Wall dive in unexpected current: What you would do?

[DevonDiver]

1) stay there until your air supply allows then let it go, drift and do a control ascent in mid water?

There is no benefit in waiting until you air lowers, as this will only decrease your options and could lead to an OOA emergency.

Take a short while to ensure that you have fully considered your options and decided upon an optimum solution. Once that solution is reached, do not hesitate to initiate it.

There is one certain thing in any scuba emergency - you need to get to the surface.

2) drift along with the current that comes from the channel and begin a controlled ascent in mid water straightaway to get the hell out of there as soon as possible?

There's no harm in drifting, unless it will take you beyond visual range of your boat. Deploy your DSMB before ascending, then you have both a visual reference for ascent, coupled with the reassurance that your boat cover can track you as you drift.

You did pack a DSMB and reel, didn't you?

3) kick as hard as you can against the current, crawl while holding onto rocks at the same time to reach the first bull kelp stipe that you can find and begin to climb up using the stipe as a rope and while holding onto the kelp you do your controlled ascent and safety stop and then surface?

This is likely to cause huge exertion, deplete air quickly and could lead to panic. It's not a clever option.

If you had a reel & DSMB, then you could achieve a simular solution by anchoring it and using it as an 'up-line'. This would be a lot easier.

You did pack a DSMB and reel, didn't you?

 

[dbulmer]

Yes. It was a boat dive and I don't remember the topography of the site well now, but I do remember that there was not a beach but a fairly steep rocky shore. We could have tried to keep kicking diagonally to the current to reach that shore and somehow pulling ourselves out of the water like two sea lions but it did not seem to me a very practical option.

When we tried to crawl along the ledge that was on top of the wall at about 35 feet, where the second faster current was running, and realized that we were using a lot of energy and air not to mention the level of stress going steadily up we gave up and backed off. Then my buddy found a spot protected from the current but by then I had made up my mind and I gave him the thumb up to start a controlled ascent even if that meant that we had to drift in open water. It took me a while to convince him to quit the dive and begin the ascent, though!

We did not shoot the SMB until we were on the surface. Luckily we could still see the boat so we must have drifted less than a quarter of a mile and guess what? I usually carry a whistle inside the left pocket of my drysuit but this time I had put it inside the pocked of my undergarment! We got lucky that the speed of the current (roughly estimated to be about 3kt) did not increased a lot while we were ascending (that was my biggest worry). With some effort I was able to prevent my stress level to take over me and by then my breathing was not too bad considering the circumstances. I had 1,250 psi left when I finally climbed the boat ladder.

For the first time I seriously considered to skip the 3 minutes safety stop to reach the surface as soon as possible. After 2 minutes I could not wait any longer and signalled my buddy to surface.

Both of you returned safely so a good result all in all but I'd like to offer my own opinion based on what you said above. (The earlier posters did not have the information you posted so hopefully others will chime in to agree or disagree. )

A boat dive with current a possibility suggests that the buddy pair need to be carrying (D)SMBs to let surface support know where you are in the water.

The earlier you put up a DSMB the easier it is for the skipper to help you should the need arise.

With a DSMB deployed you could both take it in turns to hold on to the DSMB and ascend slowly to the surface or using fingertips (thumb and finger) both of you could gently hold onto the DSMB.

Once you thumbed there should not be any argument from your buddy - the dive is over. Avoid arguing underwater.

Carry wetnotes - if you were really unhappy then thumbing was the right thing to do but if the cause of your unease was communication then perhaps a question written on wetnotes might have helped? - either you or your buddy may have been comfortable to do this but perhaps the thought never arose or conditions were such that it was not possible?


(I'm trying to be constructive - I wasn't there so I'm probably mistaken but it sounds to me that your buddy was reasonably comfortable and you were a little stressed - you might have thumbed before he had a chance to assist you.
If either of you was feeling uncomfortable ie mentally (apart from thumbing) were you communicating underwater? )

One final thing - a long hose can also be used on the surface to keep a buddy pair together in rough seas - Most likely overkill in your situation but if you were concerned about your gas asking your buddy for gas is ok in my opinion particularly if he is in doubles and you're anxious about waiting for the boat to arrive.

 

[gypsyjim]

As mentioned above, deploying the SMB as early as possible, in this case, rather than waiting until you do safety stop, will alert the boat much sooner that you are drifting. Could make a big difference in locating you in a strong current.

 

[Cave Diver]

You plan to dive a wall that is about 90 ft deep but you decide to keep your max depth at 70 ft. You think that you have hit slack, but as soon you descend the current begins to pick up. You drift along the wall while moving into a shallower depth. Then you encounter a channel where another, stronger, current, pushes you out into open water. You try to swim against it, you hang onto cobblestones that are unstable, there is no bull kelp to hold onto nearby. You back up and find a sheltered spot in the rocky outcrop. Now you are stuck there. What would you do to get yourself out of those conditions?

