Drift Diving Equipement Suggestions

[scubavince]

During Aug. 12 - 22 I'll be drift diving in Cozumel. Never done it before, so I'm looking suggestions from the mundane to the 'Oh poop, I wish I had that thingamajig now that out in the middle of nowhere and they can't find me.' :11:

Thx, Vince

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

A safety sausage (SMB), mirror, whistle, chem lumn sticks, and a light should be with you every time you hit the ocean.

Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[midwayman]

The SMB is the one thing that really sticks out as being really usefully. Alot of strong currents, and heavy boat traffic make it a no brainer.

Dont know if you're renting gear or not, but if you are, you might want to make sure you bring snaps for your octo and console.

 

[del_mo]

Stay close-ish to the dm. Don't make him stay close to you.

 

[CAPNVINNY]

My experience,a good computer,they are known to go into deco if your not watching your own time!

 

[jrd]

Having been there for a few years diving ,here are a few suggestions;
Safety sausage-get a good one, the 3' ones suck.
Pay attention to current,can reverse direction at anytime.
When diving the wall ,keep your distance about the same,too far out & you'll be in Cuba.
ENJOY THE RIDE!
JRD.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

SMB - with 5-8 metre cord so can be deployed during your safety stop. Get some practise deploying it.

Small Dive Alert air horn connected to your inflator to signal on the surface.

Most problems seem to arise when a diver splits away from the main group, and overstays their dive time. Stay with the group, and if separated then surface before the planned end of dive time -don’t spend all day down there while being swept into the wild blue yonder.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[subageezer]

I'm a very new diver, but just had the pleasure of my first drift dive yesterday. All the above advise is right on ie sausage, staying with your group etc. In my case, the current was the gulf stream off Jupitor Florida. Trust me, it is a gas. The gulf stream is very fast and strong which gives the feelings of flight with the added benefit of not working very hard as you ride the current. Personally, I thought it all quite easy. I was, however, diving with the instructor who certified me so I had the benefit of expert instruction.

I would add to pay close attention to the predive instructions from the capt. and divemaster. They are very familiar with dive, and in my case had accurate dive conditions. If down this way, I can recommend the Blue Tang for a safe and pleasurable dive experience.

Hope you enjoy your dive as much as I enjoyed mine.

 

[djanni]

It seems the Cozumel currents very day-to-day and site-to-site. Sometimes there is none, sometimes mild and sometimes ripping. Ripping is a blast as long you know what to expect. The DM will let you know what the specific conditions are when you arrive at the site.

My list of equipment for drift dives:

DSMB (yellow)
Finger spool w/125' line
Dive Alert
Whistle
Signal mirror

If night add:
Strobe
chem light
flashlight
back up flashlight

 

[Mr. Sunday]

I try to carry these on any dive. I like to carry a back up light and the chem light always just in case I get lost out there.

Surface Marker Bouy
Finger spool w/100' line and s/s boltsnap
Chemical Light
Backup Light

Flashlight

I should probably add a whistle signal mirror
Also, make sure you get a quality SMB. I see a lot of cheap ones out there. For such an important piece of equipment I would spend a few more dollars.

There is some good advise above. Get good trainig and practice your skills.

kgdiver