Break Water wins 2-0

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have slightly a different take. Owing to some flexibility issues it often takes me too long to get my fins on between waves. So, on days when it's ankle biters at Monastery, or almost any day I'd want to dive at BW, I go in sans fins. But, when I'm going to have to get my fins on in a hurry more or less at the breaker line, I put the fins on first and walk in sideways, minimizing my profile. Time the waves right and kick like hell to get past the breaker line, diving into the base of an oncoming breaker if necessary.

I know experienced divers and instructors who never put their fins on on shore, those who always do, and those like me who do so only in certain circumstances. All work; IMO experience is more the determining factor of success than specific technique.

Guy

I've also done all the different techniques and I guess it all boils down to whatever you figure will work for each situation. You have to look at the beach and the waves and study for a while the action to best determine what's going to work, or to just say the hell with it and get a beer.

Here's a clip from OML in Socal. What strategy do you think you'd use to try and get in?
I don't know myself. I would first need a good reason to need to dive that day, but if I decided to attemp it just to see if I could do it I would probably have fins on and just get sucked in and go for a ride.

My days of battling surf for the fun of it are coming to an end. I have a hip joint that's getting a little thin on cartilage and I have some flexibility issues myself, so I think I'll let the newcomers have a go at it while I watch from my boat.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/socal/313786-when-not-dive-marineland.html

 

[kathydee]

I'd have to wonder how many DMs/instructors are telling their students, "You really shouldn't dive in these conditions, but I'm taking you in so you'll know how to handle yourselves if you find them thrust upon you while exiting." Between the two options, I personally think the more valuable lesson is knowing when to call the dive from the parking lot.

Agreed!

Intro-to-Tech - I'd chase the students into the water with my blunt tipped knife... j/k.

Don,

Now that sounds like a FUN class !!!

 

[bbianchi]

Ill duel you 2 inch steak knife style Don!

 

[mikeguerrero]

After getting my gear prepped for tomorrows dive, I noticed a lot of my gear is scuffed really bad. My inflator hose on my drysuit, pee-valve and my Halcyon buckles are scuffed really bad from the collusion of rocks. Even my 19cf pony bottle took a massive hit, my Mini SPG is warped from the collusion and requires replacement, that's a $60 dollar piece of equipment for one lousy dive, not worth it!

All my gear use to be in prestine condition, but this is my mark that I made, when I dared to enter that surf that day at BW. It serves as a reminder to me, "Mike, you couldn've been hurt really bad, stay clear and have a cold one instead".

You just don't know what it's like unless you have been pummeled. I am in the pummeled club, who else has membership? If you are not in the club, don't join!!!!

 

[bbianchi]

Stay away from the rocks, especially with rough surf.

-Friendly PSA

 

[Hepcat62]

Stay away from the rocks, especially with rough surf.

Also - I believe that since the major storm a few weeks ago, some of the rocks have shifted noticeably, and the slope of the shoreline has changed a bit as well (seems to come up a bit steeper now). Make sure you're ACTUALLY watching out for rocks, and not just relying on the way things have "always been".

 

[Guy Alcala]

Or, if the conditions are trashed when they get there and it's obvious that trying to get any form of a meaningful class related dive is futile, what they should do is ditch the scuba gear and just have basic skin diving gear on and go play in the surf and get used to big water. It can't hurt and might even be fun!

I know an instructor that teaches a NAUI class at Sonoma State University. It's an 11 week course (? I think, maybe more) and he has his students fully learn skin diving and then a day of water acclimation up at Stump Beach in Sonoma County (rough water) in nothing but skin diving gear. All this is done before they even are alowed to put on scuba gear. It's a good old fashioned NAUI class from back in the day.
By the time they get to the ocean to do their check out dives conditions like that would be no big deal.

My club's head instructor occasionally schedules a club day somewhere difficult in free-diving gear, sort of an unofficial Rocks, Reefs and Rips class. I haven't made it to one yet, but I'd probably enjoy it. Of course, the last time I went out in just free-diving gear (as a safety diver for Harry's Wong's Monastery beach entry/exit video) I had a mask and snorkel tube ripped right off my head by a breaker (didn't have a hand free, as I was assisting another diver); all that was left was the snorkel mouthpiece, still gripped firmly in my mouth Cost me $90 to replace my Atomic Frameless mask:depressed: Replacing snorkels is usually just a matter of doing a Sunday afternoon dive at BW after the OW classes are gone - I try and find the owners but they're often not on SB or ba_diving, and don't know or don't bother to call Aquarius II.

Guy

 

[NETim]

After getting my gear prepped for tomorrows dive, I noticed a lot of my gear is scuffed really bad. My inflator hose on my drysuit, pee-valve and my Halcyon buckles are scuffed really bad from the collusion of rocks. Even my 19cf pony bottle took a massive hit, my Mini SPG is warped from the collusion and requires replacement, that's a $60 dollar piece of equipment for one lousy dive, not worth it!

All my gear use to be in prestine condition, but this is my mark that I made, when I dared to enter that surf that day at BW. It serves as a reminder to me, "Mike, you couldn've been hurt really bad, stay clear and have a cold one instead".

You just don't know what it's like unless you have been pummeled. I am in the pummeled club, who else has membership? If you are not in the club, don't join!!!!

I've only been moderately "pummeled." It too was a learning experience. Water has much power and rocks don't give even if they're water soaked.

 

[Guy Alcala]

I've also done all the different techniques and I guess it all boils down to whatever you figure will work for each situation. You have to look at the beach and the waves and study for a while the action to best determine what's going to work, or to just say the hell with it and get a beer.

Here's a clip from OML in Socal. What strategy do you think you'd use to try and get in?
I don't know myself. I would first need a good reason to need to dive that day, but if I decided to attemp it just to see if I could do it I would probably have fins on and just get sucked in and go for a ride.

My strategy would be to get back in my car and go look for someplace that wouldn't require that I'd taken leave of my senses before trying it Seriously, given that I've never dived the site I wouldn't even consider trying to enter on a rocky shore with surf breaking on the rocks, and would undoubtedly give it a pass even if I knew it well. That's leg breaking and head bashing conditions, and I'm rather fond of my knee caps and elbows too. If I HAD to get in, I expect I'd put fins on and hope for the best.

My days of battling surf for the fun of it are coming to an end. I have a hip joint that's getting a little thin on cartilage and I have some flexibility issues myself, so I think I'll let the newcomers have a go at it while I watch from my boat.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/socal/313786-when-not-dive-marineland.html

Same here. My chiropractor showed me my hip X-ray and said something like; "There's supposed to be space in here, filled with cartilage. You don't have any space. If I were an orthopedist I'd be recommending hip replacement, but we'll see if we can't keep you going for a few years yet." Okay so far, if increasingly creaky.

Guy (Ibuprofen is my friend)

 

[Guy Alcala]

Ill duel you 2 inch steak knife style Don!