1) stay there until your air supply allows then let it go, drift and do a control ascent in mid water?

2) drift along with the current that comes from the channel and begin a controlled ascent in mid water straightaway to get the hell out of there as soon as possible?

3) kick as hard as you can against the current, crawl while holding onto rocks at the same time to reach the first bull kelp stipe that you can find and begin to climb up using the stipe as a rope and while holding onto the kelp you do your controlled ascent and safety stop and then surface?

Yes. It was a boat dive and I don't remember the topography of the site well now, but I do remember that there was not a beach but a fairly steep rocky shore. We could have tried to keep kicking diagonally to the current to reach that shore and somehow pulling ourselves out of the water like two sea lions but it did not seem to me a very practical option.

When we tried to crawl along the ledge that was on top of the wall at about 35 feet, where the second faster current was running, and realized that we were using a lot of energy and air not to mention the level of stress going steadily up we gave up and backed off. Then my buddy found a spot protected from the current but by then I had made up my mind and I gave him the thumb up to start a controlled ascent even if that meant that we had to drift in open water. It took me a while to convince him to quit the dive and begin the ascent, though!

We did not shoot the SMB until we were on the surface. Luckily we could still see the boat so we must have drifted less than a quarter of a mile and guess what? I usually carry a whistle inside the left pocket of my drysuit but this time I had put it inside the pocked of my undergarment! We got lucky that the speed of the current (roughly estimated to be about 3kt) did not increased a lot while we were ascending (that was my biggest worry). With some effort I was able to prevent my stress level to take over me and by then my breathing was not too bad considering the circumstances. I had 1,250 psi left when I finally climbed the boat ladder.

For the first time I seriously considered to skip the 3 minutes safety stop to reach the surface as soon as possible. After 2 minutes I could not wait any longer and signalled my buddy to surface.

Ok, since you have included more information and now indicate this was a boat dive I feel compelled to comment on a couple of points.

You think that you have hit slack, but as soon you descend the current begins to pick up. You drift along the wall while moving into a shallower depth.

I'm assuming that your descent was along an anchor line? Even if it wasn't, why would you drift with a current that has picked up when you were expecting slack tide? Don't you feel it would have been prudent to go upcurrent initially and then drift back to the boat?

We did not shoot the SMB until we were on the surface. Luckily we could still see the boat

If you're diving from a boat, you should have shot the SMB before you started your ascent to make it easier for them to spot and track you. (assuming there were people on the boat?)

Then my buddy found a spot protected from the current but by then I had made up my mind and I gave him the thumb up to start a controlled ascent even if that meant that we had to drift in open water. It took me a while to convince him to quit the dive and begin the ascent, though!:

You and your buddy really need to be on the same page regarding calling a dive. If you're emphatic about thumbing a dive (as opposed to giving a signal to simply turn around or head for the surface) there should be no question or delay in action.

I usually carry a whistle inside the left pocket of my drysuit but this time I had put it inside the pocked of my undergarment!

Even the best routines sometimes experience flaws. The "emergency contents" of my drysuit pocket live in that pocket and never come out. I verify they are there doing predive prep and then close the pocket back up. This helps equipment ending up in unexpected places.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Thank you folks for all your comments!

Ok, since you have included more information and now indicate this was a boat dive I feel compelled to comment on a couple of points.


I'm assuming that your descent was along an anchor line? Even if it wasn't, why would you drift with a current that has picked up when you were expecting slack tide? Don't you feel it would have been prudent to go upcurrent initially and then drift back to the boat?

No anchor line, it was a live boat. To be honest with you we did not think about it. We did not know that there was a cut in the wall were a faster current might have been running. We assumed that it would have been OK to do a drift dive along the wall so we did not have to swim against the current that had began to run there.

If you're diving from a boat, you should have shot the SMB before you started your ascent to make it easier for them to spot and track you. (assuming there were people on the boat?)

I agree. Everything was happening at a rather fast pace that the priority #1 became getting to the surface as fast as possible.

You and your buddy really need to be on the same page regarding calling a dive. If you're emphatic about thumbing a dive (as opposed to giving a signal to simply turn around or head for the surface) there should be no question or delay in action.

Unfortunately diving with your significant other can add another layer of complexity...Sometimes communicating underwater clearly can be a bit of a challenge. I did not understand why he was so reluctant to terminate the dive by ascending in open water. I guess he had another plan in mind but I did not know what it was. Both of us had slates and we did not think about using them... He was more comfortable and did not think it was a big deal. I did not like that current because I did not know how it would have behaved as time went by. In other words I was afraid that with time it would have increased its speed considerably making us drift further than we actually did. What we should have done was discussing a contingency plan before even getting into the water to begin with. Instead we took everything for granted and...voila'!

