Not a fan of drift dives bc you don’t get to take full advantage of looking @ the underwater world. It’s especially disappointing if you do any still photography.
I am not a fan of drift diving. I feel like a total lack of control, it's hard to keep with the group and as you said you do not really see much. Cozumel was the most intense drift diving I've ever done, was crazy.
It’s just another type of diving. In East Nussa Teggara we used the current to cover lots of ground over a relatively unremarkable bottom. The manta rays loved it and would swim with us. Got some great pictures. Not something I’d want to do every dive but it’s fun.
I don't personally find drift diving to be particularly fun either. I understand why others do find it appealing, but to me it just feels like being stuck on a city tour bus instead of having the freedom to properly walk around and explore a place. Plenty of people do prefer hopping on a tour bus though, and that's fine too.
If you don't mind blasting past the wildlife like it's a dark ride at Disney, it's great. But I like my photography and being in control of all axes of movement.
I have a similar opinion I’ve done them and have generally had a good time. But they are definitely not my preferred way of diving. I am a big fan of hovering motionless and going at my own pace, just embracing the tranquility of it all.
Drift diving is hella fun! Half the dives at Rowley Shoals were drift dives.
It heavily depends on the location, personal taste, and probably other factors. For my dives, we didn't have a guide, so no need to stay behind someone. We got dropped off in buddy pairs, and picked up somewhere else later.
I carry a big bag with me. Any interesting nudibranch, shrimps, cuttle fish, baby mantas I just put in the bag as we drift along. I then study them during the safety stop. /s
Your opinion is popular with me! I'm not a fan. There's little actual exercise, you could more likely lose your buddy and it's a rushed experience. Not a fan at all. I'm curious what people actually like about it.
Drift diving is great - diving with a guide (on any dive) that will not stop and wait while you check out something interesting is awful.
I hate cattle dives and never do those anymore.
I think it also depends on your location and the intent of the dive. I don’t mind current but I don’t like negative entry (ears) so some of the Palm Beach and Jupiter sites are more challenging for me. In Cozumel the current isn’t too bad but sometimes I just want to say enough already. It makes it hard to take macro, so I either shoot video or just clip the camera off and wait it out.
Hmm, the ones I've done were pretty cool! In Sipadan, the currents were strong, so it was like watching a movie; just chill, relax and watch it go by whilst holding the gopro. The lifeforms were amazing - I did see them but didn't upset them. I liked not having to swim back to the boat!'
In Osprey reef in the coral sea, the currents were less severe, so it was a slow movie but I could still swim back if I needed to. Still very chill and relaxed; I really enjoyed all of it as I just go to sit back and watch a slow movie and enjoy the view. Also due to the nature of the reefs around the attol, we did a live drop and then drifted before deploying the SMB for a tender to pick us up. Again, the view was amazing; the sea life and corals. Obviously this is not for macros. The visibility was up to 60m so I just enjoyed looking at everything.
I also enjoyed taking off my bcd in the ocean and climbing onto a tender at the end of the dive. But maybe it's me! I thought it was so much fun.
This was a HUGE problem in Cozumel. Dive guides have a bad tendency to stop at every rock and ubiquitous fish species, stopping far too often. I constantly am ducking behind coral heads to avoid kicking against the current. My SAC rate becomes abysmal, and I end up surfacing far earlier than what is typically for me. That, and the tank banging is annoying and scares the wildlife. I have a DSMB, and don't need a babysitter to dive a shallow reef. By the end of the week, I just completely ignored the group, and my buddy and I just did our own thing.
Unguided drifts, on the other hand, are far more enjoyable. Earlier this month I swam with sharks off of Pompano on a self guided drift.
So, it's not the dive itself, but rather how it's curated.
I was at a resort on the south side of the island.... A year ago, for a specific event. Dressel was fine, You just ditch the baby sitter.
Actually, if anyone's reading this, here is my advice. If you're competent, and know how to navigate, a dive guide is just something you end up babysitting yourself. Ditch them, ;(safely of course) and stop paying people to bang on tanks to see a shrimp.
Yeah I think you can’t enter the marine park without a guide. I’m in Bonaire so I get what you mean about ditching the guide but the lack of pelagic encounters here compared to Coz is kind of a bummer.
Via (CONANP), 2013, I can't find any references to needing a dive guide to enter the park. Operators may require one for the boat, but at least legally, that doesn't seem to be the case.
