So I am going on a trip to Key Largo and I plan on diving the spiegel grove. I am a advanced Open Water diver working towards my master. I have only dove in mexico Ocean wise I dive a lot in the quarries in Ohio. I have heard the currents can be horrible in Key Largo. What I am wondering is how do you learn to dive in current? and how do you keep from being swept away from the wreck? thank you
Diving In Current
- Thread starter Bflem55
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Start your dive into the current, and hide behind structures. Dont be afraid to call the dive if its more than you can handle. And be sure to bring an audio and visual signaling device in case you get swept off. Your best advice will come from the divemasters on the boat who have done that site with current before. Listen attentively.
Stay close to the bottom and wreck - current is less in close. Find the sheltered side and use that for some cover.
Monitor your breathing to make sure you aren't over excerpting yourself. If it does get a bit out of control dont be afraid to hold onto the wreck and get your breath back.
Make sure you have a delayed marker buoy and reel and know how to use it just in case you do lose contact with the wreck.
Monitor your breathing to make sure you aren't over excerpting yourself. If it does get a bit out of control dont be afraid to hold onto the wreck and get your breath back.
Make sure you have a delayed marker buoy and reel and know how to use it just in case you do lose contact with the wreck.
Good advice so far, but it won't get you to the wreck. There are mooring lines attached to the wreck. Your charter operator will tie to one of these lines. They will also attach a tag line from the mooring line to the stern of the boat and a current line (with a float at the end) out behind the boat. When you make your entry, make it with a goal of grabbing the tag line ASAP. It's not a bad idea to grab it as you enter the water. Pull yourself, hand over hand along the lines down to the wreck. If you need to go hand over hand along the wreck, go ahead and do it. When returning to the boat, keep a hold on the lines all the way back.
Pirate Lady
Guest
If you are lucky, there are times you can hit the Spiegel Grove with no current. If you are in the current situation all the above info is right on! Have a wonderful dive.....it's really cool!!!!!!!
marshallkarp
Contributor
Never dove the SG and I am sure you will get some advice for that specifically, but I made one strong current dive, so far, last year in Fort Lauderdale on a wreck dive. It was not your pleasurable, relaxing, and enjoyable dive. Instead of being on green, I was on yellow alert the whole dive, one step from red. My thinking was, if this gets any worse, I'm calling the dive. However, I figured the more that I went on the more I would learn about diving in a strong current.
Things I learned:
* Glad that I had my reef gloves as I had to hand hold my way forward and back, sometimes on coral
* Glad that I had my 3mil full wetsuit on as I was getting banged around on the sharp coral when handholding my way forward and back
* Stay close to the wreck and hold on, swimming away from the wreck can get you blown away
* Find and get into current breaks (think wind breaks) when you want to look around at things
* Don't panic (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), if it's too much, abort the dive
There was no relaxing sight seeing or good video from that dive. However, I was glad that I did it as I saw it as necessary experience and a real good extreme condition learning situation.
Things I learned:
* Glad that I had my reef gloves as I had to hand hold my way forward and back, sometimes on coral
* Glad that I had my 3mil full wetsuit on as I was getting banged around on the sharp coral when handholding my way forward and back
* Stay close to the wreck and hold on, swimming away from the wreck can get you blown away
* Find and get into current breaks (think wind breaks) when you want to look around at things
* Don't panic (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), if it's too much, abort the dive
There was no relaxing sight seeing or good video from that dive. However, I was glad that I did it as I saw it as necessary experience and a real good extreme condition learning situation.
First and foremost - If you get in the water and at any point it feels like it is too much to handle...then it is and call the dive if you are not comfortable. Second...dive on the slack. (Between tidal changes). Tidal changes will cause currents, it is simply just a matter of how much, however current can also run without a tidal change. The biggest thing you can do for yourself is research the wreck and find out how the current runs on it...and plan your dive accordingly.
If you are diving current, you can drift dive...but that doesn't really apply to wreck diving. Be sure you have something to signal with should you get blown off the wreck. I am pretty anal about it, but I always carry a small signal mirror, whistle, a pair of strobe lights, pocket LED dive light (in addition to my main light), safety sausage, finger spool, dye marker, and cylume light stick. Believe it or not that all fits into a pocket except the safety sausage which I just clip to my harness. Yes...I know....pretty anal, but I would rather have it and not need it than come up short. On deeper stuff or deco dives I have a lift bag and reel as well.
If the current is running the dive boat should have a granny line (line running from the stern or diver entry point) to the anchor line. They should also run a tag line...about 200'+ of line with a float so that if you miss the stern you can get on the tag line and pull yourself into the boat. Also be aware (and I don't know if this is true where you are going) that you can have current running at the surface, but less at depth, or vice versa, or running one way at the surface and another way at depth. Needless to say if the current is running be sure to use the anchor/mooring line to decend and ascend. Work into the current first when you are fresh and use it to drift yourself back to the anchor line as you finish. If visibility is bad, don't hesitate to clip one of your strobes to the anchor line on the wreck so you can see it coming back. I have done a couple where the current was really nasty and taken a jon line (about 8-10 feet of nylon webbing with a loop on one end and a carabiner on the other) and actually clipped myself into the anchor line using it like a telephone pole repairmen would use a harness to climb a pole. I think today if I got in the water and it was running that fast I would be prone to wait for the current to subside or maybe come back another day. Depends on the dive I suppose.
