Tips for Diving in Currents
These tips can aid you for any dive, but are especially important if you're expecting currents.
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Pay attention to the dive briefing
An understanding the situations you may encounter will keep you prepared and safer. Briefings usually include the boat’s rules and suggestions in case you get separated from your group or buddy.
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Streamline your gear
Since you’ll be staying close to the bottom, it’s doubly important that your gear isn’t dragging against delicate reefs – whether you’re going with or against the flow. But if you’re going against the flow, streamlined gear will have less drag, making your swim easier.
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Keep Constant Communication
The slightest miscommunication could mean that you and your buddy end up in different places. If you want to try and linger in a spot, make sure your buddy knows. Communicate any issues quickly before they become big problems.
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Swim close to the bottom
The currents are usually weaker near the bottom, so stay close to the reef, rock, or sandy bottom and enjoy its protection. This is especially important if you have to swim against a current.
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Stay with your buddy
In a strong current, losing track of your buddy is extremely easy. Take extra precautions to keep tabs on them and remain closer than usual. It’s most common to lose a buddy on ascent or descent.
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Practice good buoyancy control and finning
This includes proper weighting. If your buoyancy is off, or if you’re overweighted, you’re only going to increase the difficulty of the dive and your risk of encountering problems. Efficient finning is your key to success if you have to swim against a current.
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Carry and know how to use an SMB
You’ll need this in case any problems arise, or just at the end of the dive when you're surfacing. If the boat knows there are strong currents, they could have divers popping up in several different spots. SMBs make divers stand out for easy pickup.
