Craziness continues

[BTravlin]

I've been unable to find any updates on the lost diver. :depressed:
Has anyone heard anything current on that situation?

She had not been found as of dark falling this evening. Very sad.

We dove Palancar Bricks this morning and it was more like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We dropped in and the first few minutes were okay but then we crossed one of the big sand chutes and it was a river of sand being carried off the flats and down into the deep. There were tornadoes of sand mixed in. All of us were dragged from around 80' down to 107' before we were able to stop the descent. Fully inflated BCD and the best I could do was swim into the current and slowly work my way across the chute to the next section of wall.


Currents were still strong and quite variable on this section of wall. Pedro found us a nice cavern to duck into where we were able to catch our breath and get our heart rates down. We saw one of our fellow divers blown past us like a sheet in the wind so we all exited the cave and continued along the wall. Even here we were being pushed down and had to grab the wall and crawl back to the top. We were all short on gas and headed for the surface. A couple of divers blew right through the safety stop and went to the surface. There was no stopping with the wild currents. Myself, Heather and Pedro managed to do our safety stop while watching our bubbles travel in circles around us. I started out with 3,200 psi and ended with 700 psi after just 34 minutes. Was seriously worried during the dive that one of us guys was going to have a heart attack but we all passed the stress test. Wildest dive I've done in Coz. The sh!t hit the Bricks today.

Seemed like there were divers blown all up and down the reef as the boat captains definitely had their work cut out for them today.

 

[dmoore19]

She had not been found as of dark falling this evening. Very sad.

We dove Palancar Bricks this morning and it was more like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We dropped in and the first few minutes were okay but then we crossed one of the big sand chutes and it was a river of sand being carried off the flats and down into the deep. There were tornadoes of sand mixed in. All of us were dragged from around 80' down to 107' before we were able to stop the descent. Fully inflated BCD and the best I could do was swim into the current and slowly work my way across the chute to the next section of wall.


Currents were still strong and quite variable on this section of wall. Pedro found us a nice cave to duck into where we were able to catch our breath and get our heart rates down. We saw one of our fellow divers blown past us like a sheet in the wind so we all exited the cave and continued along the wall. Even here we were being pushed down and had to grab the wall and crawl back to the top. We were all short on gas and headed for the surface. A couple of divers blew right through the safety stop and went to the surface. There was no stopping with the wild currents. Myself, Heather and Pedro managed to do our safety stop while watching our bubbles travel in circles around us. I started out with 3,200 psi and ended with 700 psi after just 34 minutes. Was seriously worried during the dive that one of us guys was going to have a heart attack but we all passed the stress test. Wildest dive I've done in Coz. The sh!t hit the Bricks today.

Seemed like there were divers blown all up and down the reef as the boat captains definitely had there work cut out for them today.

Glad you and Heather are safe.

 

[jd950]

She had not been found as of dark falling this evening. Very sad.

Myself, Heather and Pedro managed to do our safety stop while watching our bubbles travel in circles around us.

Yeah, for a few moments I thought there was a diver below me because I kept having bubbles all around me. Then I realized my own bubbles were going down instead of up, and I was descending into them. Really weird and a bit disorienting at first.

 

[Coz I Like It]

We decided to dive Baracuda today and had a fast ride. I ventured out over the edge and was getting pushed down so immediately started finning back and was able with much effort to get back on the top of the reef. We had a good dive but very fast current. Did San Juan for second dive and same thing - fast ride. We all stayed together and had no other problems. Yesterday we were going to dive Santa Rosa but our DM Ibeis dove in to check currents and said no, there were sand slides happening so we moved on to Horseshoe and had a very nice dive there. Still have two more days to dive. Will have to keep sharp.

 

[scubawife]

Sounds like a crazy day in Cozumel. Please, all who are there, I know it's vacation, a dive vacation, and for some possibly the only week of the year you'll be in the water, but really, there is always another day and another dive. Sometimes being an experienced diver means knowing to call the dive or the dive day.

I hope there is some good news on the Santa Rosa missing diver.

JD, great job you did holding it together and doing what you had to do to get out of that downwelling. Being way off the reef, alone, with an SMB is a better option then getting sucked down further and not being able to escape. It had to be a wild ride and one I'm sure you won't forget.

I've been on an SAR blackwater team for a couple years now. It's really changed my view on recreational diving. I LOVE diving in clear, blue water, love drifts and walls, but the SAR aspect of diving has really opened my eyes to risk and safety. I've never been someone who rolls in or continues a dive if I'm not, for any reason, totally comfortable, but now I think I'm more likely not to try and see what happens if I have any hesitations or conditions are just not enjoyable. It's vacation, it's recreational diving. It's supposed to be fun and enjoyable. A challenge is always good, I'm always up for that, but a situation with ripping, unpredictable and down currents is just not worth it.

Just curious, has the port master ever shut down diving in Cozumel because the currents are deemed too unpredictable or dangerous?

 

[Karibelle]

We were at Palancar Caves today - we got in around 10 a.m. - and the current was negligible. It's weird how much the conditions differ from hour to hour. Second dive at Tormentos was great, slight current, good viz.

 

[jd950]

JD, great job you did holding it together and doing what you had to do to get out of that downwelling. Being way off the reef, alone, with an SMB is a better option then getting sucked down further and not being able to escape. It had to be a wild ride and one I'm sure you won't forget.

Thanks for the kind words. I think the rest of the group was much more distressed than I was. I later heard a couple who was with us and whom we didn't know were quite freaked out when most of the group suddenly disappeared from view and one (me) was completely gone from sight when they got back together and then on the boat.

We later went to San Francisco wall but the current was acting weird there too, and we didn't need any more thrills, so we went to Yucab instead...nice flat, shallow bottom. Like you said, this is recreational diving. Even there, though, first half of dive the current was N-S and slightly towards shore. Halfway through the dive the current abruptly changed to S-N and away from shore. We ended the dive right in the middle of Tormentos. No drama though, just the usual Cozumel Shuffle.

 

[scubawife]

Thanks for the kind words. We later went to San Francisco wall but the current was acting weird there too, and we didn't need any more thrills, so we went to Yucab instead...nice flat, shallow bottom. Even there, though, first half of dive the current was N-S and slightly towards shore. Halfway through the dive the current abruptly changed to S-N and away from shore. We ended the dive right in the middle of Tormentos. No drama though, just the usual Cozumel Shuffle.

I've had several days where we cover the same 100 yard so of a reef... back and forth, back and forth... that's ok with me, especially when I have a camera along. When the current truly has a mind of its own, there's something very comforting about being on a site with a defined, reasonable depth bottom. To me the worst are the strip walls in crazy current. So easy to slip down 50 ft or more without really noticing, especially if there's a lot of fish action, which there usually is.

Enjoy the rest of your vacay. Dive safe!

 

[BTravlin]

We decided to dive Baracuda today and had a fast ride. I ventured out over the edge and was getting pushed down so immediately started finning back and was able with much effort to get back on the top of the reef. We had a good dive but very fast current. Did San Juan for second dive and same thing - fast ride. We all stayed together and had no other problems. Yesterday we were going to dive Santa Rosa but our DM Ibeis dove in to check currents and said no, there were sand slides happening so we moved on to Horseshoe and had a very nice dive there. Still have two more days to dive. Will have to keep sharp.

We did Barracuda followed by San Juan yesterday and the currents were relatively mild for those sites.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Hi Bill glad you and Heather and the others are ok...also glad Pedro was there...jeez that is scary