Shore Diving: Max Safe Distance/ Planning

[ermaclob]

i beach/ shore dive alot since i dont have access to a private boat. lately me and one of my buddies have found our selves extending the "normal" range of of you shore dives. we normaly would hit sites ~ 0.4 miles (~ 700 yards) strait out into the ocean. tho recently we have gone and hit about a full mile or so out on a few dives. we live in south florida so its mostly still very shallow all the way out there (25 ft average) so there is room to do long dives and explore alot of area.

i was wondering at what point it would start to be "to" far to go. i dont know to many ppl that beach dive actively in my area. so i have no real reference to what a reasonable distance out is. ive been trying to gauge it on my comfort level. but have found that i really dont feel all that concerned with being out there. we dont have any surface support etc so what ever happens we would need to deal with alone. which was something that came to mind a few days ago after getting pulled out a good extra 1/4 mile by a current in the middle of the night.

what would be some precautions that would smart to take if we do keep going out far? i was thinking of taking a large floating device to tow with my flag or maybe my kayak, to use as a resource for stowing emergency equipment, better visibility to boats and a possible way to make expected/unexpected surface swims back to shore easier. i was thinking maybe a marine radio also...

 

[gcarter]

I would suggest that you can get into irrecoverable difficulty just as easily 100 yards out as 1 mile out. What is your comfort level? The reality is that unless you take a transmitting divice like the Lifeline Nautilus Lifeline Marine Radio and GPS anything else is a false sense of security in the absence of direct surface support.

 

[PfcAJ]

A radio and gps is a great idea.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What are currents like in that area? How far could you swim against one to make it back to shore? What are your preparations for not being able to make it back to shore? If you or your buddy got injured out there, how well prepared is the other to assist?

These are just a few off the top of the head questions you should be asking yourself when you decide at what point would be too far to go ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mac.calder]

I have done shore dives that were just over a kilometer from shore. When planning these sorts of dives though you want to make sure that the current is not going to try and push you out on your way back. I also stash a few things like a small esky with fresh water and some snacks, along with sunblock in my dive flag's float. The swim back we do on our backs and generally we are not in any hurry. It is a nice part of the dive to be honest, discussing what we saw and just having a chat in general.

 

[spectrum]

I would probably be more conservative on night dives. visibility, resources and ability to react are all limited then.

One thing we have done for some longer dives is to make them point to point, long shore. Start at one location and exit at another beach. There are a few spots locally where this has made for extended dives and limited distance from shore. It takes a little bit of vehicle planning but it works.

Other than that I don't have any distance data but we have been doing 90 minute plus round trips straight out and never had a real concern. To a good extent I agree that if it's that bad the distance from shore may not matter that much.

You really want to be on top of the tidal situation, shipping/boat traffic and those sorts of things.

Pete

 

[ermaclob]

for the most part fro what ive experienced in terms of current here in may area. it mostly just runs North to south or South to north depending on the time of day and conditions (parallel to the shore). you get some pull out on residing tide times and the opposite during high tide. the tide table change here is very small. like 3 ft of something. so you dont get pulled out to much like in other places from what im told. it very minimal

if we do have to swim against current we normally swim towards shore and will get pushed north or south depending on the strength.

at what point does a shore dive become an ocean dive. where the currents are no longer easy to predict? i can never tell how the conditions are going to be like when i do boat dives as accurately as off the beach. and alot of the shallow water dives on boats are ~ 2-3 miles from shore. granted i would probably not swim out that far.

what would be a good hand held radio for that?

 

[Rich Keller]

I would do this is type of dive with a sit-on-top kayak. It is much easier & faster to paddle out one mile then it would be to swim that far before you even start to dive and then have to swim back when you are done. You could dive scuba or leave the tank in the boat and dive surface supplied towing the kayak behind you. In 25'-30' of water you would only need a 50' hose to dive surface supplied. With the right size kayak you would have lots of room for gear, all the safety equipment you want to carry and a cooler.

 

[TSandM]

Another thing you might consider is a scooter. If you and your buddy have them, and you stick to rule of thirds on battery burn time, then you have a mechanism for fighting current and for getting an ill or injured diver back to shore. It's a major investment, but it might be worth it.

As for GPS and radio, you can put one in a light canister type device, and that way it will be dry and not have to cope with pressure. A friend of mine does that for all boat diving in the Sound.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Plus one for the kayak. You can bring more safety/support gear and it is easily seen from air or sea. Debbie and I do a lot of shore dives but rarely more than 300 meters from shore. Our biggest concern is boat traffic, followed by change of conditions during the dive. So we get all the information we can from locals as to current, weather, and everything else. As far as safety, radio and GPS are both good things to have, as is at least two people not on the dive knowing where you are going and when you will be returning. Be sure to tell them when you do return. This last thing- telling someone where and when you are diving and when you plan to return, is a very important part of safety planning, and many people over look it.
DivemasterDennis