Downcurrents

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Charred

Contributor
Messages
414
Reaction score
415
Location
Lehigh Valley
# of dives
200 - 499
Hi,

I have been following the recent disappearances as a learning experience. There is a lot of mystery but one of the potential root causes is a down current. I have yet to personally encounter a down current and I continue to see mixed advice about how to handle - hug the reef or swim straight away.

I think my personal reaction would be to swim to the reef under a ledge but this then questions what to do next as you cannot ascend. Going away from the reef allows you to go up once you clear the current. What is the recommendation for Cozumel? I would love to hear personal experience and how you escaped.

I also add that I have heard the current during recent events was 2-6 knots. I did a bit of math and 2 knots is 3.2 feet per second. 6 knots would be a tad over 10 feet PER SECOND. (1 knot = 1.69 feet per second) I am assuming that down currents would be closer to 6 than 2 as people talk about masks being knocked off or flooded.

This math reinforces to me how much depth you can gain quickly.

Cheers!
 
I have done underwater “rock climbing” before. The good thing then was the down current didn’t last too long. However that was not in Cozumel.
 
Been diving Coz since 1996 and only 1 time have I experienced a down current. Unless you go up north a lot its probably a non issue vs 10000 other scenarios you could encounter while diving.
 
I personally prefer to avoid the possibility as best as possible these days. Yes, they are rare but they do happen and just because one has 500 dives on a wall doesn't mean the 501st won't present one. I guess I'm getting more paranoid as I get older, hear more stories, and hear of more divers gone missing. I won't dive the northern sites and if I find myself on a boat that wants to do a wall dive I generally keep the wall far to my left (northern drift), stay close to the bottom and watch the sand in front of me for signs of it being swept west and over the wall by a current. There are various opinions on the best practice to escape a a downwelling but it can take time and they can take one pretty deep. That may not be a serious issue if one has 2500 or 2000 PSI in their tank but getting caught in one and taken down with 1250, 1000, or 800 PSI is a different story as that air is going to go fast at those depths combined with the added physical exertion trying to get out of it. Pretty sure I don't care to experience that scenario until gill implants are commonly available and I've purchased a pair.
 
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