Anyone else like shore dives?

[nolatom]

I'm in the Gulf, in Louisiana, where "shore dive" generally means "sink in the muck walking, zero vis diving", unless you are in one of the Panhandle springs. So mostly it's boat diving for me, either Pensacola to the east, or Flower Gardens to the west. And I'm actually fond of the camaraderie and ritual on the boats, even though it can be inconvenient at times.

Shore dives do appeal to my sense of cheapskateness though. So on my infrequent trips back home to New England, I do it there, try not to fall and die walking on the shore rocks in full gear, but the payoff is 15' vis and freezing temps. Like broccoli, it's "good for me" and i do actually like it sometimes.

 

[Lorenzoid]

All other things being equal--which they are not in reality--I would prefer boat diving. I don't like gearing up out of the back of a vehicle, carrying the weight on my shoulders to and from the shore, having to contend with the surf on entry and exit, etc.

But whether I dive from shore or a boat mainly depends on whether it's really good diving down there. I love Bonaire because the diving is so good with the beautiful reef so close to the shore, and the whole island is set up for shore diving, right down to the drive-through tank station at Buddy Dive. In contrast, the little bit of shore diving I did in South Florida was a hassle that was not worth it to me. Circling around and around for a parking space, the logistics of gearing up, walking across the hot beach, etc.--no thanks. So the answer for me is "it depends." Maui shore diving sounds appealing.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I think it's all a matter of where you live and what you're used to. Folks who live in the west coast of North America usually do a lot of shore diving ... it's how we were trained, how we mostly dive, and we don't think much of it. Like everything else it has benefits and drawbacks. The benefits often boil down to ready access and low cost. The drawbacks often boil down to the amount of effort it takes to gear up and get in the water. But you develop a "system" that works for you and go with it ... because it's what you have. And, for the most part, the diving's quite good.

I'm fortunate enough to live about five minutes drive from a really nice dive site ... and I dive there a lot. I really like the fact that I can leave my office, decide on the 15 minute drive home that I feel like going diving, and be down there gearing up a half-hour later. Or ... like I did on Saturday ... wake up early and go for a pre-breakfast solo dive before anyone else gets there. I absolutely love the solitude of being the only human being in the water at a time when all the night critters are packing it in and the day critters are just starting to stir. It's a type of serenity that a lot of people rarely get, and have to pay a lot of money to experience ... and I can have it pretty much any time I want.

I love traveling to places like Bonaire ... where I can dive by my own rules at any time day or night. I've enjoyed diving house reefs in places like Lembeh Straits and Raja Ampat. And yes, I loved the shore diving in Maui ... Makena Landing, Wailea Beach, Five Caves, Ahihi Cove, and Black Rock. Those are all excellent sites, and pretty easy diving. Or flying down to Monterey and doing Point Lobos or Monastery ... maybe a bit more work, but well worth the effort.

I just last week-end spent three days in Victoria, shore diving some of the sites in southern Vancouver Island ... absolutely beautiful.

And for those who say it's too much effort ... maybe for you it is. But if a 62-year old fat guy can manage it, I think it's pretty manageable ... it really depends on how much effort you think the dive is worth.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[socaljohn]

Never did a vacation dive, dive regularly here in so cal. Plenty of easy shore dive spots, some not so easy, just did Honeymoon and Neptune coves from shore..think extreme hiking with scuba gear. But I love boat diving when I can get one, suit up and splash.

 

[Mike]

You also need to have a dive flag. But for this bit of extra effort and planning, you get an ocean to yourself most of the time.
DivemasterDennis

I assume for Maui it's like Florida, and it's drag a float flag on a reel or is it something else?

 

[vincent54]

I use to love shore diving before i face planted a couple weeks ago. I'm still healing from the coral and sea urchins. My son rescued me by hoisting me up by the tank. Otherwise, I would still be face down impaled on the coral. We use a float that inevitably gets tied off because I hate pulling it. Plus it is the law.

The boat dives usually have a pretty dive master so i'm beginning to prefer the boat. The only downside is the cost per dive, which is almost 5x as much. I think it is 8 dollars a tank vs about 80 for a two tank boat dive. Okay for a single, but when family diving is involved it is costly. Cheers

 

[Storker]

The drawbacks often boil down to the amount of effort it takes to gear up and get in the water.

Care to elaborate? 'Cause I can't really see why or how.

Provided I'm diving my own gear, I put in more or less the same amount of effort whether I dive from shore or from a dive op's boat.

No matter whether I dive from shore or a boat I have to:
* Load my gear into my car
* Drive to the site/port/marina
* Unload my gear
* Rig up my gear
* Suit up
* Carry my gear to the waterside or boat
* Gear up
* Dive (OK, that's not a chore, it's what I came to do)
* Get out of the water
* Doff my gear
* Break down my gear
* Rinse my gear (for shore dives, that happens in my driveyard after coming home, but it has to be done anyway)
* Load my gear into my car
* Drive home
* Unload my gear and dry it.

Which of those chores are removed or simplified when diving from a boat?

For me, the only real difference is the cost. A shore dive is free except for gas for my car and the tank fill, if I dive from a private boat I pay for gas (and if the boat is mine, quite a bit else as well) and if I dive with a commercial dive op I also pay the dive center's overhead and salaries.

Quite another thing is that some sites are only accessible from a boat while others are easily accessible from the shore, but that's not relevant for the effort required to get wet.


--
Sent from my Android phone
Typos are a feature, not a bug

 

[mdb]

I was fortunate to live in La Jolla, CA when I first was certified. I lived 3 houses in from Wind' and Sea beach.

There was an offshore reef about 100 meters off shore. The reef was full of lobsters and Abalone. I went diving
almost everyday. We had lots of good seafood feasts. The cost was a tank fill.

On the weekends we would take my friends boat out to Point Loma and make a couple of dives in the Kelp Forests.

I admire the divers who get wet using local quarries and lakes. Diving is a great way to relax, no matter where you do it.

 

[TSandM]

Every time I do a local boat dive, I mutter that I am not at all sure that boat diving is less work. Yes, if you are at a resort, and you load your gear onto the boat once and it never comes off (or at least YOU never take it off). But by the time I have hauled all my gear to the boat, put it on the boat, set it up on the boat, broken it down on the boat, removed it from the boat and schlepped it to the car, I have done just about as much work (and sometimes quite a bit more!) than I do on my usual shore dive.

If I lived where surf was a big issue, I'd do more boat diving. I'm not real good with surf exits.

 

[Trexmdr]

Yes when you dive Maui just rent a dive flag and reel from the LDS or bring your own. Tie it off and start the dive.