River dive...

[DetectorGuy]

The current is usually only tough on the surface. With an extra 10 lbs of weight you can stay glued to the bottom and then crawl along the bottom. In the main channel the current at the bottom can be as strong as the surface. At the inside of a curve in the river there is often an eddy that makes swimming up stream easier. There are a number of things that can "funnel" the water into a current that can become dangerous: large rocks, bridge abutments, fallen trees, and scrap metal/concrete. If anyone is contemplating river diving I would seriously get some real training on tethered dives. Almost everything in your kit should have redundancy. Always have 3 cutting devices (and a side cutter for barbwire is a good idea). when traveling down stream, always go down stream feet first. Know when to say when. The good stuff is on or under the bottom and there is nothing good above the bottom. If this doesn't make sense, let me explain my self. The items that I consider goodies have been buried by the sand. While digging in this sand you are not paying attention to much above the bottom and before you know it you have been swept under a tree root or some other entanglement. The current wants to push you through it and if you are head first into the entanglement you are powerless to use your fins to propel yourself out of it. Working upstream is probably best to minimize the entanglement problems and it also helps to keep the visibility as good as it can be (usually 2' to 3' max) as fresh "clean" water is replacing the stirred up water fairly quickly. Take this advice at your own discretion as I don't have a ton of experience in river diving.