I finally stopped fighting the current after a chat with a dive vet in Morgan City
Was bullshitting with a guy named Ray who's been diving the Gulf for 27 years, and he asked why I still try to swim straight up against a stiff current when a 45 degree angle to the flow gets me to the surface with less air burned. I tried it on a 60 foot riser job last week and my bottom time went from 22 to 31 minutes on the same tank, no joke. Feels wrong at first because you drift a bit sideways, but the surface crew just swings the line over. Anyone else got a small habit like this that some old hand broke for you?
The "45 degree angle to the flow" thing is exactly the kind of tip that makes me feel dumb for all the years I've been burning air swimming straight up like a salmon going the wrong way. Took me forever to trust it because every bone in my body says fight the current, not ride it sideways.