It is an ever-moving target depending on location and conditions.
Monastery Beach in Carmel California is well known as a difficult entry & exit even though it often looks quite benign:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on1w_VCCjFA
[video=youtube;on1w_VCCjFA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on1w_VCCjFA[/video]
Monastery is often called Mortuary Beach by locals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdPFysQjfCM
[video=youtube;CdPFysQjfCM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdPFysQjfCM[/video]
This place has kicked by butt more than any other sand beach I have ever dove off. Diving off the rocks in Northern California is a completely different skill and can be extremely dangerous.
Akimbo I have to say that is some thing I did not consider doing. Going in with my fins on was what I tried before but the difference was that I attempted to go in backwards. I totally lost my balance after the white water hit me. I really like this video you shared with us. I want to try this method and see how it works for me. I think this is going to be a step up from what I have been doing.
Thanbks
Frank G
Z GEAR - Z Gear Dive Mounts
---------- Post added October 10th, 2015 at 08:30 PM ----------
Shore entries and exits in surf or in a rocky terrain are very much a skill. It requires strength and some knowledge. Learning how to read the waves, time the sets and judge the intensity, are not something that can be learned in a book or taught in a lesson in a 2 day class. If a diver is weak or unskilled they can get in trouble in minor waves AND this is pretty much solo diving. Each diver needs to make it through the surf zone alone (unless the waves are trivial).
Most of the places I have dove, if the seas are really rough then the visibility is crappy and it is not worth diving anyway. If I am unsure of the conditions, I will check it out with a snorkel instead of scuba gear. If I make it out and back with little trouble, then I may decide to try it with a tank.
Yeah its kind of solo dive until you get past the surf zone, which is where we agree to surface and meet back up. Then proceed to kick out together to drop site location.
---------- Post added October 10th, 2015 at 08:39 PM ----------
We can talk all we want about shore entries during OW classes, but without a good opportunity to practice, what we say will not stick. Additionally, we can't teach every possible situation, so we usually go for the most common methods.
I have completed well over 1,000 dives in a wide variety of locations. Only a relative handful of those dives involved true surf entries. A lot of people will go through a long scuba diving career without even seeing one. Friends I certified as new divers two years ago have more knowledge and experience at it than I because they live and dive near San Diego. On the other hand, they don't know how to do some entries that I do routinely.
We teach new divers that when they dive in new locations, they need to seek some kind of local orientation. In many cases, that's the best you can do.
You're probably right about that. You can give good advice or instruction but it really needs to be practiced to become a skill set. I have tried certain things some have suggested on this board previously and they have helped me alot. Know Akimbo showed me a clip of a diver entering the with fins on, but he actually went on side ways and then did a turn and burn! That is a step up from what I have been doing. I also liked the example of the video showing his exit skills during a rough shore break situation. Really important to keep the reg on and crawl out. Very clearly showing how to perform these tasks was an eye opener for me and I hope it helped others as well.