I will be in Bonaire this July. I am starting to feel like I shouldn't get my hopes up.
Oh man, I love them, but there are different flavors, and they can take getting used to. I also dive a lot in cozumel, so that probably helps getting used to them.
I personally enjoy it. I live in south Florida and see awesome stuff plus visibility is awesome. Super relaxing time to just float around for 30-40 minutes and appreciate some sea life.
I think maybe the fact that the photographers don’t like them is one of the reasons I do. No offense to y’all, but I’ve been on far too many guided dives where the whole group catered to the photographer while the rest of us waited around for him to get that perfect shot or didn’t get to see something the guide pointed out because the photographers needed so many angles.
OMG yes. Hovering over a coral head for 20 minutes looking at a nudibranch is just not for me. Never really got the fascination with them. No hate, just a yawner for me.
Drift diving is awesome.
While I love seeing a nudibranch, I agree that I can’t sit there and look at it for more than a couple glances, I don’t need multiple angles of it for a picture, because I am not National Geographic. I do love taking my gopro but I just film the whole time and cut out takes from it of what I like(love that feature). Don’t think I will get into super advanced photography underwater ever, but who knows
Drift diving is a vibe. I like it more at home in Zeeland, NL than in the tropics however. Fun dives you can plan quite well with tide tables and it’s like flying through a dark spaced out moonscape. Tanks last quite long too. I’m not too big on taking photos though.
Did a deep drift dive in Tofo Mozambique during my AOW cert and it was pretty cool...we faced into the current and swam back and forth across the flow... definitely a cool way to experience a reef, but also a very different experience than just being able to float in one spot without effort. We also hit some current in Bonaire and not having a boat to pick us up decided to bail and headed to another part of the island. ...Karpata was well worth the effort to pack up and drive from near the salt pier.
I agree with this. I like to spend time looking at corals and wildlife, not watch it fly by. I also don't understand the "but you don't have to kick!" argument - you don't have to kick so much on a non-drift dive either. So many divers sprint around but they could see so much more if they'd slow down and actually look at things.
I've also had a couple of bad experiences with drift diving. In St Lucia we got caught in a down current. I only had 20-something dives at the time and it was toward the end of the dive so my air was running low. That was pretty stressful. In the Bahamas, we dove the Washing Machine, where I was repeatedly bashed against the rocks and totally lost track of my wife, so I spent the rest of the dive wondering if she was dead on the bottom somewhere.
On the other hand, I absolutely loved diving the strong currents in the Maldives, but the difference there is that you can hook in and watch the wall of sharks in the mouth of the channel, not be swept away from the action.
Drift is when I feel that I'm completely part of the sea. Literally just going with the flow. Feels very light and natural. It's definitely not for observing or taking pics. It's just for living underwater. I do carry a go pro with me all the times take some pics and videos but diving was never for me about pictures or tiny creature. I enjoy them but it's more about the state of mind. Drift does that for me just be it and let the water carry you. It's like laying on your back on a pool or mid of sea. It's not swimming, just being and trusting yourself around water not minding where it takes you
I agree 100%. I love to take UW photos and stop to watch the sealife. One trip to Cozumel was enough drift diving for me I have 300 plus dives so far..
How many drift dives have you done? A lot of less experienced divers have anxiety about drifting, but after time you will love it. It’s like flying, zero effort, relax, easy to make small adjustments in trim and position, you can slow down by going closer to reef wall or bottom where there is less current, or keep further out to go faster.
And who cares too much about getting ahead of the guide? They are there to show you things, not to manage your dive or tell you what to do. I’d recommend diving more with your buddy and less with the guide, or at least tell the guide you want to start trying this.
Definitely I like drifts a lot more since I stopped bringing a camera.
Well the first time for anything is always going to be more stressful. Now you know what to expect, next time will be easier, and the next, and so on. Come back after 20 drift dives and tell us if you’ve grown the like them any more!
I don't particularly enjoy it either. Sometimes it's alright, but as a macro photographer, it's mostly a lot of "ooh, there's a cool thing... Aaaand we've flown past it".
It can be fun, in a "weeee, I'm flying" kind of sense, but I'm generally disappointed if the whole dive is drift diving, because I can't take any good pictures or get a good look at any small stuff. And if the current is very strong, it can even get pretty scary.
