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Had a coffee with a retired salvage diver who said something that stuck with me
We were talking about a tricky job I did last month, pulling cable under a bridge in the Ohio River. I was complaining about the current and how I just powered through it. He looked at me and said, 'Kid, you're not a tugboat. Sometimes the best move is to let the water do the work for you.' He explained how he'd use the current to swing him into position on big jobs, saving air and energy. It hit different coming from a guy with 30 years in. Made me rethink my whole 'fight everything' approach. Anyone else have a trick for working with the current instead of against it?
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diana201mo ago
Ever try using a small drogue anchor to hold position without fighting the flow?
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grace5081mo ago
We used a 15-inch drogue off the stern on the Colorado last spring. It let the boat sit at a slight angle to the current but stopped the constant spinning. Honestly, it saved our arms from having to paddle nonstop just to hold a fishing spot. The key was having enough line out so it could really dig in without jerking.
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margaret_gonzalez251mo ago
That's a solid tip for a boat, but on a dive it's a whole different game. You can't just tie a rope to yourself and call it good. The old guy's right about using the current, but you gotta read the water first, feel the pull. Trying to use a drogue underwater sounds like a great way to get tangled on something you can't see.
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