Tourist lost - Cozumel

[Dan]

Listen to the pre dive brief.
I stay close to the wall because there is nothing to see out there most of the time. It has nothing to do with down current.
If I am away from the wall then I will swim out from it.
There is no concrete rule on this.

I’m referencing to Crystal Bay & Blue Corner that are known for down currents, especially during full moon. There’s no reason to dive in the blue if there’s nothing to see. We just cruise along the reef to see some activities on reef. Some divers swim to the blue to get close to the Mola Mola, regardless what DM has warned them not to do so.

 

[pauldw]

The water in a down current doesn't disappear down a giant plughole in the seabed. Learn about down currents. It's part of scuba diving in the ocean.

Bzzzzt! Wrong answer!

 

[chillyinCanada]

From Underwater Vortex from Hell? Socorro Island

DM kept us closed to the reef. When down current happened, we swam to the reef & hide under rock boulder, not to the blue.

There were some down current fatalities in Crystal Bay due to divers were in the blue, away from the reef.

My group did some underwater “rock climbing” in Blue Corner, Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia, last August.

Wow! I noticed *zero* current on my Crystal Bay dives. Maybe I haven't done Blue Corner in Bali? Yes, there was current on SD but it was in one direction and I could easily stop and even swim against it with zero effort. Hopefully it will be the same experience next week.

 

[Dan]

Wow! I noticed *zero* current on my Crystal Bay dives. Maybe I haven't done Blue Corner in Bali? Yes, there was current on SD but it was in one direction and I could easily stop and even swim against it with zero effort. Hopefully it will be the same experience next week.

Current in SD usually is parallel with the coast until reaching the end of the island. So, no down current to worry about.

 

[Dan]

Once you are out in the blue, you would do the safest ascent you can do with the depth and air you have. Once on the surface, you will have reference to where land is.

Ask @Christi who has been diving in Cozumel more than 2000 times about handling Cozumel down current then. Read her post # 3 of this thread:

Down Currents Cozumel

They're not common, thank goodness - but with the walls and common currents, can certainly happen. I've read a few reports here of divers being caught in them - enough that we should all be mentally and physically prepared for one, I think. I did not carry my pony on shallow dives at Cozumel...

scubaboard.com

You can swim away from the wall or towards the wall. The closer to the wall you are, the less chance you have of being in the down current. I can't draw a picture of it...but think of a waterfall. It goes over the edge and out a little...if you can get inside of it...at least you have something to grab onto in the event of an emergency and/or extreme fatigue. The risk of swimming away from the wall is that you can't predict how far out the current runs and the further away fro the wall you get...the harder it is to gain your bearings. Towards the wall is the better option.

I will also add, that I've never in over 2000 dives here over the past seven years been caught in a downcurrent I couldn't easily get out of with a few strong fin kicks towards the wall.

 

[Centrals]

I’m referencing to Crystal Bay & Blue Corner that are known for down currents, especially during full moon. There’s no reason to dive in the blue if there’s nothing to see. We just cruise along the reef to see some activities on reef. Some divers swim to the blue to get close to the Mola Mola, regardless what DM has warned them not to do so.

Listen to the per dive briefing. PERIOD.
Dived there few times and never ever encountered down current.
Plenty of this stuff in Philippine.
Operators takin inexperienced divers to some tricky sites! No excuse.

 

[Dan]

Listen to the per dive briefing. PERIOD.
Dived there few times and never ever encountered down current.
Plenty of this stuff in Philippine.
Operators takin inexperienced divers to some tricky sites! No excuse.

LOL. You may be listened to dive briefing. PERIOD. Those tourist divers, as soon as they see Mola Mola in the blue, all hell break loose and swim like mad to the fish.

I dove there many times for 15 years and experienced the down current a few times, heard and read some fatalities there & you even acknowledge it as stated by your own post here,

Best? There is no such thing.
Days near the full moon = strong current.
Crystal Bay is the most common site but also notorious for strong down current.
Water temp will be around 20C. Thick wet suit is highly recommended unless you can stand the coldness.

Best month to see Mola Mola in Bali? LOL Why you said that?

 

[Centrals]

LOL. You may be listened to dive briefing. PERIOD. Those tourist divers, as soon as they see Mola Mola in the blue, all hell break loose and swim like mad to the fish.

I dove there many times for 15 years and experienced the down current a few times, heard and read some fatalities there & you even acknowledge it as stated by your own post here,

Best month to see Mola Mola in Bali? LOL Why you said that?

The dm gave them the warning and it is up to the diver to observe it or not. Drink and drive etc.
"best month" ie which specific month can guarantee the most sighting of the fish. Have you got any statistic?
WHY? It is so obvious isn't it? There is none. LOL.

 

[Dan]

The dm gave them the warning and it is up to the diver to observe it or not. Drink and drive etc.
"best month" ie which specific month can guarantee the most sighting of the fish. Have you got any statistic?
WHY? It is so obvious isn't it? There is none. LOL.

I was not talking about “best month” to see Mola Mola. I was referring to the thread where you post #2 in that thread stating in your own word that Crystal Bay is “notorious for strong down current”, which you never ever experienced it.

I remember back in 2012, I saw 9 Mola Mola in Crystal Bay. Few weeks earlier there were 2 fatalities there. By simply search such news here, posted by @DandyDon I found this post:

Japanese tourist missing in Crystal Bay (Bali)

And this by @Quero RIP

Danish dive fatality - Bali

Even if your wifes are not so experienced, they still can dive CB. Staying inside the bay and just getting to the coral plateau before the drop-off can be a super nice dive with vivid colors and incredible fish life ... + you can get lucky : a week ago teaching a DSD my student & I saw a Mola...

scubaboard.com

 

[Dan]

Our experience with Crystal bay was2 years ago. We dived with Joe's Gone Diving and the owner took us out. His words were; The currents are very bad, keep close to me. We lose one or two every year here due to being caught in the currents. Don't go over the wall and watch me at all times. We followed him faithfully and saw some Mola Mola and then he began to bang his tank and headed back in. The current was that strong we had to reef crawl to get back in and it took us about 10 minutes to do a 2 minute swim.

@Centrals ask @Peter69_56 about his experience with the down current in Crystal Bay and how he got out of it (read his post, quoted above ). He swam to the reef & crawl.

Read his post #18 in this thread:

Danish dive fatality - Bali

Even if your wifes are not so experienced, they still can dive CB. Staying inside the bay and just getting to the coral plateau before the drop-off can be a super nice dive with vivid colors and incredible fish life ... + you can get lucky : a week ago teaching a DSD my student & I saw a Mola...

scubaboard.com