Drift diving experience

[scubadada]

Hi @Johnoly

I was there Friday the 10th. We had a brisk south current and vis of about 20-30 feet. Nothing for 30 minutes and then half dozen or more Bulls with us through the safety stop. That's a dive

 

[pepperbelly]

FWIW my first ocean dive was a cruise ship excursion drift dive in Coz. I had dove for decades in local lakes before.
Drift diving is great. The current does all the work for you. If it got too swift due to the reef topography I just got closer to the bottom where the current was slower.
I am 60 years old but SP Jet fins made it easy to not just hold position in the current but to move into the current when I wanted.
Nail your buoyancy and the rest is gravy.

 

[chillyinCanada]

@gr8jab had it all, but I’ll put a summary on it...

A liveaboard in Socorro is more than just drift diving. And, as @Damselfish intonates, task loading, the piling on of additional unknown situations- there’s where the puppy poop piles up.

Look at that list of situations, likely none of which you are familiar with, much less in a pile.

Critical advice: advise the ships DM of your lack of experience. Then shut up and follow instructions. Do not babble, they’ve heard all that before. They will be thrilled. Of the 80% of their guests who should be making that notification and request, I’d bet only 5% actually do. They will be your new best friend and fan.

Listen intently. Get ready before they have to tell you. Keep your crap near you, compact and organized. When they say “descend immediately”, you will soon learn to move towards “negative entries”. Do not leapfrog your abilities. When it’s time to follow a command, by god, do it. They’d likely rather see you get in or out first, that gives them time to fix you if needed. Keep the reg in your mouth, it will cut down on the noise they’re dealing with. If you have a question, ask, but try to ask before that question stops the process at a time-critical moment.

The drift diving part is stupid easy. Just relax, float along. If you tumble, try giggling. The only hard part is the “just before” and “just after” the actual drift diving part...the starting and stopping part. It can be a big pile of that aforementioned puppy poop stuff.

The one single best Caribbean training ground for such drift diving in this and the Galapagos realm? North End Tobago (Speyside). Those who suggest Cozumel, I can assure you, have never been to Speyside.

Know this- they’ve seen bunches of ill prepared divers. You have a big advantage, you’re. anticipating and acting upon it! You’re pretty much-so there!

Couldn't agree more, Speyside, Tobago!! Wowzer