Bad experience on my first dive with strong current

[anchochile]

I finished up my AOW in Key Largo recently with a deep dive on the Spiegel Grove. There was a mild current but I had no problem descending on the line down to around 95 feet, heading into the current to explore the boat a bit, and drifting back to the mooring line for the ascent. I was relaxed throughout and had a great dive.

The next morning, I headed out to the Duane for my first deep dive post-AOW. The current was much stronger - the crew estimated it at 1-2 knots when I asked. Not sure how accurate that is, but we were definitely flying like flags on the descent line, and my mask would start to flood if I turned my head sideways to the current.

The captain announced that we'd do the dive as a drift, given the current, descending on the bow mooring ball and ascending on the stern mooring ball.

The problems started on the surface. Entering from the stern of the dive boat, we first used a tagline to pull ourselves to the mooring ball at the bow of the boat, probably a distance of 50-60 feet. The current was strong enough that hauling myself against it, hand over hand on the line, for 60 feet was enough to leave me winded by the time we got to the mooring ball. The guide and one of the other divers in the group were already there and eager to descent, given the unpleasant surface conditions (current and 3-4 foot chop). I said that I wanted to catch my breath and wait for a minute. After maybe 30 seconds, the guide asked if I was ready to descend. They were being polite but clearly ready to get going, so I said ok, figuring I would be able to catch my breath further on the descent.

Descending on the mooring line, despite the fact that I was negatively buoyant, it felt like hard work pulling myself down, hand over hand, against the lateral force of the current. It also took some effort to keep a solid grip on the line with my hands, given the force of the current. I was using only my hands, not kicking at all, but effectively I was still at a level of exertion that was too high for my breathing & heart rate to start coming down.

Once at the deck of the Duane, at 100fsw, the guide let go of the line and kicked himself a few feet forward to hold onto the bow rail of the ship, face into the current. I did the same - with maximal effort it was possible to kick against the current for those few feet from the line to the bow railing. But this last bit of exertion left me completely out of breath. I held onto the bow railing, face into the current, sucking air like I've never sucked before and feeling totally unable to catch my breath.

Being in this situation at 100 feet at the beginning of the dive made me feel nervous - what if I can't calm myself down? - and I felt that this could be the very beginning of a panic response, which I've never experienced before. I closed my eyes, focused on slowing my breathing, but it didn't really help. I indicated to the guide that I wasn't doing great, using hand signals to communicate that I was breathing too heavily. He grabbed my arms, looked me in the eyes and helped me calm down. After a minute or so, my breathing was back down to a manageable level and I felt more relaxed, so I indicated to him that I was ready to proceed with the dive.

We let go of the railing and started drifting quite quickly towards the stern. The ship was stunning, encrusted in corals and sponges, with so many fish everywhere. But with the ripping current we found ourselves at the stern almost immediately. I was doing ok on air, even after my overexertion at the beginning, but it turned out one of the other divers had a similar experience on the way down and was already below our planned ascent pressure, so the guide signaled us to start our ascent on the stern mooring line.

The ascent was better than the descent, since I started it in a relaxed state (vs the exerted state I was in on the surface), but again, pulling myself up the line while in a horizontal position, against the lateral force of the current, increased my exertion level. But I ascended calmly with no problems, completed my safety stop (at this point, the guide began sharing air with the other diver who was getting quite low), surfaced, and made my way back to the boat, again out of breath and heavily exerted from the effort of the ascent.

It was certainly a learning experience. A few lessons I've taken away:

• If I'm out of breath on the surface, don't descend and start the dive until my breathing and heart rate are back to a relaxed state. If the group wasn't able to wait for this to happen, I should've called the dive and gone back to the boat rather than starting the dive out of breath.
• Don't try to fight a strong current at depth. When the guide kicked a few feet into the current from the mooring line to the railing, I should've waited on the line, catching my breath, and joined the group when they started to drift back towards me.
• Until I become more skilled at managing strong currents, don't do a deep dive with that level of current. I need to build my confidence at managing currents on shallower dives with more margin for error on air use. For now, I will only dive deep when currents are mild, or on drift dives with free descents (as opposed to descents on a line where I can't drift with the current).
• My certification says that I can dive in conditions similar to those in which I was trained. Well, I was never trained on how to handle strong currents. I'm not sure if such training even exists, but clearly I need to build skills in this area.

And a few questions I'm pondering:

• Is there a better technique for hauling yourself against a current on a line at the surface? I don't think i was kicking at all, just hauling hand over hand, but it was super tough work.
• Is there a better technique for descending on a line in strong current, to minimize exertion?
• How can I better judge the current on the surface, before getting in the water, so that I can call the dive at that point if the current is beyond my comfort level, rather than figuring this out after I've hauled myself all the way to the mooring ball?

 

[RyanT]

1) No, once you are on the line, hand-over-hand is the only way to haul yourself along or descend in currents like that. The only thing you can do on these dives is work to minimize your stress on the surface (this just comes with experience and being prepared). Having a basic level of fitness is helpful too. We recently had a captain drop us about 100' from the down line on the Duane and that minimized the exertion getting onto the line. If the Captain will do that, it can be helpful. Once you're on the line though, it's just hand over hand.

2) Judging the current really should be the job of the captain and crew. A good crew will be able to make that assessment and provide a briefing on what to expect.

