How would you react to this ?

[chillyinCanada]

I dunno. I guess to me, it wasn't a whirlpool whether referred to that way or not by any other posters. Vortex tube? Startrek wormhole?

 

[Searcaigh]

On another note when a bubble hits one of these jack at 0:40 it freaks out, I had to replay that a few times just to convince somebody that the fish had not farted

 

[Diver0001]

Very strange, to say the least.

In the first minute or so I initially had the impression that they were just playing in it. By about the 3:30 mark it was clear that the diver was starting to breathe heavily and it looked like it a real washing machine. By the 5 min mark he's panting and really looks like he's in trouble.

I'd say this was lucky to end the way it did.

I don't know what I would have done. I've never encountered anything like this. I suppose I would have inflated or deflated my bcd to get out of it.

R..

 

[soccerrefjason]

I am quite sure the blast from me uhhh.... pooing my wetsuit would have been enough to get me out.

 

[diver 85]

I am quite sure the blast from me uhhh.... pooing my wetsuit would have been enough to get me out.

lol------use some 'jet force'........Then clean everything out...

 

[AfterDark]

I'd want to swim away from the wall. It might be caused by tidal flow through some kind of restriction, but it also might just be current flowing past some feature on the wall. If it's caused by moving water reacting to some kind of topographic feature, then getting away from that feature should get you away from the vortex.

There's also a chance it's an interaction between two currents that have met. In that case it might not matter which direction you swim (so long as it's not parallel), but since the wall might be the cause I'd still swim away from it.

Watch it again. It appeared to me that it started after they swam away from the wall. Regardless as I posted the wall would be something to hold on to and climb up to the surface if necessary. I think I'd deflate my BC after thinking about it some. Better to be heavy in a current than light.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The horizontal "whirlpool" o0r vortex seen here appears to be of limited strength with only slight down current, if any After a brief time it appears that one or more divers are intentionally playing in it. The bubble pattern is most interesting. Escape seems to not have been a real problem, just orient your body perpendicular to the vortex and swim out. If not possible, controlled positive buoyancy could be a solution. Fascinating video. It would have been much scarier if the vortex was stronger.
DivemasterDennis

 

[jongles]

got caught once in a whirlpool while whitewater rafting, to get out of it you had to tuck yourself into a ball (try to hold onto your oar) and it would spit you out eventually. scared the bejaysus out of me.

 

[TSandM]

The diver who is caught in the vortex through the entire clip was definitely not playing in it. According to Juan (the DM who escaped it) he was very frightened and very exhausted by the time he got free.

 

[tr3a]

My wife and I got caught in a Vortex in Palau last Oct. Not easy to get out of, swimming out when twirling not easy. I had physical contact with my wife, with nearly fully inflated 32lb wing (wifes BCD inflated 50%) we still went down, started up pulled down again. This was in blue water. DM said when he shot his bag the bag went down.