Spent a week diving on the outer reef near Key West last month

The visibility was insane. Like 80 feet easy. But what got me was the current patterns. We had this one spot called The Rockpile where the current would switch directions twice a day without warning. Nobody warned me about that. Almost got pinned against a ledge because I wasn't paying attention. The local guys said it's normal down there. They just ride it out and wait for the slack. I'm used to lake diving in Michigan where currents are nothing like this. Has anyone else dealt with unpredictable current shifts on reef jobs? How do you plan your bottom time around it?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.lily14d ago

Oh man, that's wild. Honestly, I had almost the exact same thing happen off the coast of Belize a couple years back. We were on a deep ledge, maybe 90 feet, and the current just swapped on us like a switch got flipped. I was trying to grab a photo of this big grouper and next thing I know I'm scraping my tank against a coral head. The local divemaster just laughed and said to wait it out too. I learned to always tie off a reef hook or find a crack to wedge myself in before I start working a spot. Scary stuff for sure, but it's crazy how the ocean just does what it wants.

morgan_king3614d ago

Is it really that serious though? Feels like you're making a story out of something that happens all the time.

charles64014d ago

That "wait it out" advice sounds a lot like what you hear in other parts of life too.