Surf Entries and Exits

[KrisB]

The only advice I can offer is simple: plan and commit.

Watch the waves -- look for them to help you out (you do have your BC keeping you buoyant, right?)... ride a big one as far as you can, keep your feet underneath you and just walk, whether you can touch ground or not. When enough of the wave is gone, you will be standing on the bottom or the beach... just keep walking to get out of the break.

The key is committing. Once you've decided to go, there's no turning back -- just go until you're safely in or out. Any apprehension and you're not paying enough attention to the task at hand.

I tend to enter with my mask off, but clipped to my BC (it needs to be rinsed), and fins off until I'm at floating depth.

I did my training at Airport Beach, and this seems to have worked well for other dives I've done there, too.

Hope that helps,

 

[ShakaZulu]

Wear you mask under your hood, put on the fins, and swim in backwards, 6-8 ft of waves only....

 

[KrisB]

hood? In Hawaii? You're joking, right?

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

hood? In Hawaii? You're joking, right?

I wear a tropical hood or beenie when diving in hawaii

Unless the water is body temperature you'll lose heat and you'll lose it through your head the most.

I leave my mask on and my reg in place until I'm back on dry land. Never know when a rogue wave will kick your butt

 

[munkispank]

no comments to add for the 'graceful' part, but thought I would add an experience I had. Similar to the Maui story- I did one of my shore exits rolling in and outof the waves, laughing hard. I spent the clean up time finding sand in all sorts of unusual places, I had no idea it couldget there.This was about three years ago.

Life continued and exits got slightly more controlled. I bought a new BC and used that to dive. Last week I went through my old dive gear bag and was looking over my old BC, to my shock and surpise I found sand in the far corners of the BC pocket which were left over from that dive. ( I could identify it by colour). This gear had been well cleaned, but the sand had obviously been pushed into the far extremities of the BC. Brought back some memories of the least graceful exit in my life

 

[gkndivebum]

hood? In Hawaii? You're joking, right?

I have a beanine (aka "hot head") I wear for most of the year.
This may sound strange, but I'm also wearing a 7mm wetsuit
right now.

It all depends on what you're used to. When my friends from
northern CA come to visit, they laugh at me, and I wonder
how they survive in their 3mm shorties



Re: surf entries and exits.

Here on the Big Island we have rockier entries than a lot of places.
It's a matter of timing - don't be in a hurry, watch and try to let the
ocean help you. Accept help from other divers (a hand up / out).
Often I will ferry other's gear in and out of the water for them (one
of my regular buddies has a back problem).

We have to watch out for urchins (wana and rock borers) on
some entries and exits here -- watch where you put your hands,
feet, knees and backside. I usually gear up on shore, and walk
in with my fins in my hand until I'm deep enough to float and then
put my fins on. At 2 Step, I usually stride in, forwards or backwards
depending on the tide.

Graceful exits? As they say, any exit you can walk away from was
a good one :07:

Re: reg in mouth. My first dive post open water certification was
actually in La Jolla, CA, in surf much rougher than I was used
to. I got tumbled on the way out. Rolling around face down in the
waves, I heard my open water instructor's voice in my head saying
"it's a good idea to have your regulator in your mouth during surf
entries and exits". Good advice, that.

Re: open-heel fins and boots. On the Big Island a necessity.

 

[ShakaZulu]

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?p=941576#post941576

La Jolla Shores Yesterday, DvrRick post, middle picture...........nice.

 

[kidspot]

I wear a hood also - it let me continue diving my thin suit until just when I realized I was going to need a 3mil which I got with an attached hood. but doesn't putting your mask under it cause the hood to leak a lot and prevent it from working properly? I've never lost a mask yet (I stress the "yet") but I don't want to either so I just may start trying that - (I have an Rx Mask)

Those pictures are impressive Shaka - definitely bigger than I'd want to tackle - I think the largest waves I've worked with when diving were about 6ft waves on an exit which had grown from 2ft when I entered out at big beach in Kihei.


Tim

 

[Charlie99]

hood? In Hawaii? You're joking, right?

A beanie and a 5mm full suit were just right for the dives this morning at Molokini and Marty's Reef. 76F. Beanies aren't confining or difficult to don. Why be uncomfortable?

As for the original topic, Tim, my entry is much like you posted in your first post, but on exit I'll swim along the bottom until reaching chest high water. You can sense the wave sets by the amount of surge, then surface, remove fins, and walk out right after a big set.

As a general rule in S. Maui, if the shorebreak is happening deeper than chest high, then the viz is going to be lousy and it's not worth diving.

 

[Charlie99]

I think the largest waves I've worked with when diving were about 6ft waves on an exit which had grown from 2ft when I entered out at big beach in Kihei.

In extremis, just remember that your gear is expendable, but you're not. Taking off your BP&wing and tank, making it buoyant, and launching it shoreward on a wave may not be elegant, but it allows you to just wait for a couple of swells, then do a normal body surf into the beach while wearing fins and holding your mask.

BTW, my latest fin acquisition is a single large Scubapro Jetfin w/o strap. Found it at Kam 3 a couple days ago. Free for anybody that wants it.

Charlie