Deep surge

[Rick Murchison]

Last summer we had an interesting sea state that was surprising. There was a hurricane about 500 miles away down in the southern Gulf that was sending a very long period but very large ground swell up to Panama City. Bottom line, there was tremendous surge on the bottom at 80 feet!
It didn't seem like much of a problem until we got down on the site, an artificial reef made of a sunken ocean tug - but there you had to be extremely careful lest you end up with a sudden bruising or cutting trip into some barnacle covered structure or worse, get sucked through a porthole that was a little too small!
Anyone else seen big surge that deep?
Rick

 

[DiverBuoy]

Last summer we had an interesting sea state that was surprising. There was a hurricane about 500 miles away down in the southern Gulf that was sending a very long period but very large ground swell up to Panama City. Bottom line, there was tremendous surge on the bottom at 80 feet!
It didn't seem like much of a problem until we got down on the site, an artificial reef made of a sunken ocean tug - but there you had to be extremely careful lest you end up with a sudden bruising or cutting trip into some barnacle covered structure or worse, get sucked through a porthole that was a little too small!
Anyone else seen big surge that deep?
Rick

I have Rick, on the Yukon after being down for only 10 minutes there was a massive change in the surge and divers were being sucked through the pre-cut openings. We showed our "war" wounds back on the boat. We knew to be careful but that change was so quick I don't think anyone was preparred.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I have off North Carolina at 70 ft on the Suloid. It was a blast. You got to see everything about 20 times. We were blown out two days in a row and that's what we had on the third day.

 

[adshepard]

Diving the Yukon off San Diego and diving the HMCS Saguenay off Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. In both cases getting on the protected side of the wreck helped out.

DSDO

Alan

 

[FredT]

Surge intensity is based on swell height. Surge DEPTH is based on swell wavelength.

Individual particle tracks and surge data is available in Bascom's Waves and Beaches

Surge at 150' down during hurricane events moves and/or disassembles steel ship wrecks in good condition.

FT

 

[The Chairman]

I have had current swaps and eddies that have almost pulled me through portholes, but never surge. I found a pretty odd "surge" off of Canaveral this past mini season. It was definitely up and down from 60-20 fsw, but slacked off as you approached the incredibly calm surface. We only noticed that on one stretch of the reef, and it was obvious due the unusually icy waters we were having. I am not sure if that was the upwelling phenomenon that I had never felt before, but it was unsettling to be in the warm surface temps (80F) one sec and then in 50F water the next. I was getting sea sick, until we got above that turbulence.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

I have been in a surge on the Flower Gardens at that depth. It wasn't what I would consider very strong, but it was strong enough that you didn't want to fight it.

TwoBit

 

[MechDiver]

Yes, I've seen 8 to 12 foot surge in excess of 85 fsw in the Pacific near a reef. Surface had swells but no wind.

MD

 

[ColdH2Odvr]

I’ve felt “surge” from a hurricane passing above at 300’. It wasn’t a huge surge but the fact that we could feel anything at all made me happy not to be on the surface.

For clarification I was diving a semi-closed circuit LA class fast boat at the time...

 

[Brian Gilpin]

While diving in Cabo at Los Arcos we had deep surge. It actually was a lot of fun because it ran parallel to the walls/rocks and presented no serious danger. Kinda like going back and forth on a swing. Before ascent we returned to the other side of the arches and calmer water. I believe this is common at this site because of the peculiar geography.