Where/how to practice for currents

[scubadada]

I've never experienced holding onto rocks during drift dives in West Palm or Cozumel. I have found refuge in between reef and wreck structures where the current is not so strong or is completely absent, however on a recent West Palm Drift dive I did pull myself along the gunwale of the Ana Cecilia so I could get to the bow, and worked from the stern to the bow of the Phillips Barge; and was working against a rather strong current that was blowing like a strong wind. In the Florida Keys it's a real gas and energy saver to pull yourself against the current by holding onto the gunwale of the Duane from stern to amidships, so yes, as other divers pointed out, there's that. I guess I sort of take it for granted that it's easy but it could be a challenge for the inexperienced.

The other consideration is that during a drift dive all divers usually need to be prepared to enter the water all at once and surface immediately. There's no time to fix mistakes so you need to check and double check and be fast and comfortable with your routine.

OK, if you have not dived in Cocos or Galapagos, you should probably not comment on it, correct?

 

[Dogbowl]

I know Galapagos is advanced diving, that's why I'm going to get at least 100 dives before I consider it. But when people say, "You gotta drop fast and hold on to the rocks for dear life!" that sounds kinda scary!

But I thought I might do Komodo, which is also known for stronger currents and reef hooks.

 

[boulderjohn]

It's not like the only thing you do in the Galapagos is cling to the rocks. That happens on some dives, but others are more normal dive experiences. You also are not clinging to the rocks for your dear life. You are just settled into the rocks, not because the current is too strong for you, but because it is a location where there is usually a fairly steady parade of big fish going by. It is quite literally like sitting on a sidewalk watching a parade. I have tried to count and gotten to 100 or more hammerheads going by in a single group. Occasionally one goes by swimming the wrong direction, and he or she will turn and join the group.

The most uncomfortable aspect is that the rocks usually have lots of sharp barnacles, and they can be unpleasant.

 

[Johnoly]

.. if I can handle those comfortably, graduate to higher current dives. ....

Disclaimer: I'm a Jupiter Fl, ripping flow, current-aholic. I LOVE fast currents!

Most divers think that when talking about current, it's just straight on and hits you in the face or you effortlessly glide past the pretty fish and corals. Which in 95% of most current flow dives, that is exactly how it works. But you mentioned Galapagos and like other pinnacles in the stream, combined with swell and now you have circular currents called Eddy's. Eddy's can be 200ft wide or a mile more wide. Think it's a north current but all the sudden it changes south after 15 minutes? You're in an eddy. But where you have strong currents, you also have Eddy's.. In dive sites like this you can grip a boulder facing into the current and 15 seconds later, your body is doing a complete 180 degree turn as swell and current rotate you around. If you know it's coming, it's not hard to grip or even bounce back and forth between the same 2 rocks as the flow changes directions. The key like all currents is don't fight it, you won't win.

Fast currents follow very narrow lanes, cause that's how they get all their energy from being squeezed tight. Move to the inside of the 'lane' and it's straight and easy flow. Move to the edge of the 'lane' and it can 'vortex' , pushing you all directions. A great way to see this is to pull up close to a semi-trailer going down the highway in your car. If you stay directly behind it and in the 'lane' you'll feel the flow but it's easy to control. If you move to the outside of the 'lane' you'll feel the turbulence rocking your car a bit as you get out of the 'lane'. Same in underwater, if you see a big a indent in the reef where the current 'lane' can't go, you can duck inside close to the reef and probably be dead calm. Or hide behind a giant barrel sponge / rock / hole. Or back away off the reef by a hundred feet and you're out of the current lane. After you get some time in current and just like highway driving, you'll look down the travel path and see the places to hide so you can take a break and let others behind you catch up.

But the biggest question we get is: How will I be able to know before jumping in that there is a ripping current ???? .........That's Easy,,,,,,,,,, on the way towards the dive site in the boat, look on the water's surface for 'swirls' or flat circles.

