Where have you experienced the strongest currents?
- Thread starter Staticdiver
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InTheDrink
Contributor
Humblest apologies, I neglected to include the unit measurement, FU's - fictitious units. I wasn't actually thinking in knots. Says a lot about my sea skills no doubt. I was just trying to think of some easily referenced scale for what happens stationery opposed to the current. Knots of course would be a good unit to use, I just didn't think of it.
I agree, I don't think it takes much current to *feel* powerful and people (myself more than most
) will tend to over-estimate. In the most powerful current I came across 'going with the flow' didn't seem an option for me, buddy and guide although we'd done a fair amount of reasonable drift dives. It felt like you would lose control pretty instantly and who knows what then.
Anyhow, apologies for my ill thought-out scale, it wasn't meant to refer to knots.
J
Malpelo Columbia, Ripping Washing Machine
Dirty Rock Cocos. Flying like a flag off the line, holding on with arms and leg, Just too much fun.
Has anyone been to these places and Palau's Blue Corner? I would Love to have a comparison
Dirty Rock Cocos. Flying like a flag off the line, holding on with arms and leg, Just too much fun.
Has anyone been to these places and Palau's Blue Corner? I would Love to have a comparison
InTheDrink
Contributor
Malpelo Columbia, Ripping Washing Machine
Dirty Rock Cocos. Flying like a flag off the line, holding on with arms and leg, Just too much fun.
Has anyone been to these places and Palau's Blue Corner? I would Love to have a comparison
Nope not yet but hopefully going to Cocos in 6 weeks. Believe currents a little lighter Nov til whenever so maybe no so strong while I'm there but I'll pop a note once back. Quite keen to fly like a flag off a line - seems great way to see best big stuff
J
Sas
Contributor
Well that's interesting. I've only ever been on one dive where the current was actually measured (I know what the tide streams are locally but not how much they are when I am diving). It was a drift dive and the current was worked out by the boat to be 4kph (or 2 knots). It didn't feel particularly fast underwater though fast enough that I could not swim against it. I've definitely been in much stronger currents than that but it has never been measured. Those were fast enough that swimming against them for any length of time was impossible, and if you turned your head you'd lose your mask and my reg would purge occassionally.
matt215
Contributor
Alcyone, Cocos Island
Jackson Reef, Straits of Tiran, Egypt.
Extreme along-reef current and I had enough luck to be pulled along with a downgoing current wich led to a little too fast ascend for a couple of meters back to my buddies (we were diving in a 3 pair and I was the furthest away from the reef wall)
Horrible experience but nothing is as nice as completing a drift-dive, deploy the smb and do your safety-stop and when you surface, the boat picks you up
Extreme along-reef current and I had enough luck to be pulled along with a downgoing current wich led to a little too fast ascend for a couple of meters back to my buddies (we were diving in a 3 pair and I was the furthest away from the reef wall)
Horrible experience but nothing is as nice as completing a drift-dive, deploy the smb and do your safety-stop and when you surface, the boat picks you up
LGH
Registered
While I haven't done any diving there myself - yet - the Saltstraumen in northern Norway is supposed to be great coldwater diving. However, I would be absolutely terrified of missing the slack as the current will hit 22 knots (yes, that is 40 kilometers an hour) at exchange. That is one of the worlds strongest currents.
It is really something special, and some day I'll gather the guts to do it.
It is really something special, and some day I'll gather the guts to do it.
Big Brother, Egypt
Tobago, African Express, out of Speyside
Kuredu Express, Maldives
Washing Machine, out of Nassau, Bahamas
Streamstown Drift, Co Galway, Ireland
All of these, no chance in hell of holding on to anything to stop going with the current. Not only would it have ripped your mask off and purged your reg, but it would have been physically impossible to have held on to something against the flow. Only thing you could do was get a good position in the water, watch out for unexpected down and up currents and go for a wild ride. Awesome dives, but not for everyone. If you think you've been in a strong current when you can make slow headway against it, or hold on a line for an ascent from 100ft to the surface, then you have another thing coming when you do encounter a real belter of a current.
Mark
Tobago, African Express, out of Speyside
Kuredu Express, Maldives
Washing Machine, out of Nassau, Bahamas
Streamstown Drift, Co Galway, Ireland
All of these, no chance in hell of holding on to anything to stop going with the current. Not only would it have ripped your mask off and purged your reg, but it would have been physically impossible to have held on to something against the flow. Only thing you could do was get a good position in the water, watch out for unexpected down and up currents and go for a wild ride. Awesome dives, but not for everyone. If you think you've been in a strong current when you can make slow headway against it, or hold on a line for an ascent from 100ft to the surface, then you have another thing coming when you do encounter a real belter of a current.
Mark
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