Why I hate heavy Currents

[paulwall]

Up until a couple of years ago, I was an infrequent diver. 2 trips a year was about all I was averaging, so I jumped on the opportunity to meet my wife in Orlando in order to make a dive trip in Daytona.

First dive was without incident, 3 divers (including me), the other two were buddies, and I was "the other guy". There were 4 other people on the boat, all buddied up. This is fine and dandy with me, I'm a terrible buddy, too self-involved and all the other good characteristics of a solo diver. I am also very aware of my limitations, and don't dive beyond my comfort.

So, as I was saying, the first dive was on a wreck. Max depth 90 FSW, great vis, big wreck. My 2 buddies (Remember, I was "the other guy" wanted to penetrate, but I stayed outside and played with the fish. Ascended up the anchor line, and did a proper SI.

Second dive, different wreck.

Going down the anchor line, I was pulled horizontal by the current. To me it was ripping, but the other 2 guys found it manageable, I guess. I went hand-over-hand to the bottom and found no relief from the current. I considered hanging onto the line for the duration of the dive (75fsw), but wanted to explore. I let go of the rope, which was about 3/4 of the way back on the wreck, and was pushed nearly to the stern before I could duck behind some structure to escape the current.

Upon ascent time (1500psi), I could see the line, and tried to make an angle approach to the rope about 15 ft above and to my right. As soon as I got into the current, I began drifting North, and lost sight of the line, although I still was angling in the direction It was last seen. Because I was trying to keep a slow ascent, by the time I hit the surface, I was more than 40yds (N) to the stern of the dive boat, about even with another boat anchored out there (20 yds E of me). Seas were mostly flat, I had 1000p.s.i, but I couldn't make it back to my dive boat against the current. I couldn't make it to the other boat, as I kept slipping N, toward Georgia.

I gave the OK signal to my dive boat (Big O over my head) and inflated my BC to where I was out of the water, and made up my mind that they would come to get me after retrieving the other divers (I was the first one up, of course). I had no Surface Marking buoy, and no snorkel. Occasionally I would raise my arms over my head in a Big O and the Dive boat would respond.

After about 30mins, I was down to 300psi, the boat was a distant speck in the distance (300+yards), and I decided to drop my weights. I know, you are all thinking "Why didn't you drop them earlier?" Well, I wasn't really in a crisis mode, seas were calm, and I was comfortable, if alone. The other boat was closer and I could still see those people and they could see me. I watched some amazing underwater life while I was waiting, and was just chilling, really. At 300lbs, I decided I would be ok paying for the weights. They weren't doing me any good, and I didn't need to keep thinking "should I drop the weights, or not?"

About 15mins later, I see the dive boat heading my way. I am OOA at the surface, I kept the reg in front of my mouth to keep the random wave from splashing into my open mouth, mask still in place, sans weights, and a little tired. I give the "Big O" the whole time the boat approached, even using my Fins as extra height could help the pilot approach. I figured they would get close enough for me to reach the ladder (which they did). If not, I could put them back on.

So, after this long story here is what I took away:

1) If you are part of a 3-man team, make sure that all 3 people are diving the same way (penetrate/not penetrate, nitrox/non-nitrox).
2) If the seas had been rougher, I would have ditched the weights right away.
3) Make sure you understand what the captian will do if you surface away from the dive boat. We had a good briefing where the DM explained that if the boat is tied into the wreck, and the surfacing floater is OK, then the divers on the anchor line come first, then the floating diver. If the floater is in trouble, the captain will dispatch the DM and then untie from the wreck to retrieve the troubled diver. Then, pick up the other divers from the surface buoy still moored in the wreck.
4) Snorkels can be useful. I have purchased a folding snorkel for my BC. I hate it, but I practice with it because it can come in handy.
5) An SMB in open water is not a luxury. Had the seas been rougher, I might not have been seen by the dive boat at my furthest distance. I have used my SMB in rough waters on drift dives on at least 3 occasions, and have never been chastised for it. I also have used my "Dive Alert" on the surface once, when I went the wrong way on a drift dive.

I don't know exactly how I missed the anchor line on the way up, either the boat swung away at the same time, or the current was pushing stronger than I thought, but.

I'm not going to mention the dive shop, because they did nothing wrong IMO. I'm don't believe I did anything wrong either (except maybe the weight drop issue). I guess I could have pulled myself along the wreck to the anchor to ascend, but I felt in control until I lost sight of the anchor line. By that time, it was too late. The dive shop kind of beat me up about losing the weights, but I paid for them, and that was that. I kept thinking about all the lost divers who were found dead with their weight belts still on. Cheap at twice the price. I still think about that situation, and it usually comforts me.

This wasn't really a near-miss, more of a "Don't panic, review your options" post. Maybe it doesn't belong here.

 

[dlndavid]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I had a similar experience in Cancun. What I got out of it was I didn't panic, a SMB and a snorkel are good to have on OW dives. It is a weird feeling to be floating farther and farther away from the dive boat though, but as it turned out looks like we both got picked up.

