Barracuda/San Juan in late July?

[jdevic]

Hi there,
I've done about ~40 dives at Cozumel in the last 3-4 years but I've never dove Barracuda/San Juan. I am going back to Coz last week of July and stay at the northern hotel zone for the 1st time. I wonder if I should try to get to Barracuda/San Juan this time. I hope I can get some advice from folks here who have dove it before.

1. I understand it is considered an advanced site with strong current. I assume that just means fast drift dive and you don't really need to fight the current hard to stay near a particular spot, right? (I plan to bring my tiny Scuba Pro Go fins instead of the bulkier Seawing Nova Fins. Go fins have been working fine for me for other Coz sites in the past).
2. Are there usually strong up/down currents? Our group and I experienced a really bad one in Komodo a few years ago and it was somewhat traumatizing and I hate those
3. Will the site be better saved for the winter instead of now, weather/sea condition-wise.

Many thanks!

 

[Dan G]

Hi there,
I've done about ~40 dives at Cozumel in the last 3-4 years but I've never dove Barracuda/San Juan. I am going back to Coz last week of July and stay at the northern hotel zone for the 1st time. I wonder if I should try to get to Barracuda/San Juan this time. I hope I can get some advice from folks here who have dove it before.

1. I understand it is considered an advanced site with strong current. I assume that just means fast drift dive and you don't really need to fight the current hard to stay near a particular spot, right? (I plan to bring my tiny Scuba Pro Go fins instead of the bulkier Seawing Nova Fins. Go fins have been working fine for me for other Coz sites in the past).
2. Are there usually strong up/down currents? Our group and I experienced a really bad one in Komodo a few years ago and it was somewhat traumatizing and I hate those
3. Will the site be better saved for the winter instead of now, weather/sea condition-wise.

Many thanks!

I have only limited experience with the northern sites. However, the challenge is more than a "fast drift dive" like one might encounter on Tunich, for example. The currents have been known to separate groups and it is a good idea to be competent in deploying a DSMB from depth. (I believe all Cozumel divers should at least have an SMB if not a DSMB).

I went with Aldora although there are likely other ops who go to the northern sites, as well. Aldora required that I do at least one non-northern site with them before they would allow me to book for the north to ensure some level of competency. (This appealed to me, but it may or may not appeal to you)

IIRC the crew made it clear that the dive could get called at any time, including before we got in the water. Cozumel has plenty of good ops and it is good to contact more than one to help you decide what you want to do.

 

[ggunn]

Hi there,
I've done about ~40 dives at Cozumel in the last 3-4 years but I've never dove Barracuda/San Juan. I am going back to Coz last week of July and stay at the northern hotel zone for the 1st time. I wonder if I should try to get to Barracuda/San Juan this time. I hope I can get some advice from folks here who have dove it before.

1. I understand it is considered an advanced site with strong current. I assume that just means fast drift dive and you don't really need to fight the current hard to stay near a particular spot, right? (I plan to bring my tiny Scuba Pro Go fins instead of the bulkier Seawing Nova Fins. Go fins have been working fine for me for other Coz sites in the past).
2. Are there usually strong up/down currents? Our group and I experienced a really bad one in Komodo a few years ago and it was somewhat traumatizing and I hate those
3. Will the site be better saved for the winter instead of now, weather/sea condition-wise.

Many thanks!

I think that currents are variable all the time, so I don't believe that the winter will be all that different, though day to day it can change a lot. I've only been up there a couple of times but once I got washed down the wall a bit by the current coming over the top of the reef.

One reason to wait for the winter, though, is that that is where the eagle rays hang out that time of year.

 

[jdevic]

I have only limited experience with the northern sites. However, the challenge is more than a "fast drift dive" like one might encounter on Tunich, for example. The currents have been known to separate groups and it is a good idea to be competent in deploying a DSMB from depth. (I believe all Cozumel divers should at least have an SMB if not a DSMB).

I went with Aldora although there are likely other ops who go to the northern sites, as well. Aldora required that I do at least one non-northern site with them before they would allow me to book for the north to ensure some level of competency. (This appealed to me, but it may or may not appeal to you)

IIRC the crew made it clear that the dive could get called at any time, including before we got in the water. Cozumel has plenty of good ops and it is good to contact more than one to help you decide what you want to do.

Thanks Dan - I usually bring a SMB and 100 ft line. I stay at the Coral Princess and plan to dive with the onsite Pepe Scuba for the week, instead of my usual shop in town. The owner of the shop mentioned that he has some experienced regulars that week who may want to go there, that's why I decided to book with them but doing some research of the sites myself.

 

[jdevic]

I think that currents are variable all the time, so I don't believe that the winter will be all that different, though day to day it can change a lot. I've only been up there a couple of times but once I got washed down the wall a bit by the current coming over the top of the reef.

One reason to wait for the winter, though, is that that is where the eagle rays hang out that time of year.

Good to know! Thanks. I had good luck with eagle rays at palancar - saw them every day last xmas and many times before during the eagle ray season.

 

[scubaNYC16]

We did Barracuda on Friday morning with very little current. It was my 2nd time doing it and it’s an absolutely beautiful reef with lots of fish. A good DM can tell if the current will be fast before dropping in. We dove with Aldora. I’ve done Barracuda in November as well with very little current and did San Juan after with fast but manageable current.

 

[jdevic]

We did Barracuda on Friday morning with very little current. It was my 2nd time doing it and it’s an absolutely beautiful reef with lots of fish. A good DM can tell if the current will be fast before dropping in. We dove with Aldora. I’ve done Barracuda in November as well with very little current and did San Juan after with fast but manageable current.

Thank you! That's very reassuring!

 

[scubaNYC16]

We didn’t want to do it if the current was ripping. There’s some buoys nearby and the DM and captain could tell by looking at the buoys and the water.

 

[ColoDale]

The current will be a variable as anywhere else here but is generally faster.

The current may or may not change with season. I have dived it different times of the year and I see no correlation but I have not actively tracked it.

You will need to fight the current if it's fast to stay in one spot.

I have experienced fast, slow, due north, cross and down currents up north. The ones going out towards the channel and down are a pain. Those can definitely seperate your group. You can end up diving sideways for quite awhile. I stay off the wall a bit in that case.

Your dive op should be able to gauge the current.

Right now there are passing thunderstorms with winds which will kick up some surface waves. They pass pretty quickly. Winter is a bit calmer except for nortes.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

The currents on barracuda can vary from day to day, even hour to hour just like the rest of Cozumel. I've done it with almost no current to absolutely ripping. When she's ripping, it's a blast, maybe even my favorite dive but you have to be on your game. One pair got in a down current and went from 90 to 130 feet almost before they knew what was happening. They hated it, my wife hated it, I loved it.

There is no stopping without ducking behind a corral head if you get ahead of the group. No fin is going to hold you in place, but I would take the larger ones for dealing with the currents. Picture the top of a mountain range and you are superman flying amongst the peaks...thats Barracuda. I would not bother with a camera unless you are just going to video the entire dive. There won't be any stopping to see something you just flew by.

It's an amazing dive and loads of fun. The theme from Topgun plays in my head and I actually suck water around the mouthpiece from grinning. The only downside is because of depth and breathing rate, Barracuda is usually a shorter dive.

The finger corral at San Juan is beautiful, and much less current usually.

Now that I have said all that...you will be there on a day with zero current!

Safe dives,
Jay