Indian Equatorial Countercurrent

This equatorial stretch of the eastern Indian Ocean lies well east of the Chagos Archipelago, in open water far from any coast. Here the Equatorial Countercurrent runs eastward between the main equatorial currents, a wind-driven flow that reverses with the Asian monsoon. Sailing ships from India and Sumatra used those seasonal winds to cross the basin, while away from the islands the sea offered no fixed landmarks.