.. if I can handle those comfortably, graduate to higher current dives. ....
Disclaimer: I'm a Jupiter Fl, ripping flow, current-aholic. I LOVE fast currents!
Most divers think that when talking about current, it's just straight on and hits you in the face or you effortlessly glide past the pretty fish and corals. Which in 95% of most current flow dives, that is exactly how it works. But you mentioned Galapagos and like other pinnacles in the stream, combined with swell and now you have circular currents called Eddy's. Eddy's can be 200ft wide or a mile more wide. Think it's a north current but all the sudden it changes south after 15 minutes? You're in an eddy. But where you have strong currents, you also have Eddy's.. In dive sites like this you can grip a boulder facing into the current and 15 seconds later, your body is doing a complete 180 degree turn as swell and current rotate you around. If you know it's coming, it's not hard to grip or even bounce back and forth between the same 2 rocks as the flow changes directions. The key like all currents is don't fight it, you won't win.
Fast currents follow very narrow lanes, cause that's how they get all their energy from being squeezed tight. Move to the inside of the 'lane' and it's straight and easy flow. Move to the edge of the 'lane' and it can 'vortex' , pushing you all directions. A great way to see this is to pull up close to a semi-trailer going down the highway in your car. If you stay directly behind it and in the 'lane' you'll feel the flow but it's easy to control. If you move to the outside of the 'lane' you'll feel the turbulence rocking your car a bit as you get out of the 'lane'. Same in underwater, if you see a big a indent in the reef where the current 'lane' can't go, you can duck inside close to the reef and probably be dead calm. Or hide behind a giant barrel sponge / rock / hole. Or back away off the reef by a hundred feet and you're out of the current lane. After you get some time in current and just like highway driving, you'll look down the travel path and see the places to hide so you can take a break and let others behind you catch up.
But the biggest question we get is:
How will I be able to know before jumping in that there is a ripping current ???? .........
That's Easy,,,,,,,,,, on the way towards the dive site in the boat, look on the water's surface for 'swirls' or flat circles.
You can find them in both calm water and choppy water. In calm water they will look like the water is almost ready to boil, flat but no bubbles. In choppy water from a few hundred feet away you'll see a 'flatter' circle that is calmer than the chop next to it. To see this in person, follow
@Bob DBF 's excellent advice and go to any local river. Just stand there on the banks and study the water surface and you'll see Swirls on the edges of the 'lane'.
So now your asking,,,hey do you have a picture of this flat circle swirl eddy so we know what to look for ?? Well I can't find mine yet but with photo credit included, here below is what they look like. It's easier to see them in real life because you can't show depth perception in a 2D photo, but they are pretty easy to spot because it's like those games,,, "One of these is not like the others". I'll get another pict in 4 weeks when our Jupiter ripping currents happen again traditionally.
After you get used to spotting them, you'll see a path of swirls in a line. That's your current 'lane' and you can choose to backroll/jump in the lane or just outside of the lane and then swim into/out of the lane underwater. To know how fast the current is use your GPS on your phone with MPH on the screen. With the boat in neutral watch the mph for 30 seconds. Water has more friction grip than wind, so even though it's not exact, if you see the boat traveling at 4 mph on your GPS phone screen while in boat neutral and surrounded by swirls, then you know you've got alot of current
And either you or me is going to have a HUGE smile on our face.!