Down currents

[shurite7]

... up north at Barracuda.

I too have experienced a down current at Barracuda reef.

 

[BRT]

SMH... How have I been so lucky to never have been in a down current...

Lucky may be the word. After the dive where I held onto the wall the boats were all looking for a lady that never, ever came up.

 

[jd950]

I experienced one at Santa Rosa. It was in Spring and the currents were crazy all week. I think if you know there is a risk and understand how to respond, it is nothing to be overly concerned about. Not that there isn't some risk. At the same time as me, another diver on the next dive site got in one (maybe the same current?) and was never seen again. No idea why, but there is a risk.

Swim to the wall or toward the blue, depending on circumstances. Don't drop weights unless you really need to. That can't be undone and has its own risks. In my case, inflating my BC did little or no good, but of course I could then deflate it when out of the current. I did blow through a lot of air trying to limit my descent and get out of the thing. Had it happened late in the dive instead of at the beginning, I might have had more issues.

So long as you have air and are at a safe depth based on the mixture in your tank, the current will stop or you can get out of it swimming more or less horizontally.

I would not let it stop me from diving Cozumel.

 

[Dogbowl]

Lucky may be the word. After the dive where I held onto the wall the boats were all looking for a lady that never, ever came up.

Was this back in March 2012? I was there then and our DM told us that a lady got pulled down by a downcurrent and never surfaced.

But I suspect it occurs more often than people are willing to talk about.

 

[ScubaD1veDiv@]

Down currents happen in Cozumel. Most are manageable some are severe and it helps to have advance knowledge on how to handle yourself. I find it a tad bit irresponsible to advise folks not to worry just because you personally may not have experienced a potentially life threatening down current in Cozumel. They happen.

Basic OW course teaches us to be prepared to handle emergencies and to continue our training to help our chances of survival should we be faced with a dangerous situation. This is no different. Learn everything you can about rip tides, down currents, as well as up currents, which can be even more dangerous. Hopefully you continue to be one of those lucky divers that never experience a potentially deadly down current. I experienced one in only 150 Cozumel dives. Thankfully I was in the right place at the right time but I was also prepared.

 

[deepsea21]

For the record I would never go deep, or allow myself to go deep with an aluminum 80 tank. In each case I was using a full HP 120 tank with bailout bottle, and competent buddy, nor would I go past 200 even if the down current continued. When it stopped we swam parallel to the reef and rose slowly against no current at all, continued the dive with proper safety stop with lots of gas left. Never would I have done that with dive customers.

I brought this whole thing up to provide some sort of science to the mystery of down currents. Diving in Cozumel since 1992 with thousands of dives with lots of opportunities to experience down currents, I have lived to be 71 now and would not do it again but I felt that would be good information for this forum. Sorry if anyone got their panties into a wad.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

My nickers aren't in a twist Dave - No worries. However, no one should be thinking it's fine to just strap on a HP 120 and head deep to catch a buzz. That is decompression diving which is an entirely different from recreational diving within recreational limits . I know there are those who will do bounce dives and such because they are within theoretical safety but let there be no doubt every foot deeper increases risk just as every MPH faster in a car increases risk. No matter how competent and confident one may be in their skills and equipment there is always the probability of the unexpected happening and if it happens, it's better it happen shallower than deeper.

I do agree with your statement that the risk of down currents should not dissuade any diver from diving Cozumel or anywhere else for that matter. Down currents present the same type of risk one experiences driving their car every day - the risk other cars and drivers on the road can present that are out of your control. As such, all should wear safety belts in cars and study up on how to deal with a down current. Statistically, I think it is safe to say one's odds of driving their car and being T-boned by another driver are greater than being caught in a serious down current diving.

 

[ScubaD1veDiv@]

One more thing to add. How to react depends on where you are when the down current hits and how strong it is. If I'm next to the wall and it seems like a surefire ride to 200, then I'm hanging on. **** the coral in this one scenario only. I'll hang on and wait 5 minutes to see if it passes or claw my way perpendicular otherwise until I am out. If it is mild then I will swim out and across. There is no one right answer. Your individual mileage may vary ;-) We encountered one on top of the Santa Rosa wall and while 8 of us, including our DM Dario, were kicking with all of our might to keep from being swept off the wall, my husband was 20 feet above leisurely watching us overwork ourselves.

 

[ScubaD1veDiv@]

My nickers aren't in a twist Dave - No worries. However, no one should be thinking it's fine to just strap on a HP 120 and head deep to catch a buzz. That is decompression diving which is an entirely different from recreational diving within recreational limits . I know there are those who will do bounce dives and such because they are within theoretical safety but let there be no doubt every foot deeper increases risk just as every MPH faster in a car increases risk. No matter how competent and confident one may be in their skills and equipment there is always the probability of the unexpected happening and if it happens, it's better it happen shallower than deeper.

...and just about everybody is diving nitrox

 

[BRT]

Was this back in March 2012? I was there then and our DM told us that a lady got pulled down by a downcurrent and never surfaced.

But I suspect it occurs more often than people are willing to talk about.

I think it was about 4 years ago in late January or early February.

 

[Dogbowl]

I think it was about 4 years ago in late January or early February.

Looks like we're referring to 2 different incidents then.