Any tips for swimming against a surface current?

[F106A]

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for swimming against a current? I haven't had to deal with a significant one yet in my (mostly) Caribbean diving.

I'm trying to work up to doing some shallow Atlantic wreck dives, and the friends I plan to dive with say there's often a significant current at the surface, especially when swimming from the entry point forward along the tag line to the anchor line before descending.

I'm comfortable in the water, but not a very strong swimmer, and was wondering how to best proceed and avoid overexertion?

Thanks.

About NJ boats: I don't recall any good boats NOT having a granny/geriatric/hang (all somewhat similar for these purposes, not to put too fine a point on it) line during any kind of current. And a tag line. Enter, pull (not swim) yourself forward/down the line to the anchor rode. Then down the rode to the good stuff. Conventional wisdom suggests that it's MUCH easier to pull yourself along the line than swim alongside it. You won't get winded and you'll use less air.

 

[captain]

When diving in strong currents I always rigged a line from the anchor line to the back of the boat. Everyone had to be ready to descend when they hit the water, no fiddling with gear in the water once off the boat. Each diver held on to the line while back rolling or giant striding into the water then pulled themselves hand over hand to the anchor line.

 

[Doc]

Nomenclature 101: ...and I might have this messed up.... Walter's corrections are edited in RED

A Tag Line trails out from the boat (usually the ladder) and drifts out into the current with a flotation device (usually a ball or life ring) :doh: correction: It's really called a Current Line!

A Jon Line runs from the attachment point of the Tag Line, and runs forward, connecting to the Anchor Line or Down Line. :doh: Correction: it's called a Granny Line or a Tag Line!

A Hang Line or Hang Bar might be integral to down line, or it may run down from the juncture of the tag line & jon line... at the ladder.

It is, when systematically designed and applied, a rather complete system for divers to get too close, get their masks kicked off and engage in a general attempt to strangle themselves and test their gear for entanglement hazards. Finally a use for that large pointy dive knife!

An example:

 

[nwhitney2003]

In general you should not swim against a current but rather parallel to the current. Of course this may be different in relation to diving.

 

[Walter]

Nomenclature 101: ...and I might have this messed up....

Yeah, but we still like you.

A Tag Line trails out from the boat (usually the ladder) and drifts out into the current with a flotation device (usually a ball or life ring)

I've heard it called this, but usually that will be called a current line.

A Jon Line runs from the attachment point of the Tag Line, and runs forward, connecting to the Anchor Line or Down Line.

Sorry, you flat out missed this one. This is a tag or granny line. I hate calling it a granny line, that sometimes makes folks with big egos unwilling to use it.

A Jon line is a personal line carried by the individual diver. You attach it to the down line to allow you to get off the down line in current. You want to do this for two reasons. First, in rough seas, you can maintain a constant depth as waves pass overhead while not getting taken for a ride down current. Second, even in calm seas, the down line can get very crowded at times. A Jon line allows you to get out of the crowd. When your safety/decompression stop is over, you detach the Jon line, ascend and board the boat.

A Hang Line or Hang Bar might be integral to down line, or it may run down from the juncture of the tag line & jon line... at the ladder.

A hang line or bar can be hanging off the boat almost anywhere. It can be on the same side as the tag line or it can be on the opposite side.

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

best advice for swimming agin' the current is DON'T. I am a weak swimmer, old legs and bad knees and I do a LOT of very strong current diving...shallow inshore and usually shallow offshore where decompressing is not an issue.

In reading these boards, I have come to realize that everyone dives differently according to the type of diving they do - I would never tell anyone else what to do - but in MY situation - this works best for me...I dive heavy, roll out of the boat and use the granny line to pull myself to the anchor line, ride the anchor line to the bottom and then work my way over the wreck or river bottom by holding onto wreckage or any bottom structure, I also wear knee pads like the contractors wear....swimming along 3 - 4 ft off the bottom looks great in the ads but in low viz and current - forget it. You also need to keep your hands free. I wear a helmet light I built myself and keep a digging tool in one hand..wear GOOD tough gloves. I work my way into the current and when I deplete my air or bottom time, I blow the BC and go up. If you do this right you WILL come up ahead of the boat and can ride the tide back. if you're too far port or starboard you can kick across the current to line up with the boat or come close enough to hit the tag line from the stern (about 50-60 yds of FLOATING line with a big a$$ bouy on the end).

be aware of the current direction and time of tide change, you don't want to go for a 1 hour dive 30 minutes before the tide changes. The rivers I dive in or fairly narrow, so even if i miss the boat I can kick to the bank, ditch my gear and wait for a ride...once I walked back above the boat, jumped in, drifted down to the boat wearing only my mask and fins, got aboard and went after my gear later....watch for gators and snakes.

 

[Doc]

Yeah, but we still like you.

Only in small doses.

The point of the thing is that there is really no reason for a diver to have to swim anywhere.

And if you don't like the current on the surface, try descending. There is really no reason to be on the surface more than the few seconds that you are ascending the ladder.

Most people puke whilst bobbing about. Stay at five feet and watch them feed the fish.

 

[Cudabait]

Doc,

I thought the only diving you do was at Cocoview Resort.. Seriously, most of the livaboards diving the Flower gardens off the Texas Coast are rigged like the Carolina rig with a couple of improvements.

1. The poly swim line is partially supported by floats and is secured to the down line so as not to ride upwards when a number of divers are on the line at the same time. Too much tension on an unsecrred line will actually cause it to slide toward the surface.

2. A shorter, larger diameter poly line is secured to a point near the top of each boarding ladder. Purpose: to facilitate boarding in rough seas. Procedure: Diver gets hold of the line, removes fins putting one on each arm, pulls self forward until feet can be placed on a ladder rung, once on the ladder the diver switches from rope to ladder rails, exit with all gear, sans fins, in place.

No doubt, Doc any variation of the Carolina Rig is the way to go.

Another thing I've learned the hard way.......Before entry, I take a compass reading on my dive compass as a reference to current direction. I have had to abandon a swim line in limited visibility. By decending to where the current was much weaker I simply followed my compass to where the down line was fixed on the bottom. Sorry folks, I seemed to have wandered a bit. Guess that's what happens to one for staying on Utila too long.

Regards,

 

[DiverDAD!]

Thanks for all the replies. The line I was calling a tag line is what I think is being called a granny line here.

Good info about pulling and not swimming against the current, and the other tips.

Thanks to all.

 

[Walter]

The line I was calling a tag line is what I think is being called a granny line here.

That is the tag line.