There are a number of dive sites that can only be accessed with the excitement of a drift dive. These dives need to be planned out and everyone involved needs to know the plan and stick to it otherwise there could well be lives at risk. Unfortunately many of the divers and dive operators that participate in mild drift dives feel that this type of dive should not be taken as serious as it actually is and in a number of cases they relax the planning stage that really should be a requirement. Newspaper headlines regarding missing divers are in a number of occasions the result of a lack of planning. Most of these are because the diver had drifted from the spot they were expected to surface and did not have the appropriate scuba equipment to signal the boat.
As the name would suggest a mild drift is an underwater current that can easily lure divers into areas unknown. The reason they are so dangerous is due to the fact that they require very little effort on the part of the diver to move a fair distance from where they should be. Mostly caused by surface wind the mild current can be the main cause for a diver to require a form of signaling device to get seen by the dive boat.
There are some amazing locations in the Red Sea that I have dived where a mild drift has often caught me out with the fast flow of the surface currents. A good surface cover and having a signaling device that ensured my customers and I were quickly spotted by the RIB and picked up. No matter what any diver tells you being caught in a drift and slipping away from a small RIB is a worrying experience no matter what level of diving you are at.
Sometimes the problem is exacerbated by a lackadaisical boat operator or hampered by a change in weather conditions. Carrying a portable yet highly visible yellow flag seems to be one of the best precautions a diver can take to ensure that they make it back to the boat quickly. In times of emergency the safety flag is one of the best ways that I know to get attention fast.
Many more experienced divers have made their own versions of a dive flag but it has always been the fact that they only last a certain length of time and they become a rather cumbersome addition to the divers kit. They were not always the easiest of devices to expand quickly either. There are now devices available on the market that fill this void and are extremely lightweight and highly visible in all conditions.
About the Author:
The signaling device is a new lightweight and easy to use device for divers to signal to the boat. Will Kerfoot is a qualified PADI diver with over 20 years diving experience.
Get all the information and photos:: http://coringa.info/sports/the-dangers-of-the-mild-drift-dive
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