Cooler water, it is true

[MMM]

Dived Santa Rosa and Bolognes today. I got 79 Uwatec degrees on both dives. But the vis was very poor and currents strange indeed. We dived Santa Rosa north to south and 2 of our 5 divers bailed 10 minutes into the dive. It got better but only marginally. Vis was poor (by Cozumel standards) at Bolognes also. At one point, I looked around to see who was kicking up all the sand and saw that it was no one - just blowing in off a slightly higher spot than I was. The DM put his sausage up when two divers were low on air and he took off like a kite. I had been watching him and knew where he was but the two others divers still down with me didn't. We began our ascent together since he was rapidly disappearing from my sight...only we weren't ascending. My computer seemed "stuck" at 71 feet and for a minute or so I thought it was broken! I was kicking but not going up! We were caught in a downcurrent we eventually swam out of and my computer began to "work" again and we caught up with the DM. Lousy conditions for taking photos though! Oh well, I will try again tomorrow.

P.S. We had some new divers from another group "join us" toward the end of the first dive just as we were beginning our safety stop. They had surfaced well out of range of their DM, and grabbed onto our DM's sausage, holding on for dear life, dragging him along with them. Their DM caught up, swam over, pried their fingers away, and inflated their BCDs for them. Meanwhile two boats swooped in on top up us to pick up these divers. (One drove away without any pickups...guessing they had lost their divers' bubbles.) So also not a great day for beginner divers either. I think it speaks well to the ability of the DMs here that there are not more accidents. When we surfaced, our DM said to me "what the that???". I said I had probably done something similar when I did my first Discover Scuba dive but thankfully it has faded into the mists of my memory.

 

[underachiever]

OK folks. Hope you get all this poor visibility and strange currents and cold water cleared up over the next couple of days. PLEASE!!!

If you can do that I will buy a cold adulty beverage for someone. Whoever takes credit for getting things back to normal COZ standards.

Only 2 more sleeps.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Ok Folks,

March thru April are always transition months for the water temp and currents in Cozumel. In these months you will frequently find switching currents, down currents, and other odd things. But there is never, IMHO, anything that is patently dangerous for just about any level of diver. The fact that other divers get separated from their groups or boats is more an indictment of the Dive OPs procedures than anything else.

As a rule, our DMs look at the water at the surface and if they see whirlpools or swirls, they go to another site. Even a mile away the site may have little or no current. Also, or DMs usually enter the water first to personally look at the current before the group dives in. But that is not to say that things can't change during the dive, but like I said in the beginning, it is hard to imagine a dangerous current that cannot be easily dealt with.

INdeed, once one becomes accustomed to the currents in Cozumel, one tends to miss them when diving elsewhere. That is as true now as anytime.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[MMM]

I can certainly agree with your last point. But I think that newer divers - and especially brand new divers - can find the currents we are seeing right now on some sites quite challenging for their abilities....or at least it feels that way to them.

it is hard to imagine a dangerous current that cannot be easily dealt with.

INdeed, once one becomes accustomed to the currents in Cozumel, one tends to miss them when diving elsewhere. That is as true now as anytime.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[lionfish-eater]

On one of our dives on VB wall, we attempted to start at the south and go north, but when edgar checked the currents they were heading south so we decided to move the boat to the north end of the reef. When we got there the current had reversed and was now heading north. We moved the boat again towards the center of the reef and had a great dive. I did notice a significant amount of particles in the water and reduced viz as compared to January. It is even noticiable in my videos. I don't know if is due to seasonal changes or if it is runoff from the marina excavation. There was a significant amount of sand on the reefs. I hope it is due to natural conditions and will clear up as we move into summer.

---------- Post added at 10:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:54 PM ----------

Definitely agree with 3M, The more challenging sites were even more challenging with changing currents. Divers should always dive within their training and skill level. Fortunately Cozumel has great dive sites at all levels and offers something for everyone. I usually dive with a pair of force fins, but this trip I was only able to use them at paradise and columbia shallows. I needed more powerful fins and had to work a little harder, but no one we dove with for the entire week had any problems staying together or being pushed around into the reef. I did experience one of those "broken depth guage" moments, but I just attributed it to being out of shape, it's good to have something else to blame it on.

 

[airstream]

Love the updates...keep feeding me until we land on Tuesday!

 

[vlkr]

that happened to us in AUGUST once. It rained all night hard, very hard. The next day current was running the opposite direction from normal, and we hit several fresh water pools with a 10 degree temp drop each time.

In fact, that was the day we dropped in on Santa Rosa reef... our group was heading south, when we noticed another group heading directly towards us, drifting very fast. We knew that meant there was a down-welling coming up very shortly somewhere in the middle so our DM and our whole group headed quickly through a swimthrough to the inside of the reef, away from the wall. Freakin' scary!!! Our DM lead us over the sand a bit, then signaled to end the dive. Even he was freaked out. I don't know if that other dive group realized it, or got pulled down, or if nothing happened at all, but it made me very aware of watching all directions around me, especially when the current seems to be weird. That dive was also when our DM, a Cozumel resident his whole life, said it was the first dive he had gotten cold. Ever. And it was August.

robin

sounds like that was very smart move. i heard matteo from aldora did the same with a group a couple years ago.

 

[MMM]

Today we dived Palancar Caves and Delila for the second. Conditions at Caves were pretty darn close to perfect. Zero current and 81 uwatec degrees! Vis was a bit off but better than yesterday. Current was a bit stronger at Delila but nothing crazy like yesterday. I was getting between 79 and 81 degrees on the latter, just depending on where we were. I was freezing at the end though...and I was wearing a 5 mil full suit and 3 mil hooded vest.

 

[billindenver]

The lowest water "normal" temperature I have personally seen in 20 years is 78F. But everyone's temp gage may not be calibrated the same.

When I have seen lower temps it has always been underwater springs of fresh water coming off the wall. Normally, but not always, you can see it as "greasy" looking water which is technically called a halocline, and when you swim into it, it is COLD!

The presence of those fresh water springs seems to be associated with rains and not weird currents. At least that is my impression.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

Hiya Dave! You on the island this week? Hope to see you around!

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Dear Bill,


Sorry I'll miss you but just got my 12 year old twins back to Texas after spring break, so I am doing some time up here. Have a great time.


Dave