Butt kicked in So. CA rough surf

[dmmike]

My hat is off to the people who do mostly shore dives. I learned my leson off the coast of Maine. Long-story-short, large waves, strong wind, poor descion, I enter the water. Grace of God I survive that, now I have to exit......... thrown onto large rocky shore, broken gear, broken finger, jammed finger, twisted knee, large volumes of water inhaled.........:shakehead

Give me a rocking-and-rolling boat off the New England coast anyday.......


Like I said, hats off to all you die-hard shore divers.

By the way, I do shore dive, I just pick much better conditions

 

[TSandM]

Monastery was my humbling introduction to surf exits. It was amazing to learn that I have serious difficulty getting my doubles to go anywhere, but the ocean has absolutely no problem tossing them about as though they were styrofoam, even when I'm attached to them.

I was apprehensive about surf before that dive. I'm allergic to it now

 

[Fuzzmutton]

Waist high? OOOooohhhh...I thought you meant there were WAVES...
I learned to surf and body surf long before I started diving and if the water is more than knee deep, I have my fins on. It's easier to walk with them off but if you lose your grip on them getting knocked over and you're in over your head without them with dive gear on, it's hard to make any headway. Being in shape is a good thing but no matter how big and strong you are, you can't out muscle waves once they're head high. You dance with them.....

Hey you!!! Give me a break, will ya? Hubby was college wrestler, with beautiful muscular legs, but 'lil 'ol me- I'm a girly girl and 135 lbs. (too much pie over break!) and when I get knocked down in the water with even one aluminum tank on and all my cold water gear and weights, I struggle to get back up. I can do it, BUT, not if I have even waist high waves pulling me around.

I had numerous ear problems as a child, as a result I have no balance. Nada, zip, zilch. I am graceful as a cow on roller skates which is why I easily get knocked down in the first place.

BTW, Gdenny, for what it's worth I had my BC inflated (go figure). I always do that and breathe from my reg. before entering the water because I have a fear of going in with my air off.

 

[Fuzzmutton]

TSandM-

You did Monastery with doubles? Courageous. That's why the tech divers had so much trouble getting in at LJS, they were getting knocked down/around in their doubles and most of them were men. I understand women have a harder time getting up and maneuvering (duh) with them on so with all that I've read about the wickedness of Monastery, that took some nerve. Did you do it again? Or would you do it again with doubles? Just wondering how hairy the entry/exit was. I have yet to try it (not skilled enough) and I'm curious.

 

[Hank49]

Hey you!!! Give me a break, will ya? Hubby was college wrestler, with beautiful muscular legs, but 'lil 'ol me- I'm a girly girl and 135 lbs. (too much pie over break!) and when I get knocked down in the water with even one aluminum tank on and all my cold water gear and weights, I struggle to get back up. I can do it, BUT, not if I have even waist high waves pulling me around.

I had numerous ear problems as a child, as a result I have no balance. Nada, zip, zilch. I am graceful as a cow on roller skates which is why I easily get knocked down in the first place.

BTW, Gdenny, for what it's worth I had my BC inflated (go figure). I always do that and breathe from my reg. before entering the water because I have a fear of going in with my air off.

I was just kidding Others may disagree with my experience but once the water is waist, or even thigh deep, depending on the swell, wind (on shore will be more sloppy and weak...off shore the wave can stand up and slam hard) and bottom shape, the waves can have enough power to knock even your husband down. Once you're down, getting up with gear is hard....even putting your fins on is while you're getting tossed around. It's easier to swim in 2 feet of water. And with fins on and waves that small, you'll go right through them. Use your reg, which you did, but be more or less neutral. You don't want to be like a cork on the surface or the waves will catch you and wash you back a bit. Try paddling a big surf board through white water vs dunk diving a small board. Same concept. And, practice. the first time I went body surfing was at Yokohama Beach on Oahu in 77...fresh out of Ohio. Nice small day....for a while. Then a BIG set came (2 times over head) and I was screaming for my mamma.

 

[fishoutawater]

I did a few surf entries at Laguna Beach, and it's pretty much understood that once you get knocked down, just stay down and swim under the surf. Then when we got past the breakers we floated on the surface for a few minutes to put our fins on and relax, then we descended.
Getting out was pretty much the same, except we'd follow the slope back up under the surf instead of surfacing out past the breakers. Then we'd have fun trying to get our fins off in the surf. Wasn't pretty. Got knocked back down and rolled around quite a few times.
I gotta hand it to you smaller female divers, especially with doubles. That's tough.

 

[limeyx]

TSandM-

You did Monastery with doubles? Courageous. That's why the tech divers had so much trouble getting in at LJS, they were getting knocked down/around in their doubles and most of them were men. I understand women have a harder time getting up and maneuvering (duh) with them on so with all that I've read about the wickedness of Monastery, that took some nerve. Did you do it again? Or would you do it again with doubles? Just wondering how hairy the entry/exit was. I have yet to try it (not skilled enough) and I'm curious.

Maybe it's the girls I dive with, but I've never actually seen a girl have any more issues with diving doubles than any guy I've dived with, including gearing up for a tech2 scooter dive (doubles + 1 AL80 + 2 Al40's) on a boat being broadsided by 8 foot waves.

And doubles on a surf entry are (for me) generally more stable and just as easy to get in with. Getting out however, i can definitely be unbalanced, and I have spent more than my fair share of exits eating sand.

 

[Fuzzmutton]

Maybe it's the girls I dive with, but I've never actually seen a girl have any more issues with diving doubles than any guy I've dived with, including gearing up for a tech2 scooter dive (doubles + 1 AL80 + 2 Al40's) on a boat being broadsided by 8 foot waves.

And doubles on a surf entry are (for me) generally more stable and just as easy to get in with. Getting out however, i can definitely be unbalanced, and I have spent more than my fair share of exits eating sand.

Well, I've never dove with doubles personally OR been with women who have but I was basing my info. off a thread here where the girls were discussing whether or not they had trouble getting back on their feet after falling in doubles.It seemed that quite a few did. I'm sure being in the water would be fine, carrying them a *little* heavier than normal, but it was the getting unbalanced in the waves and falling and being able to get up on your own that I was talking about. Crawling looks so undignified, don't you think?

 

[limeyx]

Well, I've never dove with doubles personally OR been with women who have but I was basing my info. off a thread here where the girls were discussing whether or not they had trouble getting back on their feet after falling in doubles.It seemed that quite a few did. I'm sure being in the water would be fine, carrying them a *little* heavier than normal, but it was the getting unbalanced in the waves and falling and being able to get up on your own that I was talking about. Crawling looks so undignified, don't you think?

After falling, I'd imagine a lot of us (me definitely included) find it very hard to get up in doubles.

The trick is that on entry, doubles make it less likely (for me) that I will fall.

On exit -- It's far more likely for me to fall in doubles than singles.

While crawling is definitely undignified, I have done it many (many) times when beach diving doubles.

 

[uspap]

Hey Fuzz
So you chose So Cal over Monastary. I'm hurt. Just kidding. It was actually a lake over Christmas weekend. It sounds to me that you and hubby need to get with someone familiar with the local sites. Choose your day wisely. Also, the info I gave you for Monastary entry is the same for any rough surf. Reg in mouth, no air in vest. Fins on and ready to dive. Once you're past the surf zone go ahead and surface if you want. It sounds to me to be a confidence issue. Once you know you're ok and you made it then you will be fine. Do you still have no time during the week?