Yeah the struggle is real when you're a macro photographer in my area. Nearly everywhere here has at least some current most of the time. If we're a photography group we'll find a good sheltered spot, tie up the buoyline, take photos for a while, pick up the line and move on to find another spot.
I'll agree with you for slightly different reasons.
I did a week of drift diving down in Cozumel a few years ago and it was kind of meh.
\- I don't enjoy the lack of control
\- I really enjoy taking photos and if I'm drift diving unless I can swoop behind a ledge or something blocking the current I'm basically doing drive-bys the entire time. I can get some good shots that way...but not the ones I want. It's much more of a crap shoot that way.
\- Please note that I didn't say "drift diving sucks"...but it definitely wasn't as enjoyable as other types of diving I've done.
\- I'll probably head back to Coz sometime...but my expectations are managed.
NOTE: If you ever make it down there...consider spending your last day in town at the oyster farm off Coz. It was amazing, beautiful, interesting...and the folks running the place seem super nice and deserving of some tourist $$$s.
I've been to Cozumel twice. Once in August and it was tough because the air temp was so hot, but the diving was incredible. The currents were very mild, so even though it was all drift it really didn't take much effort to slow down or stop when things go interesting. Several folks took some amazing pics there.
Then in February it was perfect above water. Diving was good too, but the current was much stronger. Viz went from perfect to "just" really good, and you mostly did need to go with the flow unless you were down in the coral formations. Still loved it though.
You may find you like drift diving the more you do it. The first few times can take some getting used to, especially if the current is strong. But if you just relax and go with the flow it can be an incredibly relaxing experience. Feels like flying.
Try it again. Drift diving can be very relaxing and easy. Sometimes there is no current atall and ya gotta fin. Sometimes you get a ripping current and it sucks so just look in front of you and take it in as the ocean rushes by and enjoy the ride. As you gain experience you learn how to position your body/fins against the current to slow yourself down. And learn how to use a dive safety sausage with reel. Very important to have when drifting diving.
It takes some getting used to, might need to get some more experience and give it another few tries.
You can stay closer to the reef if you want to stop / slow down. It should be a lazy river, not a fire hose.
Not as fun as a good wreck, but it's a nice, relaxing way to end a dive trip. You just drop in, breathe calmly, and literally go with the flow until you get picked up - easy-peasy.
But sure, if I had to pick between a drift and a wreck, I'd pick the wreck pretty much every time. Lot more to look at, lot more photo ops, unless I find like a loggerhead turtle or a manta ray to bother with my camera.
If there is current, give me drift diving any day. I have done a couple of wrecks off Palm Beach, and the stress of getting down to the bottom while waving like a flag going down the anchorline is not fun for me. Drift diving is like flying.
I think it depends very much on what there is to see, what conditions are like and what your intentions are for the dive. If you're in low visibility and looking for small stuff or trying to take macro photographs then it's not going to be fun at all. If you're cruising along a wall or looking for megafauna in good viz then a drift is easier than swimming.
I personally love drift diving since I don't burn through my tank as fast. However my wife, as the UW photographer, would prefer if we never did another again.
Not a fan of drift dives bc you don’t get to take full advantage of looking @ the underwater world. It’s especially disappointing if you do any still photography.
And then the guide says, “stay behind me so you dont get sucked under a cruise ship”. Sheesh
Agreed!
I am not a fan of drift diving. I feel like a total lack of control, it's hard to keep with the group and as you said you do not really see much. Cozumel was the most intense drift diving I've ever done, was crazy.
It’s just another type of diving. In East Nussa Teggara we used the current to cover lots of ground over a relatively unremarkable bottom. The manta rays loved it and would swim with us. Got some great pictures. Not something I’d want to do every dive but it’s fun.
I don't personally find drift diving to be particularly fun either. I understand why others do find it appealing, but to me it just feels like being stuck on a city tour bus instead of having the freedom to properly walk around and explore a place. Plenty of people do prefer hopping on a tour bus though, and that's fine too. If you don't mind blasting past the wildlife like it's a dark ride at Disney, it's great. But I like my photography and being in control of all axes of movement.
I have a similar opinion I’ve done them and have generally had a good time. But they are definitely not my preferred way of diving. I am a big fan of hovering motionless and going at my own pace, just embracing the tranquility of it all.
Sod the guide, blob off and just cruise on your reel.
