The "Washing Machine"

[shugar]

you saw it too? How? Where?

dennis's room at atlantis... puffy showed it to us on a titanium mac notebook... an old one that was a few months old that they were considering chucking into the water to add to some wreck...

we watched it a couple of times and each time was more amazing than the other

Jag

 

[dlndavid]

Maybe Howard can help Puff post it someplace, Howard is alway posting links to his videos.

 

[Zeeman]

you know, guys, this video is sounding more and more like a Leroy Jenkins moment....

Z...

 

[pakman]

Dave,

Here's a profile from Larry and my dive on Shark Cave. Mons and Spoon made it to Shark cave crawling by their fingertips literally. We missed the turn and went for a magic carpet ride...

We started off well before canyons/ shark cave and ended up after 27 min almost in front of Sabang beach!! You should have heard our computer alarms going off... our exhaust bubbles were going in all directions!

 

[iris_ice]

aawww... didn't see the video's

 

[dlndavid]

haven't heard much from the Puff, but will still try and get "the video" posted, don't want Iris to feel left out.


Nice ride Pakman.

 

[bennedc]

I REALLY want to see the video of this place. I can't really imagine what's going on...would like to watch the video to see the thing...sounds like a major down drafting current...right?

 

[dlndavid]

I was at 100 ft so fast without hardly knowing what happened.

 

[dlndavid]

Dennis has a copy of my 1 minute video - as you know, the speed is easy to see. Hope we can get him to post it.

Hi Dennis, welcome back home. Going to PV May 18-28 with Francine.
So can you post Puff's video, many are waiting to view it.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I was with David on that dive and did it twice more, once with only the DM since the current was even stronger. I'm uploading the video to
www.dropshots.com/diverdennis but it will be a few minutes before it is up. Although an advanced dive it is a lot of fun and the last time I did it we just flew along the reef, upside down, on purpose. As David will tell you, I like shooting upside down because I can get a better perspective of a subject on the bottom shooting up or at eye level. I was diving Nitrox so I only let the current take me down to 110' before inflating and coming up. Except for the light direction, it is impossible to tell which way is up, you are surrounded by bubbles going in all directions.
At the start of the dive you have to swim at a 45 degree angle to the current to get to the first of 3 canyons or depressions that act as an eddy so you can stop for a few minutes. I remember seeing David and the Puffs disappearing into the distance and waving goodbye but I think they were more concerned about their speed than watching me. Once in the eddy you can crawl to the top and being careful not to damage the reef, gain a handhold and experience a 5 knot current. It is very hard to hold on in the swirling current but exciting to feel the power. During David's dive I was there with one lady and the DM. The lady was a bit worried, judging by the look of terror in her eyes. I was first to pop up and slip into the next canyon but when I saw the lady and the DM fly over, I joined them. The convergence of the currents makes it easy to tumble which I really like.
As you can see from the Puff video, the current seems to instantly increase when you reach a certain point and it is pointless to resist.