Even the best routines sometimes experience flaws. The "emergency contents" of my drysuit pocket live in that pocket and never come out. I verify they are there doing predive prep and then close the pocket back up. This helps equipment ending up in unexpected places.

Yes they do! not to mention skipping buddy checks and discussing contingency plans...

 

[TSandM]

For those who don't dive in the PNW: The vast majority of our dives are live boat, and one-way drifts are not uncommon. It's also not uncommon to go in before slack and drift, expecting that the changing current will blow you back the way you came. Currents are a way of life up here, and even the best predictions for slack are just that -- predictions. The ocean doesn't always read the tide tables.

I'll confess, I don't like strong current. I don't even like DRIFTING in strong current very much, especially on walls, where up and downcurrents are distinct possibilities. And I WON'T fight current, if it's at all avoidable. In the situation as you have further explained it, I would have assessed whether I could get across the cut to the other side of the wall. If the answer was no, I would have shot a bag immediately and done a relaxed, normal ascent. Once the bag is up, the boat knows where you are, so there is no reason to be anxious. Current is utterly irrelevant to divers drifting in midwater -- the ultimate in that is the Tiputa Pass dive in Rangiroa, where you ride about a 7 knot current through the pass, but YOU don't feel it.

Peter and I had a very similar experience on San Miguel in the Channel Islands in June, except it was from an anchored boat. We went down the anchor line in some current, but it wasn't horrible. But we lost the line at the end, once it got into the kelp, and then the current at the bottom turned out to be fierce. We tried to fight it for about ten minutes, and then Peter thumbed the dive. We shot a bag and ascended, and found ourselves quite a ways from the boat. We were not the only team to get blown off and do a very short dive that day; in fact, only the folks with scooters were able to accomplish much of a dive at all.

In our case, life was complicated by the fact that the boat was anchored, and one was expected to return to it (although they had a Zodiac for those . . . awkward moments).

In your case, I think the answer was pretty easy. Once you decided you weren't happy and there wasn't any reasonable way to configure the dive to BE happy, you thumb it, shoot a bag, and ride the bag up. But I can also see lots of SO dynamics getting in the way here -- not wanting to be the first to throw in the towel, worrying about being hassled for being a wuss, etc. No dive with a spouse or SO is ever as simple as it looks, and if five years of experience has taught me anything, it's that that will never change

 

[The Chairman]

Some really good thoughts in here. You guys are great.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Another thought ...

For the first time I seriously considered to skip the 3 minutes safety stop to reach the surface as soon as possible. After 2 minutes I could not wait any longer and signalled my buddy to surface.

There are times when it's appropriate to consider skipping the 3-minute safety stop ... or at least paring it down a bit due to other factors. This may have been one of those times, depending on how deep you had gone and how long you had been at depth.

Remember that until you reach your NDL, safety stops are recommended, not required. What's more important is to control your ascent rate. In the case of losing the dive site in a stiff current, if the profile hadn't been particularly aggressive, I'd consider shortening ... or even skipping ... the safety stop.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Cave Diver]

For those who don't dive in the PNW: The vast majority of our dives are live boat, and one-way drifts are not uncommon. It's also not uncommon to go in before slack and drift, expecting that the changing current will blow you back the way you came. Currents are a way of life up here, and even the best predictions for slack are just that -- predictions. The ocean doesn't always read the tide tables.

No anchor line, it was a live boat. To be honest with you we did not think about it. We did not know that there was a cut in the wall were a faster current might have been running. We assumed that it would have been OK to do a drift dive along the wall so we did not have to swim against the current that had began to run there.

Any reason drifting can't be done with a weighted shot line and a float ball, or is that out of the question? That would provide a visual reference for both the divers and the boat and could certainly ease the stress of cross currents at depth and at the surface.

Unfortunately diving with your significant other can add another layer of complexity...

Sometimes communicating underwater clearly can be a bit of a challenge. I did not understand why he was so reluctant to terminate the dive by ascending in open water. I guess he had another plan in mind but I did not know what it was. Both of us had slates and we did not think about using them... He was more comfortable and did not think it was a big deal. I did not like that current because I did not know how it would have behaved as time went by. In other words I was afraid that with time it would have increased its speed considerably making us drift further than we actually did. What we should have done was discussing a contingency plan before even getting into the water to begin with. Instead we took everything for granted and...voila'!

I've heard some horror stories about SO dive buddies. It seems either they work really well, or really poorly.

 

[TSandM]

I suppose one could drift with a weighted flag (I guess that's common in Florida). We don't do it up here. The boats do an extremely good job of keeping track of bubbles, and our surface conditions (when it is fit to dive at all) are generally smooth enough to make that possible.