JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Weather is one favorable aspect assisting the rescue of the unfortunate diver lost at sea this past Saturday offshore Jacksonville.
The tropics are quiet and thunderstorms will primarily frequent areas over land the next several days. This pattern provides onshore breezes and ideal seas under 3 feet for the remainder of the week.
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Rescue teams consider currents in outlining search efforts. The trajectory, from where the diver was last seen to his possible location suspended in the water column, depends very much on the currents prevalent at the time.
But even in the absence of any currents, wave motion can transport a floating object over considerable distances known as Strokes drift.
Currents measured at Buoy 41117 about 10 miles east of St. Johns County indicate the water 3 feet deep is moving at 1,800 feet per hour.
For every passing day, something floating would drift 8 miles northward based on the currents.
Forecast models show a persistent north direction and the search will likely focus over an area a few dozen miles wide north of the dive site during the next couple of days.
It could be more complicated and broader had the diver disappeared about 50 miles east in the Gulf Stream, where the faster warm water current can travel up to about 5 mph.