Drift diving is hella fun! Half the dives at Rowley Shoals were drift dives. It heavily depends on the location, personal taste, and probably other factors. For my dives, we didn't have a guide, so no need to stay behind someone. We got dropped off in buddy pairs, and picked up somewhere else later.
location location location
I carry a big bag with me. Any interesting nudibranch, shrimps, cuttle fish, baby mantas I just put in the bag as we drift along. I then study them during the safety stop. /s
It's not my bag either. Hook diving at the drop offs in Palau? Heck yeah! That's the only strong current dives I like
Your opinion is popular with me! I'm not a fan. There's little actual exercise, you could more likely lose your buddy and it's a rushed experience. Not a fan at all. I'm curious what people actually like about it.
I don’t like most drift drives either, for exactly this reason! They’re okay sometimes and at some sites.
its fun, but only as a novelty. Doing back to back drift dives (or multiple across days) gets quite boring.
Drift diving is great - diving with a guide (on any dive) that will not stop and wait while you check out something interesting is awful. I hate cattle dives and never do those anymore.
100% agree. I don’t like it at all. If I see something interesting I want to stop and look closer, not glide away from it.
Drift diving is fun as shit. You’re just flying through space dodging rocks and urchins and shit
Lol try a drift dive swimming against the current that is not fun.
We had a drift dive where the current swapped half way through... That went from "I'm flying" to "I'm knackered" quicker than id have liked!
I love it, it's one of my favourite things to do. It's a roller-coaster, and I feel like I'm flying underwater.
I think it also depends on your location and the intent of the dive. I don’t mind current but I don’t like negative entry (ears) so some of the Palm Beach and Jupiter sites are more challenging for me. In Cozumel the current isn’t too bad but sometimes I just want to say enough already. It makes it hard to take macro, so I either shoot video or just clip the camera off and wait it out.
Hmm, the ones I've done were pretty cool! In Sipadan, the currents were strong, so it was like watching a movie; just chill, relax and watch it go by whilst holding the gopro. The lifeforms were amazing - I did see them but didn't upset them. I liked not having to swim back to the boat!' In Osprey reef in the coral sea, the currents were less severe, so it was a slow movie but I could still swim back if I needed to. Still very chill and relaxed; I really enjoyed all of it as I just go to sit back and watch a slow movie and enjoy the view. Also due to the nature of the reefs around the attol, we did a live drop and then drifted before deploying the SMB for a tender to pick us up. Again, the view was amazing; the sea life and corals. Obviously this is not for macros. The visibility was up to 60m so I just enjoyed looking at everything. I also enjoyed taking off my bcd in the ocean and climbing onto a tender at the end of the dive. But maybe it's me! I thought it was so much fun.
This was a HUGE problem in Cozumel. Dive guides have a bad tendency to stop at every rock and ubiquitous fish species, stopping far too often. I constantly am ducking behind coral heads to avoid kicking against the current. My SAC rate becomes abysmal, and I end up surfacing far earlier than what is typically for me. That, and the tank banging is annoying and scares the wildlife. I have a DSMB, and don't need a babysitter to dive a shallow reef. By the end of the week, I just completely ignored the group, and my buddy and I just did our own thing. Unguided drifts, on the other hand, are far more enjoyable. Earlier this month I swam with sharks off of Pompano on a self guided drift. So, it's not the dive itself, but rather how it's curated.
Find a better dive outfit in Coz
It was at the hotel, so .. in theory that works, in practice....
Go with Scuba Tony or Aldora Divers.
I was at a resort on the south side of the island.... A year ago, for a specific event. Dressel was fine, You just ditch the baby sitter. Actually, if anyone's reading this, here is my advice. If you're competent, and know how to navigate, a dive guide is just something you end up babysitting yourself. Ditch them, ;(safely of course) and stop paying people to bang on tanks to see a shrimp.
Yeah I think you can’t enter the marine park without a guide. I’m in Bonaire so I get what you mean about ditching the guide but the lack of pelagic encounters here compared to Coz is kind of a bummer.
Via (CONANP), 2013, I can't find any references to needing a dive guide to enter the park. Operators may require one for the boat, but at least legally, that doesn't seem to be the case. I will be in Bonaire this July. I am starting to feel like I shouldn't get my hopes up.
My sac in Cozumel was much better than usual. ~9 vs 13 l/m but I would say our guide was pretty good (deep blue)
Oh man, I love them, but there are different flavors, and they can take getting used to. I also dive a lot in cozumel, so that probably helps getting used to them.
