That was some crazy current today

[KristenK]

Hi everyone, I appreciate this thread because I'm in the midst of planning a family vacation to Coz for the summer. Kids (16 and 18) are new divers, maybe 20 dives so far. They never dealt with heavy currents before. I had my first crazy current experience in Crystal Bay last fall. Had to hold onto a rock for dear life. No heads up from our DM beforehand (who was so apologetic afterwards.)

I worry about my kids dealing with strong currents. And of course...the only way to learn is to experience them. I also would like to get more confident and proficient dealing with them, as I will probably get to dive Indonesia once a year.

Advice? Thoughts?

 

[Mark IV]

......Advice? Thoughts?

Kristen, some reefs are isolated, so you may find yourself fighting to stay near the reef (or wreck, or whatever). But Cozumel is known for, and specifically suited for, drift diving. And drift diving is a particularly nice way to dive, because the work is done for you, by the current.
For the most part, in Cozumel, one reef leads into another, so you just go with the flow. The currents are generally fairly mild, but I've had dives where we'd go to Santa Rosa wall, but the current was so ripping, we'd do every inch of Santa Rosa....... then all of San Francisco wall, then on into Punta Tunich ! If the current is screaming, it's no biggie, the key is to just relax, monitor your buoyancy, and keep an eye out so you don't slam into a coral head ! Cover those bases, and a fast drift dive is a ton of fun, with no real downsides.

 

[Diving Dubai]

@KristenK Currents vary. Mark IV gave you a good description for drifts

For reefs that aren't drifts, your best friend is the reef. currents subside or weaken near the reef or sea bed. Also topography can be used (ridges) to shelter behind. I dive Indonesia regularly and the currents here, where I dive locally easily rivel them. Because we chose where to dive and we love current's we'll drop in to sites where a dive op wouldn't go.

You have 2/3 essential pieces of kit, the first is a metal pointer stick. If it's getting too much you can put it into a hole in the rock and stabilize yourself. You'd be surprised a how little force it needs to hold on to a stick rather than fin. If you want to stay in position then a reef hook is a must. Getting stable and in calming yourself down is your priority.

Finally your best friend is a dsmb and spool. you should have enough line on your spool to be able to deploy it from your max depth and still have 20% of line remaining. If it's getting too much launch your dsmb and them follow it. Normally the current and turbulence will subside once you've left the reef, so you can make a nice easy ascent with a SS and then surface

 

[ChuckP]

Currents vary here soo much I wouldn’t worry any more than mentioning it to the dive staff.

Today was a blasse day, slow drift, even in unprotected areas. Diving in or on the reef and you almost not even notice it.

It’s something to be aware of is all

 

[Brules]

Agreed 100%. Currents in Coz can be up to 4-5 knots rarely, but they generally go the direction of the reefs (sometimes backwards lol), so like Mark said it just blows you over the reefs IF its really moving.

Generally its there but slow to not much at all. The best thing to do is:

1) Dont fight it/swim against it unless you have to
2) Dont grab anything to hold onto - instead drop to the bottom and get behind something like a coral head or a mound of coral to get out of current and wait for your group to catch up if you start to spread out
3) Enjoy it - even though Coz can have current, they are generally fun to ride - hitting 3 reefs in 1 dive is pretty dang fun as all you do is stick your arms out and fly like superman.

So dont sweat it - if the DM/Capt suspect a crazy current at a dive site, the DM will often jump in to verify, if it is too bad, they will find another dive site. If it changes during dive, just be prepared and do the above. If it gets real bad the DM will call the dive. With younger aged kids with you I seriously doubt any Op/DM would take your group to a place where it could be an issue like Maracaibo Deep, Barracuda, Devils Throat etc. In Coz you dont have to worry about washing machine currents or anything crazy unless you are on the sites way up north or waaay down south.

Enjoy and dont worry!

 

[horn34]

@KristenK
You have 2/3 essential pieces of kit, the first is a metal pointer stick. If it's getting too much you can put it into a hole in the rock and stabilize yourself. You'd be surprised a how little force it needs to hold on to a stick rather than fin. If you want to stay in position then a reef hook is a must. Getting stable and in calming yourself down is your priority.

Unless you have a DM that tells you they are illegal to use in the park and you need to leave it on the boat.

 

[mediumone]

@KristenK

You have 2/3 essential pieces of kit, the first is a metal pointer stick. If it's getting too much you can put it into a hole in the rock and stabilize yourself. You'd be surprised a how little force it needs to hold on to a stick rather than fin. If you want to stay in position then a reef hook is a must. Getting stable and in calming yourself down is your priority.

WHAT????