strong currents

[s7595]

was talking with my lds owner about diveing in fla keys
he said watch for strong currents as your depth can change
from 60' to 300 ' realy fast
my ? is if that happend what would your deco stop be
as my owner is out of town teaching could not ask him
thanks

 

[Warren_L]

If that were the case I wouldn't be diving there if I were you. Sounds kind of doubtful that that would be the case.

 

[SubMariner]

he said watch for strong currents as your depth can change from 60' to 300 ' realy fast

No offense to your LDS owner, but that really doesn't happen in the Keys. While there ARE a few deep sites, most of the dives there are fairly shallow -- max about 40'.

You would really have to be swept a long ways offshore for there to be dives as deep as he claims.

is if that happend what would your deco stop be

There is no way to answer this question unless there were specifics as to how long the diver was down and at what particular depth.

 

[Walter]

Actually, there are lots of deep sites in the Keys. There are even some in the 300 ft range, but the average diver will not be taken to those sites.

Most operators routinely make most of their trips to shallow sites, but the better operators will match the trip to the skill level of the divers on board. Most divers on Molasses reef never get deeper than about 40 ft, but some of the best parts of Molasses are actually closer to 100 ft.

I've never heard of a down current in the Keys, but even if you were to experience one, that took you to the bottom in most areas that wouldn't exceed 130 ft.

 

[DandyDon]

But I'll say from my experiences on the deeper wreck dives there - Yep, 130 feet is about your max even on advanced sites. Besides, while I've been on strong Gulf Stream currents there, I've never experienced a down current, or heard of one there.

Maybe you misheard the instructor. If you're in a current and lose your grip on the line, you might get pushed down stream and be unable to get back. Hasn't happened to me yet (one close call, my bad, learned better) but it does happen. Inflate BC fully, pop safety sausage, get as visable as possible, watch out for traffic, and they'll pick you up when they can. And if you ever have problems at the surface, like your BC won't inflate - drop the weights.

I enjoy the deep wreck dives there and recommend them to anyone who is trained and qualified for such.

have fun don

 

[Warren_L]

It would have be some strong down current to drop you 200+ feet that quickly. I dunno.

 

[s7595]

thanks for the info
my lds guy is a tech , cave diver , who was diveing a wreck off the coast of ft laudredale when currant cause him to over shoot wreck and sent him down deep
sorry about the keys confusion
all so why does some of the wrecks off the key's say only advance diver

 

[the_dumper]

If your doing 300ft on air it isn't the deco stops you need to worry about.

 

[Cave Diver]

s7595 once bubbled...
all so why does some of the wrecks off the key's say only advance diver

Depth, penetration hazards, and current.