 

[Web Monkey]

5) An SMB in open water is not a luxury. Had the seas been rougher, I might not have been seen by the dive boat at my furthest distance. I have used my SMB in rough waters on drift dives on at least 3 occasions, and have never been chastised for it. I also have used my "Dive Alert" on the surface once, when I went the wrong way on a drift dive.

I still don't understand why a big SMB isn't required on all open water dives.

While you don't need one to breathe, it's blindingly obvious that it would have helped a huge percentage of the people who have "near misses" or actual fatalities.

Not only does it make you visible for a very long distance, but it gives you another 30 - 100 pounds of buoyancy (depending on size), which may help the people who come up, then forget to drop weights and then go under again.

Terry

 

[paulwall]

I still don't understand why a big SMB isn't required on all open water dives.

While you don't need one to breathe, it's blindingly obvious that it would have helped a huge percentage of the people who have "near misses" or actual fatalities.

Not only does it make you visible for a very long distance, but it gives you another 30 - 100 pounds of buoyancy (depending on size), which may help the people who come up, then forget to drop weights and then go under again.

Terry

Actually Capt. Tony on "The Diversity" was mulling making them mandatory on his boat.
Of course, the diver will still have to know how/when to use it.

 

[Web Monkey]

Actually Capt. Tony on "The Diversity" was mulling making them mandatory on his boat.
Of course, the diver will still have to know how/when to use it.

That would be a great way to decide who to take on the trip.

Just ask to see their SMB, and ask them when and how often they use it.

Might cut down on the number of customers, even though those that go out would stand a better change of comeing back


Terry

 

[immersed]

dive shop kind of beat me up about losing the weights

I think that's just a little irksome - since you paid for them, you shouldn't catch any grief over it. Seems like it would be more productive for them to say, 'bummer about the weights, but you did the right thing'. Personally, if I were running a dive shop, I'd split my cost for the weights under those circumstances. But I don't own a dive shop.

Maybe I've misunderstood my training, but I've not gotten the impression that it's mandatory to ditch for every glitch - if you're buoyant enough and the BC is holding air, there you go. So I don't see that you were wrong in that - you ditched them when you decided it was prudent to do so.

Good that you got a folding snorkel - lot of divers seem to think of snorkels as a nuisance, but I see it as part of a safety kit for just such an occasion.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

Great account. I've been on both sides of this equation - as the diver in the water and as the spotter on the dive boat, and all I can say is that a large SMB and a signal mirror are well worth the minor investment and inconvenience.

I'm still a little torn about the role of a snorkel. I like having one, but have recently started using a long primary hose, and it gets in the way and makes deployment of the primary difficult in a OOA situation, so I'm planning on getting a folding one.

As to the dropping of your weights, it seems like you did the right thing - holding onto them for a while, then dropping them when you deemed it necessary. (I was wondering - did something change to make you less bouyant? I've never had to drop weights, but then again, I wear very little lead, and have never had a problem with bouyancy at the surface. I don't think I'd have too many reservations dropping them if the situation demanded it. You also make a good point about those dead divers with their weight belts securely fastened.)

Great story and great lessons. Thanks for sharing.

Safe ascents,
Grier

 

[Walter]

First, I'd like to congratulate you for recognizing there was a problem and for wanting to better understand it to prevent future problems.

Going down the anchor line, I was pulled horizontal by the current. To me it was ripping, but the other 2 guys found it manageable, I guess. I went hand-over-hand to the bottom and found no relief from the current.

Good technique on the descent.

I considered hanging onto the line for the duration of the dive (75fsw), but wanted to explore.

Your first mistake. If you considered hanging out on the line, you realized the current was too strong for you. You should have aborted the dive and gone back up the line.

I let go of the rope, which was about 3/4 of the way back on the wreck, and was pushed nearly to the stern before I could duck behind some structure to escape the current.

Move into the current, that way you can have the current bring you back. Wear gloves on wrecks. If you can't get out of the current, hold on to the wreck.

Upon ascent time (1500psi), I could see the line, and tried to make an angle approach to the rope about 15 ft above and to my right.

Hand over hand on the structure of the wreck is the way to return from down current if you can't get in the lee of the wreck.

As soon as I got into the current, I began drifting North, and lost sight of the line, although I still was angling in the direction It was last seen. Because I was trying to keep a slow ascent, by the time I hit the surface, I was more than 40yds (N) to the stern of the dive boat, about even with another boat anchored out there (20 yds E of me).

This is to be expected if you don't come up the line in current.

Seas were mostly flat, I had 1000p.s.i, but I couldn't make it back to my dive boat against the current. I couldn't make it to the other boat, as I kept slipping N, toward Georgia.

Also to be expected.

