By: Sila Kartika Sari (Reef Check Indonesia)

Read Previous: Escape the Current Trap (1)

Prakas and I were still there, on the down currentof Pura Island, struggling together. Prakas is holding my BCD with one hand, and the other is holding his hook which is still stuck on the rock to keep me from being carried away deep into the ocean.

My body continued to be pulled downwards very strongly, as the SMB caught on the hook while my hands tried to hold on to the rock crevice. It was very tiring. Prakas' right hand then grasped my BCD, and I had the courage to remove both hands from the rock to release the SMB's hook from the SMB that continued to hang in the water column and continue to be pulled downward.

I pulled the hook rope with my left hand, and my right hand to release the SMB rope. It worked! The SMB rope was successfully released from the hook. After that, with the air conditions in the tube getting thinner, Prakas and I decided to go straight to the surface from a depth of 5 meters.

Arriving at the surface, I couldn't stop giving thanks. We had survived the down current trap on Pura Island.

Learning from this experience, I would like to share some tips on how to handle being trapped in a down current:

1. Stay calm, do not immediately try to swim to the surface
2. Look for a place or object to shelter from the current. You can use massive corals or large rocks. Avoid places like channels or coral passages. This will make you more strongly attracted to the current and difficult to get out of the current
3. Always carry a strong enough hook. Especially if you know that the place you are going to visit is a currenty body of water. This will help you to anchor yourself in a shelter.
4. Communicate with buddy before the dive, set what kind of steps you want to take if during the dive there is a current both vertical and horizontal currents. This is important to do to minimize unwanted events.
5. If you are caught in the current and want to swim directly from a depth of 5-10 meters to the surface, apply the ESA system (Emergency Swimming Ascent), which is an emergency surfacing technique by removing the regulator from the mouth, rising to the surface vertically slowly and exhaling continuously until it reaches a depth of 3 meters. Position the body to be horizontal, head up, hands up, until it reaches the surface.

Diving enthusiasts are currently growing, as if they have been hypnotized by the charm of the underwater to continue to explore deeper and further. However, make sure to always be a competent diver, and never dive alone.