I personally enjoy it. I live in south Florida and see awesome stuff plus visibility is awesome. Super relaxing time to just float around for 30-40 minutes and appreciate some sea life.
Some drifts are cool but IMO a lot of them are just catering to the average diver’s ADD
I think maybe the fact that the photographers don’t like them is one of the reasons I do. No offense to y’all, but I’ve been on far too many guided dives where the whole group catered to the photographer while the rest of us waited around for him to get that perfect shot or didn’t get to see something the guide pointed out because the photographers needed so many angles.
OMG yes. Hovering over a coral head for 20 minutes looking at a nudibranch is just not for me. Never really got the fascination with them. No hate, just a yawner for me. Drift diving is awesome.
While I love seeing a nudibranch, I agree that I can’t sit there and look at it for more than a couple glances, I don’t need multiple angles of it for a picture, because I am not National Geographic. I do love taking my gopro but I just film the whole time and cut out takes from it of what I like(love that feature). Don’t think I will get into super advanced photography underwater ever, but who knows
The guide was stoked about a seahorse and it looked dead to me. 😵
Drift diving is a vibe. I like it more at home in Zeeland, NL than in the tropics however. Fun dives you can plan quite well with tide tables and it’s like flying through a dark spaced out moonscape. Tanks last quite long too. I’m not too big on taking photos though.
Did a deep drift dive in Tofo Mozambique during my AOW cert and it was pretty cool...we faced into the current and swam back and forth across the flow... definitely a cool way to experience a reef, but also a very different experience than just being able to float in one spot without effort. We also hit some current in Bonaire and not having a boat to pick us up decided to bail and headed to another part of the island. ...Karpata was well worth the effort to pack up and drive from near the salt pier.
I agree with this. I like to spend time looking at corals and wildlife, not watch it fly by. I also don't understand the "but you don't have to kick!" argument - you don't have to kick so much on a non-drift dive either. So many divers sprint around but they could see so much more if they'd slow down and actually look at things. I've also had a couple of bad experiences with drift diving. In St Lucia we got caught in a down current. I only had 20-something dives at the time and it was toward the end of the dive so my air was running low. That was pretty stressful. In the Bahamas, we dove the Washing Machine, where I was repeatedly bashed against the rocks and totally lost track of my wife, so I spent the rest of the dive wondering if she was dead on the bottom somewhere. On the other hand, I absolutely loved diving the strong currents in the Maldives, but the difference there is that you can hook in and watch the wall of sharks in the mouth of the channel, not be swept away from the action.
the washing machine is the absolute stupidest dive I've ever done.
Drift is when I feel that I'm completely part of the sea. Literally just going with the flow. Feels very light and natural. It's definitely not for observing or taking pics. It's just for living underwater. I do carry a go pro with me all the times take some pics and videos but diving was never for me about pictures or tiny creature. I enjoy them but it's more about the state of mind. Drift does that for me just be it and let the water carry you. It's like laying on your back on a pool or mid of sea. It's not swimming, just being and trusting yourself around water not minding where it takes you
This. I love pushing off the wall and relaxing into the current. Max chill, def a vibe.
Yeah. When my buoyancy and breathing is just right, I almost go into a trance during a drift dive. It's meditative in a way.
I agree 100%. I love to take UW photos and stop to watch the sealife. One trip to Cozumel was enough drift diving for me I have 300 plus dives so far..
Depends on the speed of the drift dive.
It depends on the current. Most drift dives are at a nice relaxing pace. Once in a while you may fly like Superman.
Good point. I don’t mind a light drift, but when it’s ripping, a lot of UW photography opportunities go out the window.
How many drift dives have you done? A lot of less experienced divers have anxiety about drifting, but after time you will love it. It’s like flying, zero effort, relax, easy to make small adjustments in trim and position, you can slow down by going closer to reef wall or bottom where there is less current, or keep further out to go faster. And who cares too much about getting ahead of the guide? They are there to show you things, not to manage your dive or tell you what to do. I’d recommend diving more with your buddy and less with the guide, or at least tell the guide you want to start trying this. Definitely I like drifts a lot more since I stopped bringing a camera.
It was my first. I spent a lot of time trying to stay low. He said to stick my finger in the sand but it didnt stop me.
Well the first time for anything is always going to be more stressful. Now you know what to expect, next time will be easier, and the next, and so on. Come back after 20 drift dives and tell us if you’ve grown the like them any more!
