In February 2021, the Divers Alert Network published an article by Jim Gunderson in Alert Diver about current diving. One sentence serves as a rule: do not dive in a current stronger than one knot without proper training and experience. One knot is about half a meter per second.
It sounds slow. It isn’t when you let go of the descent line.
We reviewed the old version of this article line by line. Several figures about age, module duration, or course options did not hold up. This guide is based on two DAN articles and questions to ask the club, not on a brochure.
Why does the current change the entire dive?
The current determines your air consumption, your position, and where you resurface. In Alert Diver (2010), Mike Ange explains that at half a knot the body already becomes horizontal, and at two knots letting go of the ascent line for a moment is enough to be swept away.
He also reminds of a detail many forget.
The current is often stronger at the surface than at the bottom because the terrain slows the water near the ground. Thus, the descent and the safety stop are the two moments when you drift fastest, while the bottom seems almost calm. A grouped entry therefore matters a lot. A diver who lingers for thirty seconds on the surface can find themselves far from the group. No one sees it.
Ange distinguishes two ways to proceed: letting yourself be carried by the current with a boat following on the surface, or swimming against it to return to a fixed point, like a wreck or a moored boat. Drift diving is the more relaxing of the two.
The current decides more than photography.
What level is required for drift diving training?
Generally, a first autonomous diving certification is enough to register, such as Open Water or FFESSM level 1 depending on the organization. The minimum age, required medical certificate, and supervision vary according to the organization and country. Check them on the official course page or with the club before paying.
The old version of this article stated an age of 10 to 15 years and supervision by an “ISC” instructor. Neither of these claims was based on a source, and the acronym does not correspond to any organization we could identify. We removed them.
For what level?
The certification opens the door to training. But it says nothing about your actual comfort in the water. A diver who needs their hands to stabilize, or who consumes air quickly as soon as they kick, will struggle in even a moderate current, regardless of the logo on their card. Start by checking your buoyancy and weighting. Our guide on diving weights and balancing your buoyancy will help you with this. A diver who is overweighted, Ange reminds, never finds neutral buoyancy.
What does drift diving training teach you?
Drift diving training combines a theoretical part on currents and planning, then supervised dives in a natural environment. You work on buoyancy, body position, group descent, the surface marker buoy and reel, and boat recovery procedures. Duration and number of dives depend on the organization.
PADI offers a Drift Diver specialty and other agencies have their own courses, with content and durations varying from one center to another, hence the importance of reading the detailed program before choosing.
But content matters more than the name. Gunderson recommends training, ideally in a course with a certified instructor, before attempting current dives. Ange insists on streamlined equipment, without hoses or dangling accessories, because every object that catches the water slows you down and tires you out. The right course makes you repeat these actions until they become automatic. It also makes you inflate a surface marker buoy in open water, several times.
The old version mentioned optional modules on underwater scooters and emergency oxygen management. These contents belong to other trainings and we removed them.
Before committing, adjust your buoyancy compensator before diving so it stays stable and close to your body.
What equipment to bring for a drift dive?
The minimum cited by DAN consists of two items: a signaling parachute and a reel. Gunderson adds a mirror and a whistle. Some sites also require a reef hook. These pieces of equipment are mainly used to be seen and recovered by the boat when the group surfaces far from the planned point.
The parachute deserves separate training.
Deploying it from the safety stop, reel in hand, without ascending with it, requires practice in calm water. Our article on when and how to use a dive parachute safely details the steps. Store it so you can take it out with one hand. Test the reel. A parachute stuck at the bottom of a pocket is useless when the boat is looking for you.
However, no accessory replaces properly adjusted buoyancy and a compact profile, which limit fatigue throughout the dive much more than a gadget attached to the vest.
The reef hook, on the other hand, is not improvised: it is placed on dead rock, never on living coral, and only if the guide authorizes it.
How does the outing and recovery by the boat take place?
Everything starts with the briefing. The guide must provide the expected strength and direction of the current, the descent plan, the regrouping signal, and the exit procedure. Gunderson reminds that the supervising staff must provide this site-specific information. If any of these answers are missing, ask the question before gearing up.
During the dive, Gunderson advises monitoring your air, depth, and time, and staying with the group or at least with your buddy. Stay streamlined, close to the bottom where the current weakens, without touching the reef. If a ascent line exists, use it during the safety stop to avoid being swept away. When swimming against the current to return to a fixed point, he proposes the rule of thirds: one third of the air for the way out, one third for the way back, one third in reserve. Keep it in mind.
And what about vertical currents?
In a descending current, equalize your ears continuously. In an ascending current, exhale continuously and only inhale when needed, according to the same article. If you find yourself separated from the group, Ange advises to take positive buoyancy and deploy your signaling devices immediately, rather than fighting the current until exhaustion.
Once on the surface, follow the operator’s exit instructions precisely to avoid entanglements and propeller strikes.
How to choose your first drift dive and your club?
Choose a club that first trains in low current, on a known site, with a boat that follows the group on the surface. Ask for the usual current strength on the site, the supervision ratio, and the procedure if a diver surfaces alone. A vague answer is still an answer.
The passes of the Maldives, some sites in Indonesia, or Mediterranean drop-offs are known for their currents. However, this reputation says nothing about the conditions of the day. It also says nothing about the level the operator really requires. No tourist page guarantees a school of barracudas or a manta ray, and visibility has never made a current safer. Impossible to decide from here: only the briefing of the day, considering tides and weather, allows judgment. Also note that stress rises quickly when you lose your bearings.
If the idea of being separated from the group makes you anxious, read our guide to managing stress in diving and reacting better, and work on your navigation with a training in underwater orientation.
In short, start small.
The real cost consists of one or two supervised dives in low current before the renowned sites, some parachute exercises in calm water, and sometimes a canceled outing when the current exceeds what the group can handle: this is the price of a safety margin.
FAQ
From what current strength is training required?
DAN, in an article from Alert Diver published in 2021, advises against diving in currents stronger than one knot without appropriate training and experience. One knot corresponds to about half a meter per second. Below that, briefing and supervision remain decisive.
What equipment is essential for drift diving?
DAN lists at minimum a surface marker buoy and a reel, complemented by a mirror and a whistle. Some sites require a reef hook. Practice deploying the buoy in calm water before your first drift dive.
What should I do if I get separated from the group in the current?
According to Mike Ange (Alert Diver, 2010), achieve positive buoyancy and immediately deploy your signaling devices. Do not exhaust yourself swimming against the current. The boat can spot you more easily on the surface with an inflated buoy.
Is a specific certification required to do drift diving?
Not always, but supervised training is strongly recommended by DAN. Access conditions, age, and medical certificate requirements depend on the organization and country. Check with the club before signing up.
Sources
- Current Dives (Jim Gunderson, Divers Alert Network, Alert Diver, 2021)
- Diving in Currents (Mike Ange, Divers Alert Network, Alert Diver, 2010)
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