Something for high flow days?

[SWAMPY459]

I started to ask this in the Madison Blue thread but didn't want to hijack ...

What are some techniques you guys use when dealing with high flow? I mean the kind of flow that is like swimming into a firehose...

I can see that being very dangerous if your buddy is ahead of you and gets into trouble and you cannot get to him/her quickly...

 

[PfcAJ]

Go slow, be streamlined + properly weighted, keep your head and focus up and not down at the next rock you're going to grab.

 

[SWAMPY459]

I read in a really old thread about madison that staying near the ceiling helps. Catfish hotel is also a booger to swim against too ...

For some reason though, the flow is stronger at little river but I seem to be able to wiggle around in it better than those two. Exiting at little river is a bit tricky but I've figured out I can exit backwards easier than facing out of the cave on the exit

 

[j2s]

Currents (flows) tend to have 'highways'....Certain parts of a cave that are stronger or non-existent than others....If you dive the same caves you become familiar w/this or see experienced divers swim 'around' flow.....When you first see these divers doing it, it makes you wonder why.....But if you follow their same 'path' you'll understand it......Burns up less air, longer dive etc......If you dive places like Little River or Rock Bluff where you don't have a choice, just stay together and 'crawl' your way thru (you'll notice these areas by all the 'scrap' and 'claw' marks from other divers that have been thru !!)....Sadistic instructors like to make students swim in these areas w/o gloves, mean, mean people !!!!!......But it's pointless to try and swim in such high flow that you can't make headway, all you're doing is burning air and going nowhere !!!!!......Always stick w/your 'buddy' and the two of you try going up/down/left or right to find where the 'flow' isn't.......Once you find those 'highways' in a particular cave, your dives will get longer and you'll be able to relax and enjoy the 'view'.....

 

[sskasser]

Look at flow like bullets flying at you. Then look for cover.

I've dived JB and Madison this week and they are blasting, but certainly diveable. There are lots of places in the passages you don't want to be (unless you're looking for a swimming treadmill), but there are still plenty of places to get out of the way.

Let your buddy go first. If his bubbles go from vertical to horizontal, don't go where he went

And most importantly (after being safe), remember that you are CAVE DIVING (how cool is THAT!) and this is FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!! It seriously isn't a matter of going past 2000' of cave....it's about SEEING the cave. Feel the cave. Learn the cave. Enjoy the cave. There is no pot of gold at the end of the line.

 

[lv2dive]

Didn't your instructor cover diving in flow when you took your cave class?

Edit: I am aware the op lives in n fl so it's a topic that should have been discussed.

 

[Azjd1968]

Edit: post deleted.

 

[LiteHedded]

point the nose of the scooter in to the flow and gently squeeze the trigger.

 

[Azjd1968]

Didn't your instructor cover diving in flow when you took your cave class?

Edit: I am aware the op lives in n fl so it's a topic that should have been discussed.

It has been my experience that there are some things that you can cover in class but you really don't learn them until you do them.

 

[TSandM]

Buy a ticket to Mexico . . .