard they are a threat if you panic, as that guy did. If you are caught in one and can't swim out of it remember your training, inflate your bcd. Still nothing? Drop your weights. You and your equipment are more buoyant than the water around you, you will come up

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[Mr Carcharodon]

The down current, in the unlikely event that you encounter one, has to be local to a wall. Getting close to or away from the wall is generally the solution. I've never encountered one, but not panicking as the divers in the Youtube did is the first step to being OK. Do go to Cozumel the diving is good if sometimes deep. The dive operators will generally tailor the dives to your experience level. Of course you have to do your part and let them know what your limits are.

 

[Mantra]

The advice I have heard, as above, is that downcurrents tend to be fairly localized (like a rip) and you basically just want to get out of that spot if you can't get buoyant enough to go up. As with a rip, fighting the current directly is a natural instinct, but wrong. Swimming away from the wall does it, as does moving laterally along the wall side to side, hand over hand if you need to, if you are at the wall when caught. If you are at the wall, grab hold, stop, breathe, think, act.

They obviously came up fast then. What do you guys think of the advice to go back to 10m?

 

[Davidccs]

They obviously came up fast then. What do you guys think of the advice to go back to 10m?

I was wondering why he would ask him to go back down. As a paramedic I would remove the person from the stressor not send him back into it. I'm gonna guess it had something to do with the safety stop, I'd love clarification though.


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[Mantra]

I was wondering why he would ask him to go back down. As a paramedic I would remove the person from the stressor not send him back into it. I'm gonna guess it had something to do with the safety stop, I'd love clarification though.


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Right. Clearly because of the missed stop, and he obviously wants to do a deep stop too (I wonder what the thinking was here re: 10m). I don't know how long they were down for or what depth or anything but I assume a rec dive and therefore assume they weren't in deco. I also assume something of a runaway ascent once out of the current (it sounds like the bc was inflated, first by the diver and then by his buddy - although perhaps not fully) and it looks like it got pretty messy on the way up given the depth they appeared to be at when we could see other divers above and how fast they got up from that point. Kudos to the buddy for at least being close enough to assist, though.

My own call would be to get the kid back on the boat and onto O2 immediately as a precaution, because I'd be more worried about lung injury and the potential for more panic than optional stops, but I'd like to hear other opinions. I wonder if the buddy here checked air also, because that kid was clearly blowing through it - it sounded like he was hoovering right from the start of the video even before he freaked.

The other buddy pair in the downcurrent (holding hands) seemed to do ok - it looks like they were kicking up for a bit but then just headed for the wall.

 

[Wingy]

Ive only encountered down currents that have been severe in one location - along a deep wall in Indonesia. Not panicking and I admit grabbing onto the wall when inflating my bcd didnt appear to be making much difference worked. Panic is the enemy - scary experience though.

 

[Mantra]

Hey Wingy! I think this is one situation where grabbing the scenery is perfectly OK. May I ask how you got out of the current? Sideways? Up? And did you have anything close to a runaway ascent once out?

 

[Wingy]

No but I clung onto that wall for a few seconds saying thanks to assorted deity's - Interestingly ive spoken here to a US based diver who was also caught in the same down current at the same spot so its obviously the right topography for it to occur there. The same island gave me an upcurrent experience a few days later. That is the reason I dive with one glove on actually, plan G - GRAB onto whatever is available. I went sideways across it (im not a big person so opted for the path of least resistance rather than try to fight it) grabbed on then crabbed up the wall a few metres until i could see the other divers faces then resumed the dive as normal. The upcurrent a few days later also came out of nowhere - luckily i was shallow at 17m but it was a helluva ride up to 2m in a few seconds. I understand the prevalence of the use of reef hooks in the area. I often dive with no weights but added a few kilos there after those experiences.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Perhaps it is because I'm looking at this on my phone but there's no way to tell it was a down current to my eye. The diver is freaking but exactly why I dunno. So many bubbles, as a previous poster said, someone should check that dude's air.