I gave the OK signal to my dive boat (Big O over my head) and inflated my BC to where I was out of the water, and made up my mind that they would come to get me after retrieving the other divers (I was the first one up, of course). I had no Surface Marking buoy, and no snorkel. Occasionally I would raise my arms over my head in a Big O and the Dive boat would respond.

Good plan, but an SMB is something you'll want to have on future dives.

After about 30mins, I was down to 300psi, the boat was a distant speck in the distance (300+yards), and I decided to drop my weights. I know, you are all thinking "Why didn't you drop them earlier?"

Actually, with flat seas, I'm wondering why you were breathing through your regulator. Also, since you had established positive buoyancy, I'm wondering why you dropped the weights. Positive is positive, you weren't in danger of sinking, the boat was going to come after you as soon as they had the other divers aboard what were you trying to accomplish by dropping them?.

Well, I wasn't really in a crisis mode, seas were calm, and I was comfortable, if alone. The other boat was closer and I could still see those people and they could see me. I watched some amazing underwater life while I was waiting, and was just chilling, really. At 300lbs, I decided I would be ok paying for the weights. They weren't doing me any good, and I didn't need to keep thinking "should I drop the weights, or not?"

Relax and wait for the boat, look at fish in the mean time. Excellent attitude.

About 15mins later, I see the dive boat heading my way. I am OOA at the surface, I kept the reg in front of my mouth to keep the random wave from splashing into my open mouth, mask still in place, sans weights, and a little tired. I give the "Big O" the whole time the boat approached, even using my Fins as extra height could help the pilot approach. I figured they would get close enough for me to reach the ladder (which they did). If not, I could put them back on.

Not bad, a little overkill, but that's OK.

So, after this long story here is what I took away:

1) If you are part of a 3-man team, make sure that all 3 people are diving the same way (penetrate/not penetrate, nitrox/non-nitrox).

I was wondering what happened to your buddies. It sounds like you were actually diving solo.

2) If the seas had been rougher, I would have ditched the weights right away.

Why?

3) Make sure you understand what the captian will do if you surface away from the dive boat. We had a good briefing where the DM explained that if the boat is tied into the wreck, and the surfacing floater is OK, then the divers on the anchor line come first, then the floating diver. If the floater is in trouble, the captain will dispatch the DM and then untie from the wreck to retrieve the troubled diver. Then, pick up the other divers from the surface buoy still moored in the wreck.

Always good to understand proceedures.

4) Snorkels can be useful. I have purchased a folding snorkel for my BC. I hate it, but I practice with it because it can come in handy.

Why do you hate it?

5) An SMB in open water is not a luxury. Had the seas been rougher, I might not have been seen by the dive boat at my furthest distance. I have used my SMB in rough waters on drift dives on at least 3 occasions, and have never been chastised for it. I also have used my "Dive Alert" on the surface once, when I went the wrong way on a drift dive.

Good plan.

I don't know exactly how I missed the anchor line on the way up, either the boat swung away at the same time, or the current was pushing stronger than I thought, but.

In similar situations, you'll almost always miss the line.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[paulwall]

I read your response, and agree with nearly everything. This was several years ago, and while I am more experienced now than I was then, I'm not sure I would do much differently. Bring different equipment, sure, and probably be better able to handle the current.


I did want to address these questions, though.

Actually, with flat seas, I'm wondering why you were breathing through your regulator. Also, since you had established positive buoyancy, I'm wondering why you dropped the weights. Positive is positive, you weren't in danger of sinking, the boat was going to come after you as soon as they had the other divers aboard what were you trying to accomplish by dropping them?.

I was trained: regulator in mouth until back on the boat. Had I had a snorkel, I would have used it instead, but the occasional wind-driven wave did hit me in the face and I did ingest water occasionally. Choking, alone on the surface and holding weights would have (maybe) put me closer to panic mode. Having something in front of my mouth gave me more re-assurance. Actually, I was breating around the regulator, occassionally pulling it into my mouth (like when I was turtle/fish watching).

Dropping the weights compensated for the impending OOA situation (one positive to offset a negative (pun intended)). I only wanted to deal with x numbers of issues at a time and since I couldn't do anything about the alone-ness, or make the boat come faster, or the sun's heat, or the empty tank, I made a positive decision. Besides, like I said, they weren't doing me any good, and it was one less thing to think about. It was a belt, and it was uncomfortable pulling me against the BC's buoyancy. Best $25 I ever spent IMHO. Once I ditched them, it was a "done deal" and I could concentrate on other things. Positively buoyant is good, but unfettered is great.

 

[pennypue]

Best $25 I ever spent IMHO. Once I ditched them, it was a "done deal" and I could concentrate on other things. Positively buoyant is good, but unfettered is great.

If it concerned you, you did the right thing.

One less thing tugging on your brain, is one less thing that could tip you into a panic.

At that point you didn't need them. I say bully for you.
I consider dumping weights on the surface to be like calling a dive.
You wanted to, I don't question it.

(bold face and italics for those that do not read well for comprehension)