You can find them in both calm water and choppy water. In calm water they will look like the water is almost ready to boil, flat but no bubbles. In choppy water from a few hundred feet away you'll see a 'flatter' circle that is calmer than the chop next to it. To see this in person, follow @Bob DBF 's excellent advice and go to any local river. Just stand there on the banks and study the water surface and you'll see Swirls on the edges of the 'lane'.

So now your asking,,,hey do you have a picture of this flat circle swirl eddy so we know what to look for ?? Well I can't find mine yet but with photo credit included, here below is what they look like. It's easier to see them in real life because you can't show depth perception in a 2D photo, but they are pretty easy to spot because it's like those games,,, "One of these is not like the others". I'll get another pict in 4 weeks when our Jupiter ripping currents happen again traditionally.

After you get used to spotting them, you'll see a path of swirls in a line. That's your current 'lane' and you can choose to backroll/jump in the lane or just outside of the lane and then swim into/out of the lane underwater. To know how fast the current is use your GPS on your phone with MPH on the screen. With the boat in neutral watch the mph for 30 seconds. Water has more friction grip than wind, so even though it's not exact, if you see the boat traveling at 4 mph on your GPS phone screen while in boat neutral and surrounded by swirls, then you know you've got alot of current

And either you or me is going to have a HUGE smile on our face.!

 

[rhwestfall]

TO? - Come play in the Niagara with us crazy folks.....

3kt current, so no stopping, unless you get caught in the back current of the high pressure gas main crossing - I got stuck last weekend, and then was pushed upstream when I attempted to surface - couldn't basically move in any direction in the water column other than up..... that was fun)

The only drift I did in the St. Lawrence was really simple. You could stop, turn, and swim easily bask upstream. Sure, there are much crazier portions, but that was the place we went to.

 

[hammet]

Hi @Dogbowl

The currents in the Galapagos and Cocos were really not that brisk, we did not use reef hooks.

Come on down to SE Florida and do some drift diving in Boynton Beach, West Palm and Jupiter.

yup.
And try photography or lobster hunting if you want to learn to keep yourself in a geosynchronous orbit in a current while task loading.

 

[Dogbowl]

Come play in the Niagara with us crazy folks.....

3kt current, so no stopping, unless you get caught in the back current of the high pressure gas main crossing - I got stuck last weekend, and then was pushed upstream when I attempted to surface - couldn't basically move in any direction in the water column other than up..... that was fun)

The only drift I did in the St. Lawrence was really simple. You could stop, turn, and swim easily bask upstream. Sure, there are much crazier portions, but that was the place we went to.

How, then, do you end your dive if you cannot do anything other than up?

 

[northernone]

The St. Lawrence river is a pretty good place to practice drifts. Some of the frail oldtime river divers can teach you amazing ways to work with the current and how to read the flows. It's a thing of beauty. I'm not sure what the course would be called, mentorship perhaps.

Pick a diver who you might think can't carry their own gear to the vehicle anymore and dive all the time in stiff currents. They'll know the ways to work with it. Think full body surfing, skiing or a kind of flying. Drift diving is lovely as an art form.

My two weeks in Galapagos overall had more current interaction than my 4 winters in Cozumel but both locations I've met newly certified divers who did perfectly fine. It's not very challenging to drift like seaweed or hang like a limpet provided they can stick with the group.

Something I've noticed about those who dive Galapagos and have experienced few other locations is they love to talk about it as a "pinnacle" dive location, for skill as well as beauty. It's beautiful, but didn't make my top 200 recreational sites regarding challenging conditions.

Enjoy the journey.
Cameron

 

[rhwestfall]

How, then, do you end your dive if you cannot do anything other than up?

um.... surface? Then signal the shadow boat.... (and prey nobody runs you over as your float/flag can be just about anywhere with the currents....). It might have been interesting to attempt to shoot a smb. My video has my exhaust air bubbles being sheared into little bubbles, and traveling in all directions.....

 

[rhwestfall]

In all honesty, it is just a mindset. Have air, no problem.......