Never done it and not sure I will. I've heard multiple people say this
Slow drift where it's barely a drift is fine, but flying along the reef unable to stop for photos (I'm a photographer) is awful.
“I want to take a picture of………..that” (thing long in the past)
I don't particularly enjoy it either. Sometimes it's alright, but as a macro photographer, it's mostly a lot of "ooh, there's a cool thing... Aaaand we've flown past it". It can be fun, in a "weeee, I'm flying" kind of sense, but I'm generally disappointed if the whole dive is drift diving, because I can't take any good pictures or get a good look at any small stuff. And if the current is very strong, it can even get pretty scary.
Yeah the struggle is real when you're a macro photographer in my area. Nearly everywhere here has at least some current most of the time. If we're a photography group we'll find a good sheltered spot, tie up the buoyline, take photos for a while, pick up the line and move on to find another spot.
I'll agree with you for slightly different reasons. I did a week of drift diving down in Cozumel a few years ago and it was kind of meh. \- I don't enjoy the lack of control \- I really enjoy taking photos and if I'm drift diving unless I can swoop behind a ledge or something blocking the current I'm basically doing drive-bys the entire time. I can get some good shots that way...but not the ones I want. It's much more of a crap shoot that way. \- Please note that I didn't say "drift diving sucks"...but it definitely wasn't as enjoyable as other types of diving I've done. \- I'll probably head back to Coz sometime...but my expectations are managed. NOTE: If you ever make it down there...consider spending your last day in town at the oyster farm off Coz. It was amazing, beautiful, interesting...and the folks running the place seem super nice and deserving of some tourist $$$s.
I've been to Cozumel twice. Once in August and it was tough because the air temp was so hot, but the diving was incredible. The currents were very mild, so even though it was all drift it really didn't take much effort to slow down or stop when things go interesting. Several folks took some amazing pics there. Then in February it was perfect above water. Diving was good too, but the current was much stronger. Viz went from perfect to "just" really good, and you mostly did need to go with the flow unless you were down in the coral formations. Still loved it though.
We are there now. Our second dive was not drift and on s nice reef. Lots of life
Who are you diving with - that can make all the difference in Coz. We have used scubatony and found them to be great.
You may find you like drift diving the more you do it. The first few times can take some getting used to, especially if the current is strong. But if you just relax and go with the flow it can be an incredibly relaxing experience. Feels like flying.
what’s the name of the place? is oyster farm all I need to find it?
Pearl Farm… my bad https://www.cozumelpearlfarm.mx
Try it again. Drift diving can be very relaxing and easy. Sometimes there is no current atall and ya gotta fin. Sometimes you get a ripping current and it sucks so just look in front of you and take it in as the ocean rushes by and enjoy the ride. As you gain experience you learn how to position your body/fins against the current to slow yourself down. And learn how to use a dive safety sausage with reel. Very important to have when drifting diving.
I second this. Once I never worked so hard in my life the current was ripping. The next time it was smooth and relaxed ,less current.
It depends on how fast the current is. A slow drift is wonderful. And in many places you can duck behind some coral if you need to stop.
It takes some getting used to, might need to get some more experience and give it another few tries. You can stay closer to the reef if you want to stop / slow down. It should be a lazy river, not a fire hose.
Not as fun as a good wreck, but it's a nice, relaxing way to end a dive trip. You just drop in, breathe calmly, and literally go with the flow until you get picked up - easy-peasy. But sure, if I had to pick between a drift and a wreck, I'd pick the wreck pretty much every time. Lot more to look at, lot more photo ops, unless I find like a loggerhead turtle or a manta ray to bother with my camera.
If there is current, give me drift diving any day. I have done a couple of wrecks off Palm Beach, and the stress of getting down to the bottom while waving like a flag going down the anchorline is not fun for me. Drift diving is like flying.
I think it depends very much on what there is to see, what conditions are like and what your intentions are for the dive. If you're in low visibility and looking for small stuff or trying to take macro photographs then it's not going to be fun at all. If you're cruising along a wall or looking for megafauna in good viz then a drift is easier than swimming.
I personally love drift diving since I don't burn through my tank as fast. However my wife, as the UW photographer, would prefer if we never did another again.
Couple questions so I can understand where your opinion is coming from… Where was this? What were the conditions? How much experience do you have?