Ending the Dive

As we already mentioned, being off the bottom and up in the water column are when things go wrong. We talked about issues that could come up while getting off the boat and on the way down, like loosing gear, free flowing regulator, or even difficulty equalizing. But most of the time, the issue that we see are problems with getting back to the boat and ascent line as people are ending their dive. The divemasters will not be monitoring your air consumption, so be sure that you are keeping a close eye on it, especially if you struggled getting to the bottom and burned up some air doing that.

We want all divers to be back on the boat with the recommended 500psi or 35 bar. You’ll need to factor in how far you are from the boat, how strong the current is, and take an honest assessment of your physical fitness and level of fatigue. There is only one proper way to get back to the boat, and it’s by moving along the bottom. This may not always be possible, if there are reefs between us and the boat, but for the most part, even at the reef dive sites, we’ll be positioned next to the reef, in the sand and move there. When the current is strong, simply stand up from your position and walk backwards toward the boat and down line. This way you will keep your eyes down current and on the sharks while you make your move.

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Walking Back to the Boat

Regardless of how much current there is, this is always the technique you should use to get back. Plan in advance, have plenty of air to get back, and take a leisurely stroll on the bottom to get into the best position possible to start your ascent. All the while, you’re still watching the dive ahead of you and keeping your eye on the sharks. Turning around and “swimming for it” is a terrible idea. It kicks up a lot of sand, gets your heart rate going, and makes you an obvious target for the sharks. You’re doing something different than the rest of the group and working harder than you need to. The sharks pick up on your struggle all while you’re distracted, not looking where the sharks are coming from, and getting tired.

We have seen people make this mistake too many times. You should always be monitoring your tank’s air pressure and have an exist strategy. If there is strong current, this is especially true. You cannot wait until you have 500 psi left in your tank to start moving in strong current. And if you do, I would recommend buddying up with another diver and working your way back to the boat on the bottom as quickly and calmly as possible. If you are out of air, use your buddy’s alternate air source and continue to the boat on the bottom. Swimming may seem faster, but you will use your remaining air too quickly and in strong current, it is completely futile to cover any significant distance up in the water column. It can only be done on the bottom.

Once you’re back and lined up with the boat on the bottom, you can use the down line to get back to the dive ladder. Obviously, a controlled ascent is important so have your power inflator in one hand and slowly add air while finning up or pulling your self up the line. Since we’re wearing so much weight, if you simply inflate your BCD until you come off the bottom, you’ll definitely need to dump air as you go up, so be prepared to do that. If you assist yourself off the bottom while adding air, you still may need to release some air.

It’s our preference to have 1 diver ascend at a time. If there are several divers ending together, it’s best to make your way along the bottom back to the boat and huddle there, coordinating amongst each other and taking turns ascending. Once the diver has transitioned from the down line to the dive ladder, the next person can start to ascend.

Dive Ladder

Once you’ve made it to the dive ladder, grab ahold and begin handing up your shark pole, fins, and camera (if equipped) to the dive crew. As you begin to make your way up the ladder, the weight of your tank will work against you, pulling you back into the water. Avoid the temptation to grab underneath the ladder as you risk injury to your hand. Instead, use the slots in the dive platform to help keep you pinned to the boat as you climb back on board. This picture shows that being done properly:

In the next photo, you see the diver being pulled back into the water as he is holding on to the ladder. We have seen many divers slip off the ladder and fall back in to the water, which is why it’s important to keep your regulator in your mouth, mask on your face, and have air in your BCD once you surface.

Expert Mode

What if you can’t reach the line? What if the boat swung over the reef and we simply can’t just crawl all over the reef? Or what if a shark accidentally snagged on the rope and it was cut short? By factoring the current into your ascent, you can take advantage of it. If you need to leave the bottom in order to reach the rope, don’t simply line up with the rope and start to ascend. This will leave you to swim furiously against the current just to maintain that same position. Instead, continue along the bottom further up current. How far? That will be proportional to far you’ll have to swim for the rope. The further the swim, the further up current you should go.

Here’s a video example of a diver surfacing in strong current without the rope. Instead of starting the ascent directly below the ladder, the diver goes far up-current, near the middle of the boat. There’s a controlled and effortless ascent from there.