No way to swim out of current

[porgyhunter]

A couple of years ago, I had the misfortune of being swept out to sea by a 4knt current. The problem here is that it was the Cape Cod Canal and it was summer. I knew I would be seen, but I was terrified I be run over first. I dropped my weight belt, pole spear, and lobster bag with about 6 bugs. This I figured would allow me to swim 90 degrees away from the current. This did not work, seems there was also a current drawing into the main current. So out I went, Now I think what if a big oil tanker comes thru? I've dumped my belt so I can't submerge. Long and short is things could go wrong quick. I did have a nice sailboat capt. babysit me and he flaged down a pleasure boat. Any suggestions other than "don't get taken by the current in the first place"
thanks

 

[Cave Diver]

My first thought would be that having a signaling device would be helpful (lift bag, SMB, dive flag) to make you more easily seen by other vessels.

 

[danvolker]

A couple of years ago, I had the misfortune of being swept out to sea by a 4knt current. The problem here is that it was the Cape Cod Canal and it was summer. I knew I would be seen, but I was terrified I be run over first. I dropped my weight belt, pole spear, and lobster bag with about 6 bugs. This I figured would allow me to swim 90 degrees away from the current. This did not work, seems there was also a current drawing into the main current. So out I went, Now I think what if a big oil tanker comes thru? I've dumped my belt so I can't submerge. Long and short is things could go wrong quick. I did have a nice sailboat capt. babysit me and he flaged down a pleasure boat. Any suggestions other than "don't get taken by the current in the first place"
thanks

Now that you know that this canal has a current you can not outswim on the surface, you should have an entirely different plan for all future dives in the canal....if you treat it as a virtual overhead environment, as if it was a cave dive, you will ALWAYS be turning the dive and heading back to the shore or your entry/exit point, with more air than you need to accomplish this exit. Whether that means turning the dive before you have used half your tank, or at 1/3 of your tank, etc., has more to do with the dynamics of how you exit this dive. If it is anything like the inlet dives here in Florida, where you also have massive currents ripping out when the tide heads out, you don't necessarily have to go back exactly the way you went in...there are usually several places along the rock jetty where you could exit if needed. I would assume this is true of your canal. The main point is that you can handle the big current when you are belly to the bottom, or at the sides of the canal, where the skin friction drag slows the current down a great deal. To dive in a high current environment like your canal, is to dive with a plan that you will never break, for any reason...if you had a reg failure out in the mid channel area, you should have a buddy that you can share air with back to the side of the canal, where you can get out of the water.

Your big mistake, is that you should have never found yourself on the surface, with the current ripping you out.

Regards,
DanV

 

[The Chairman]

Both answers are excellent. The bottom always has less current than the surface just as the side has less than the middle. Plan your dive in such a way as to utilize this phenomenon. Be sure to have a back plan like John suggested to. If the possibility is high, you might want to consider using one of those vacuum bags that will hold a cell phone.

 

[porgyhunter]

You are quite right. I forgot to mention I was on the bottom pushing along with my buddy when he started to accend. I knew we would be in a current battle but I didn't want to abandon him. He caught the bouy...I missed