I have been on deeper wrecks where the current has howled. You can use the wreck as a "shield", in other words be on the lee side of the current...however this limits what access you are going to have. Make sure you are in shape! If you are in current much more than 1.5 knots...you are not going to be able to swim against it very long...and you will tire very quickly. You can, if you must pull yourself along the wreck, however if the area is fished now you are going to have to deal with the possibility of fishing nets and monofilent line...which I don't know if that is an issue on the Grove. Ditto if you choose to stay close to the wreck where the current sometimes will be less pronounced...just keep your eyes open for snags. Needless to say have something to cut with. I have a small dive knife as well as a pair of EMT shears...which I favor more.
Be sure and talk to the charter operator...usually they have their act together and can offer a dive plan that will help you.
If you are diving current, you can drift dive...but that doesn't really apply to wreck diving. Be sure you have something to signal with should you get blown off the wreck. I am pretty anal about it, but I always carry a small signal mirror, whistle, a pair of strobe lights, pocket LED dive light (in addition to my main light), safety sausage, finger spool, dye marker, and cylume light stick. Believe it or not that all fits into a pocket except the safety sausage which I just clip to my harness. Yes...I know....pretty anal, but I would rather have it and not need it than come up short. On deeper stuff or deco dives I have a lift bag and reel as well.
If the current is running the dive boat should have a granny line (line running from the stern or diver entry point) to the anchor line. They should also run a tag line...about 200'+ of line with a float so that if you miss the stern you can get on the tag line and pull yourself into the boat. Also be aware (and I don't know if this is true where you are going) that you can have current running at the surface, but less at depth, or vice versa, or running one way at the surface and another way at depth. Needless to say if the current is running be sure to use the anchor/mooring line to decend and ascend. Work into the current first when you are fresh and use it to drift yourself back to the anchor line as you finish. If visibility is bad, don't hesitate to clip one of your strobes to the anchor line on the wreck so you can see it coming back. I have done a couple where the current was really nasty and taken a jon line (about 8-10 feet of nylon webbing with a loop on one end and a carabiner on the other) and actually clipped myself into the anchor line using it like a telephone pole repairmen would use a harness to climb a pole. I think today if I got in the water and it was running that fast I would be prone to wait for the current to subside or maybe come back another day. Depends on the dive I suppose.
I have been on deeper wrecks where the current has howled. You can use the wreck as a "shield", in other words be on the lee side of the current...however this limits what access you are going to have. Make sure you are in shape! If you are in current much more than 1.5 knots...you are not going to be able to swim against it very long...and you will tire very quickly. You can, if you must pull yourself along the wreck, however if the area is fished now you are going to have to deal with the possibility of fishing nets and monofilent line...which I don't know if that is an issue on the Grove. Ditto if you choose to stay close to the wreck where the current sometimes will be less pronounced...just keep your eyes open for snags. Needless to say have something to cut with. I have a small dive knife as well as a pair of EMT shears...which I favor more.
Be sure and talk to the charter operator...usually they have their act together and can offer a dive plan that will help you.
Yellow alert is the time to call a dive.
I dove the SP twice. Both times there was a current and large waves on the surface but it gradually resided as you went down with only a slight current on the deck. The DM told us to empty all air from our BC's and be sure to grab on to the granny line right away then pull yourself along it to the buoy (anchor) line (no finning), then hand-over-hand down the line. At first it was like a flag waving in the breeze. Be sure to wear gloves because of barnacles, fish hooks and man-o'-war tentacles on the line. Pretty nice dive.
I would say that if you have to drag yourself around by grabbing the wreck/coral, you should not be on the dive!
SB will flame a photographer for steadying themselves with a finger on a portion of dead coral, yet here we have recommendations to wear gloves and pull yourself hand over hand???
I was taught to guide on the Duanne and Bibb, and the gloves are for the mooring line, not for the wreck. If there is an emergency, the wreck falls below your life in priority. But if you do the dive in current too strong for you to dive and you are not about to be injured or die, drift down to another mooring line and ascend, or if you are descending on the down-current mooring, don't let go of the mooring line and abort the dive!
SB will flame a photographer for steadying themselves with a finger on a portion of dead coral, yet here we have recommendations to wear gloves and pull yourself hand over hand???
I was taught to guide on the Duanne and Bibb, and the gloves are for the mooring line, not for the wreck. If there is an emergency, the wreck falls below your life in priority. But if you do the dive in current too strong for you to dive and you are not about to be injured or die, drift down to another mooring line and ascend, or if you are descending on the down-current mooring, don't let go of the mooring line and abort the dive!
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