Beware of French Lady

[waynel]

Just got back from Coz. Won't bore you with a complete trip report. We go to Coz so many times I've lost count. I will say this, and it hits right at the heart of all this discussion about "ripping currents." Yes, depending on the day and the reef the currents can be brisk. However, there is one reef where EVERY time I've been on that reef it was ripping so hard you felt like you were being jetisoned from the torpedo tube of sub. Frances (sp) "French Lady". It could be just plain bad luck, but the six or seven times I've been on that reef have always been like that. On this most recent trip, we started with 9 divers and only three of us made it to the end of the dive with the guide. Some just freaked out and others burned up air. These were the same divers who dove with us on a 90' dive on Columbia Deep on our first dive and did great.

And not to sound like a male chauvinist pig...but, my wife and most of the many female divers we've dived with at Coz over the years don't really love drift diving. My wife and several of her friends explain that they feel they don't have enough control over the dive in a drift. Now, PLEASE? Do not rip my head off. My wife married me because I am a champion for the rights of women. I am just reporting what women, both when we dive with a group and women divers we meet on the island, tell me.

Anyway, I think my wife and I are done with the reef known as French Lady. Anyone else notice how ripping thE current is on that long, flat reef?

 

[pelagic_by_nature]

La Francesa?

 

[Shasta_man]

Never have been there, but drift diving can be the easiest diving you can do. As long as you want to go the way the current is.... my wife has one vote for enjoying it in Palau.

 

[pjhansman]

My wife and I both love drift diving.

In 4 trips to Coz I've only been on Francesa for 1 dive.....and according to my log it was a great dive with a very slow current.

 

[beaverdivers]

It is one of my favorite sites.

But I love current.

More Current = More Marine Life.

But to each their own,

C'est la vie

 

[azscubadude]

Just got back from Coz. Won't bore you with a complete trip report. We go to Coz so many times I've lost count. I will say this, and it hits right at the heart of all this discussion about "ripping currents." Yes, depending on the day and the reef the currents can be brisk.

I did French Lady last year on 9/3/2011, I remember it well because it was a wonderful dive. At the time there was no current at all, I even have it logged as such. I guess I'll have to try it again.

My favorite site for ripping current is Punta Tunich but on my last trip in March/April trip when the currents were so wild everywhere (yanking people off the walls, etc) we did Punta Tunich on two different occasions looking for the current and it was absolutely dead calm.

Go figure..

 

[Sue Sue]

Can't recall La Francesa having a more than casual to "faster" current. Although, I have found Tormentos can run very fast at times. Only thing to do is spread your wings and FLY !!!!

 

[Mike]

Why exactly would divers not make it to the end of the dive being described? What are they doing to cause them not to be able to do the entire dive?

 

[ggunn]

I've dived (dove? diven?) on Francesa Reef many times and have never experienced what you describe. Punta Tuniche, now, that's nearly always an E ticket ride.

Like many others here, I really enjoy drift diving. DSFDF and YMMV.

 

[tranetech]

Fransesca is my wifes favorite dive on Coz, go figure. She hates yucab and tormentos due to current though...