As you've already discovered, if you're winded, especially at depth, stop and catch your breath. Sometimes it can be surprising how long that takes once you've really exerted yourself. Don't let someone else pressure you into continued exertion if you haven't caught your breath. Trying to ramp it up again while still winded is just a recipe for disaster.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @anchochile

The current on the Duane can be quite brisk. The site can be dived in several ways to avoid some of the effort. I don't know who your operator was or their flexibility. You could have been hot dropped on the bow ball, descended, and gone with the current until ascending on the stern ball. This would eliminate the initial surface swim and most of the swimming against the current. The superstructure gives a lot of protection to hide from the current during the dive. You could have been hot dropped on the stern ball, also avoiding the surface swim, but then swimming against the current towards the bow to start your dive. This swim is generally not too bad as you can use the ship to stay out of the worst of the current. Diving from a moored ball is harder in either case, as you experienced.

Pulling along or down a line in brisk current can be very fatiguing. I don't know any real tricks. One of the keys is to pace your effort to control your breathing and heart rate. I often just pull, holding on with both hands and alternating pulls. Sometime I give a little scissor or frog kick at the time of the pull. Staying relaxed is also very helpful. Easy to say when you have done many dives like this, difficult when it is your first dive in strong current. Fortunately, your first dive in strong current is behind you and it appears you learned a lot. The next one will be easier.

Good diving, Craig

I did not mean to duplicate what @RyanT said, we were typing at the same time

 

[JackD342]

I have done almost that exact same dive! Worse on mine was the family of 3 sharing one dive computer on the line below me. We burned at least 10 minutes while they tried to pass the computer from one to another, because the original wearer decided to bail. No way to edge past them in that current. Dive guide gave them a dirty look before the dive when the 3 on 1 was noted, but didn't say anything. Probably should have.

One piece of advice: when fighting that surface current, don't do it on the surface. Let some air out, get your head a foot or so underwater and breathe your tank instead of your snorkel while hauling hand over hand. Yeah, you are "wasting" some air you want to use on the dive, but not as much as you will suck down once you are over exerted and gasping. Again, been there, done that.

 

[DButton90]

What part of NorCal are you in? I'll hit up the Sacramento River on occasion and it's a battle the entire time. Typically start downstream and fight the current up and float back down. You're more than welcome to get a workout and freeze in the cold waters if you ever want to! Never been in salt water before, so I can't offer any advice in that department!

 

[johndiver999]

I think the biggest thing is physical fitness. There is no substitute for it. It is also important to not allow yourself to get that out of breath. It is dangerous, one more problem and you probably could not handle it.

I absolutely hate pulling down an anchor line in current. This was an important dive, you survived, calmed down and have learned what not to do.

A much smarter way to do the dive would be to be dropped hundreds of feet up current of the wreck and just swim down, but this requires a certain degree of skill which not everyone on the boat may have. It seems a shame that they beat the heck out of you, because the operator is unsure that everyone has the requisite skills. Drifting into a wreck in 1 or 2 knots in clear water is pretty easy, if done a certain way.

 

[anchochile]

Thanks, all, for the thoughts.

Yes, physical fitness never hurts. I'm in decent shape - 36 years old, physically active, healthy weight, 40 minute daily bike commute, but I'm not a fitness nut or endurance athlete. I'm not the stereotypical out of shape diver who sits on the couch all year except for the yearly dive trip, but clearly based on my experience, being even more physically fit could only help.

And the comments about different strategies for descent in current are interesting. I was diving with Rainbow Reef, and it seems like they have a pretty set routine for how they do things. I don't think they did anything wrong in this case, it was just tough conditions for the dive between the current and the 4-foot wind chop. But maybe when choosing an operator it's good to ask what their strategy is for descent in strong current.

I think knowing what to expect next time, and making sure I'm relaxed and not out of breath before starting the descent, will go a long way. The quick glimpse I got of the Duane definitely left me eager to get back out there and try again.

 

[scubadada]

I think the biggest thing is physical fitness. There is no substitute for it. It is also important to not allow yourself to get that out of breath. It is dangerous, one more problem and you probably could not handle it.

I absolutely hate pulling down an anchor line in current. This was an important dive, you survived, calmed down and have learned what not to do.

A much smarter way to do the dive would be to be dropped hundreds of feet up current of the wreck and just swim down, but this requires a certain degree of skill which not everyone on the boat may have. It seems a shame that they beat the heck out of you, because the operator is unsure that everyone has the requisite skills. Drifting into a wreck in 1 or 2 knots in clear water is pretty easy, if done a certain way.

I did not mention a hot drop upcurrent from the wreck with a direct dive down to the Duane, as it was not consistent with the diver's ability. Obviously, this would be the most effective way to get to the Duane. In 21 dives on the Duane, I was never offered this route, from a number of good operators. In SE Florida this is often the route of choice for tying in the ball and/or descending on the wreck in current.

 

[scubadada]

@anchochile

You will be fine, you have a good attitude. I'm a nearly 65 year old man, very good, but not superlative physical condition, I can quite easily dive in most any conditions. Experience is a great thing, enjoy your diving.

 

[PoolsOpen]

Sometimes the seas are rough and sometimes there's strong current..
And in your case, you had both!
The deep wrecks in Key Largo can have stiff current and sometimes it's so mild you dont even need to hang on to the mooring line.
It looks like you successfully dove in almost a worse case scenario. With some experience you will improve by having the confidence that you already did it.
Hopefully current will be better next time you go. On the boatride out talk to the guide and they will share with you tips on lessening the effects of the current.
See you underwater