Where/how to practice for currents
- Thread starter Dogbowl
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The pipe line crossing is called by many "the washing machine"..You are cruising along at 3kts, and suddenly drop into a trench. Everything seems to just stop. You can turn over, and watch things cruising by above you. Many times we use it to swim further out into the channel. Eventually, your float drags you to the far side of the trench. At that point, you accelerate up. It is an all hands on deck to dump any buoyancy, and try to stay level. I have been cart-wheeled..... This whole thing happens in 15-30 feet of water, and the trench perhaps is 6' deep (per my Pedrix profile).
I have many stories of events there......
I have many stories of events there......
I'm really busy prepping to leave town to dive this weekend, but if I can get the time, I'll try to get the GoPro clip from the last weekend.... my video is at work...
There are some other "Crazy Canucks" that seem to venture into "Thompson's Hole" (think I have the name right) in the section of the upper River at the Peace Bridge. I have seen video showing bubbles going down when you exhale.... that there is a crazy bit of water. I know of folks that died in that stretch....
A sample, but not the one I was referencing....
A sample, but not the one I was referencing....
Johnoly
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I had fun in Galapagos but similar to your experience,,did it once, got the teeshirt. I had a blast in Cocos and would go back. But seriously, I just have more fun in my Jupiter backyard for our weekly dives. Weird and wild stuff happens ALOT.
here is a section we occasionally do:
It seems the flow is quite calm here..... (my guess is they are on scooters)
It seems the flow is quite calm here..... (my guess is they are on scooters)
JBFG
Contributor
Another vote for st Laurence. Some good current there!
outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
@Dogbowl
The advice given to you about shooting DSMBs at depth, esp at safety stops, backrolls with negative entries, and getting in and out of inflatables is a good one.
Negative entries aren’t bad if you are comfortable with your own gear. There’s no waiting and fussing at the surface - you have to go down to get to the split point or the whole dive may have to be called because you’re in the wrong spot and that might mean being blown out to sea if the dive continues. I actually like backrolls way more than strides. Instead of saying okay everyone go down, ready, at the surface...it’s done on the inflatable and you go all the way down.
Reef hook use isn’t too bad once you can visualize how you’re doing something. You want to neutral as you hook in then slowly let yourself out and let go after you hook. Puff a bit of air to your BC so you are slightly positive. relax. When ready to leave, deflate yourself to neutral, wrangle yourself in slowly. You can deflate a bit more if needed then unhook. You can also kick a little to get to your hook. Be sure to not hook into any living coral.
One thing that is very useful is good buoyancy. In mild to moderate current, if you can control your buoyancy well enough to stay as close to the bottom as you safely can without actually touching, it is better there. Bonus if it is behind some reef or formations. You sometimes can find even in open sand if you do this, you can kick mildly and not use up too much air to hold your position or even in mild current, advance without much effort. (This works well for me using a frog kick.)
As for not being a trial by fire person like you and @Lorenzoid...you should see my trip spreadsheets. I understand completely!
The advice given to you about shooting DSMBs at depth, esp at safety stops, backrolls with negative entries, and getting in and out of inflatables is a good one.
Negative entries aren’t bad if you are comfortable with your own gear. There’s no waiting and fussing at the surface - you have to go down to get to the split point or the whole dive may have to be called because you’re in the wrong spot and that might mean being blown out to sea if the dive continues. I actually like backrolls way more than strides. Instead of saying okay everyone go down, ready, at the surface...it’s done on the inflatable and you go all the way down.
Reef hook use isn’t too bad once you can visualize how you’re doing something. You want to neutral as you hook in then slowly let yourself out and let go after you hook. Puff a bit of air to your BC so you are slightly positive. relax. When ready to leave, deflate yourself to neutral, wrangle yourself in slowly. You can deflate a bit more if needed then unhook. You can also kick a little to get to your hook. Be sure to not hook into any living coral.
One thing that is very useful is good buoyancy. In mild to moderate current, if you can control your buoyancy well enough to stay as close to the bottom as you safely can without actually touching, it is better there. Bonus if it is behind some reef or formations. You sometimes can find even in open sand if you do this, you can kick mildly and not use up too much air to hold your position or even in mild current, advance without much effort. (This works well for me using a frog kick.)
As for not being a trial by fire person like you and @Lorenzoid...you should see my trip spreadsheets.
I understand completely!
Dan
Contributor
Those current dives in Galápagos, Palau, Jupiter mentioned in the previous posts are mostly horizontal flow. You just drift or hide or hook or hang on to the rock and watch the parade. No biggy. The one that you need to be careful of is the down current.
One down current that I was really struggling with was in Crystal Bay, Bali, Indonesia, to see Mola Mola in their cleaning station. My dive guide told me to stay close to the slope, not to wonder out too far in the blue as the bottom could be 400-500’ deep. When my back got pushed downward by the down current and seeing my bubbles going to the abyss, I knew I was in trouble. My mask was vibrating & flooding as I turned around to face the current head on. I got a hold on it as I almost lost it and immediately finned towards the slope, grabbed whatever solid objects on the slope and did the underwater rock climbing to a boulder where I could hide until the down current subsided.
One down current that I was really struggling with was in Crystal Bay, Bali, Indonesia, to see Mola Mola in their cleaning station. My dive guide told me to stay close to the slope, not to wonder out too far in the blue as the bottom could be 400-500’ deep. When my back got pushed downward by the down current and seeing my bubbles going to the abyss, I knew I was in trouble. My mask was vibrating & flooding as I turned around to face the current head on. I got a hold on it as I almost lost it and immediately finned towards the slope, grabbed whatever solid objects on the slope and did the underwater rock climbing to a boulder where I could hide until the down current subsided.
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