Article: Beach Diving Done Right

[Searcaigh]

Another point to add is to inform somebody onshore where you intend to dive and call them when you have completed the dives. Of course the best option is to have a non-diver onshore with the car, who can aid in any emergency plus have hot drinks etc ready for the SI.

 

[G4man]

Great stuff, Thanks to all for the information.I plan on starting to dive again next year after hip surgery...any suggestions? Also would like any information on the Florida Panhandle Gulf side, any good dive sites?Thanks again and Keep breathing!

 

[sail44]

Pretty good piece, but it assumes a rather gentle entry, if we assume, say, Monastery Beach, CA then these two sections are inappropriate. Especially the bolded areas.

Surf Entry – Get to the waterline and watch the surf. With your mask around your neck and fins in hand (with straps already adjusted), wait for the lull in between sets to make your entry. It is important to get out of the surf zone as soon as possible. Get to about chest deep water and turn to face the beach and use the Figure 4 to put on your fins while keeping an over-the-shoulder eye on the surf. Stay close to your buddy during the entry. If one of you is having a problem, the other can help stabilize while fins are being strapped on. Pro Tip: If you are bringing a camera or a·dive light that won’t fit into your BC pocket, clip it!·You might think you have an iron grip, but even a moderate three-foot wave can prove you wrong.

Exiting the Dive – On your way back in from your dive, make sure to surface well before you reach the surf zone. Inflate your BC and swim toward shore while watching the surf. Gauge the sets and get a feel for when the next lull is going to occur. When it does, stay close to your buddy and swim for the beach. When you get to chest deep water, remove your fins and quick-march out of the water, keeping an eye peeled over your shoulder for any breakers looking to sneak up and embarrass you.
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In severe beach breaks you should put your fins on before entering the water, enter solo, snorkel in your mouth, time your entry to the break and get out beyond the break as fast as possible. Go under the waves if you need too. Then your buddy should do the same. I've watched two many buddy pairs smashed into each other to suggest any other way.

Exiting is the opposite, I'd recommend snorkel in the mouth, BC deflated, body surf in on a wave and when your hand and knees contact the bottom, crawl out of the water as fast as you can. Then you buddy can follow, using the same procedure.

All very good tips in all the posts. One thing I would add (as you can see from my profile pic), I love to dive the Philippines and often it is shore diving. I know here in the States both coasts don't have so much the problem/obstacle but it is a good practice. Be vigilant about "look-ups" when approaching shoreline. In the Fils, there's hardly a beach, especially around some of the best places, where fishing boats aren't buzzing around. Here in the central Florida East Coast, there's a lot of wave runners and other recreation craft that don't see or don't respect your dive flag. Getting clocked in the head can be, as we all know, fatal at worst and a bad visit to the hospital at best. Dive safe and buddy-up, share what you see, exchange "look ups".

 

[sanchoshark]

Location, location, location. Beach diving is well worth it someplace like Bonaire, fer shur. Maybe the best beach wall I've seen is Cane Bay on St Croix. A drift from Villa Blanca to the Municipal Pier in Cozumel is worth doing; a beach dive across the island on the windward side is likely to get you hurt. ReefCI's island off southern Belize offers decent beach diving, but you've got a long panga ride out (and they recently had some pirate issues). North Wall on Grand Cayman is another quite decent shore dive. But generally, boats make life SO much easier...

 

[debb]

Thanks for the tips. One thing missing is how to get to shore with an SLR camera with strobes. Assuming that your buddy is there it is an easy scenario. But last year in Bonaire doing a dusk dive my buddy and I got separated while getting bashed by surf and I "turtled" trying to keep my camera off the bottom. A nearby evening swimmer had to help me out. Any tips?

 

[damage]

Bring some first aid equipment, It can be something as simple as white vinegar, alcohol and gausses or a complete one if you are trained for using it, accidents can happen.

 

[Waterpaw]

For the most part, not all, but for the most part...a sharp poke in the eye is more fun than beach diving! Dressing on the side of the road, trying not to get sand and rocks in your equipment is useless, LONG HEAVY WALKS, carrying tons of equipment through sand-rocks-up and down stairs, killer surf, losing equipment because of getting pounded by waves, trying to get on fins in the pounding surf, doing the exit "crawl of shame" and getting more sand in your equipment than you ever thought possible...gee, it doesn't get any better, than that! GIVE ME A BOAT DIVE ANYTIME!!!

 

[daverubino]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I live to shore dive Bonaire. It's by far my favorite dive destination. Most of the sites are an easy dive and getting unlimited air for the week affords me tons of dives. You get your dive map, read about the dive and entry, and go find the rock by the side of the road with the site name on it. I know shore diving isn't this easy everywhere, and for those I use a boat, but on Bonaire, shore diving rocks! :goingdown:

 

[ActionScuba]

Great article! We love shore diving and do lots of it close to home in Motnreal and we LOVE going to Bonaire for that very reason. In fact, we're off to Bonaire with a group from our shop in November. 10 glorious days of non-stop diving!One thing to remember about shore diving that is different from boat diving is that you are usually your own surface support. So be sure to bring the appropriate safety items, including emergency Oxygen, a first aid kit and even a float. Don't forget that there won't be a boat and crew waiting in case of emergency.