The Florida Event Diary
Posted By Eric Fattah on 5 July 2001
Day 2
More rough water, but no torrential rain. I was wearing only the fastskin. The water was 320 feet deep, vis 60-70 feet. Kirk dropped the line to 75 meters. It seemed to catch on the bottom and went at a huge angle. Later we found it had caught on some underwater structure. We didn't know at the time so Kirk and Paul pulled up the line a bit, so they thought it was at 60 meters. Still going down at a 15 degree angle. I was warm enough, but the line delay made me a bit cooler than I wanted, always afraid of bad narcosis when I get deep if I'm cold. I made my dive, everything was going fantastic, never looking where I'm going, only looking at the line. Suddenly the weight belt at the bottom of the line whizzed by, and by the time I stopped in midwater I was a bit beyond it. I checked my gauge, 52 meters. I had tons of air, but I couldn't go deeper because the line was at an end. I paused, wondering if I should maybe do a hang. By the time I looked over at the weight belt at the bottom of the line, I was 5 meters away from it and drifting away fast, so I started swimming towards it. After 8 monofin strokes I was no closer, fighting the current. So I started going up diagonally. After I passed 40m, the current dissipated and I got back to the line, continued the ascent at 15 degrees along the line, and made it to the surface after 1:49 with no contractions. By now I was cold so I got out.
Day 3
We dove very early today, and the water was very flat (the only day of flat water). Better vis, around 80 feet. I was using the fastskin plus a weird half-hood, about 2-3mm thick. Kirk dropped the line to 75 meters, and immediately it went down at 35 degrees from vertical. Another deep water current we assumed. The current was so bad Kirk had to bring the line up a bit to prevent the other lines from breaking the surface apparatus, so he brought it up to 60-70m. The 100 foot lines were going down perfectly straight--only the deep line was at an angle. I did my warm up down the deep line at the huge angle. Stopped in astonishment at 42.7m, as I saw the most amazing thing ever—the line was curved in a U shape, as opposing currents bent it. In other words, it went down at 35 degrees from the surface, down to 42m, then it rapidly curved, only to go down at 35 degrees in the other direction. At the junction point, the line fluttered as if in a strong wind (current). The thought of going through that gusty ripcurrent was not appealing. I ascended and finished the dive in 1:45, no contractions, but harder than usual for that depth because of the huge angle of the line. After the usual surface static, Kirk was ready to spot me. I sensed serious signs of CO (carbon monoxide) poisoning from the incessant boat exhaust. I had experienced this all too well on a boat dive in vancouver. The symptoms were classic: the sensation that you can never get enough air as you breathe, and when doing apnea, the sensation of feeling great until right at the end when suddenly you feel horrible and your arms and legs tingle. But, what could I do. Despite the feeling of not being able to get enough air, I packed, and started the dive. I descended down at 35 degrees, and felt okay. I'm actually too buoyant in the fastskin with no weight belt. As always with no markers on the line I was constantly checking my depth gauge, only because I was worried about hitting the ripcurrent. Around 45m I sank into the ripcurrent. I angled my descent posture sharply to stay near the line. Soon it got so strong I was kicking to stay near the line, as I neared the junction point. Then it was overwhelming, I kicked hard in a desperate attempt to grab the line. I got it and hung at 60.7m, sideways, as if being blown in a strong wind. I looked down and saw the weight belt about 7 meters below. Forget it I thought. There was no hope of kicking to the surface, there was no way I could let go of the line, because I would be blown away, so I pulled up in free immersion until 32m, then I kicked up to surface. Kirk met me. I felt fine until about 20 meters, when the usual CO poisoning symptoms kick in, tingling in the arms and suddenly feeling bad. But I knew I was still fine. Surfaced, took two breaths and my first words were 'Oh my god that current is strong...' I checked my gauge to find that the 60.7m dive took an immensely long 2:34 (actually 74 meters of distance if you do the trigonometry). I was colder today, and because of that got quite badly narced...the 3mm picasso is too warm, the fastskin a bit too cold...I got out, warmed up, jumped in with no suit and did a fun crazy canadian dive to 21m with no fins, while I watched the clinic students do their target dives.
I may be suffering a bit from the loads of SPF 50 suntan lotion I apply every day to avoid being bitten by the sea lice. I ran tonight hoping to sweat off some of the toxic ingredients that I have absorbed into my skin.
Right now, my mind wanders to the repeated failed record attempts by alejandro ravelo in this same spot exactly. Remember the story. The line was straight because the huge weight at the bottom...he closes his eyes at 25m, and wakes up at 75m, but 80 feet away from the line, decides to swim against the current forever, to grab the tag, and tries in vain to make it to the surface...Rudi warned me of the deep-sea currents here, but I guess we just have to make do with what we've got.
Ironically, I arrived here almost overconfident, because I think I can make the record if I'm warm, without diesel fumes, with flat water and a straight line and little current. Unfortunately the whole issue about setting a record (at least for constant ballast) seems more about knowing how to get good conditions, rather than knowing how to dive well.
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