Colder Water Isn't Just Colder Water

[Gareth J]

Shore diving can be tricky for even the most experienced buddy pair. Even on a site they are familiar with.
A small change in surface conditions can significantly change how easy it is to exit the site.

Added to this you had equipment changes, and a change to cold water.

Nice written post, well done, for getting out , and for the post.

 

[jonhall]

Diving colder waters in thicker mm suits is a challenge, it took me quite a few dives to reconfigure proper weighting, weight positioning, etc

This SB site is best when people post honest events for all to learn and, on this specific site, nobody dies.

Wish I would have learned a little more a few years back. Wore my first 7mm suit diving in Pacific, but forgot to account for extra weight. The DM carried and added the weight I needed and I had no further problems but that was an open water dive.

Next time wearing a 7mm was doing cenote dives. Thought I knew what I was doing by accounting for the weight, but found I could have other problems I wasn't expecting. Continuously swimming at different depths, hitting halo clines, equalizing when depth changed, and trying to maintain proper buoyancy throughout the dive made those dives the hardest I've done. Wish I would have read of (or done a little more research of) other first time cenote diver accounts and what to expect.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Adding rocks to your pockets is deceptive. Underwater they aren't as negative as on land. For rocky shorelines it is always best to remove your fins once you are in waist deep water. Pull the fin straps over your forearms, clip them off if you have clips on them or throw them on the beach if you can do so easily. \When exiting, keep your knees bent, take baby steps and never turn your back on the ocean. Time the surf. It comes in sets. You may have to wait for the next calm between sets. I have close to 400 dives at my favorite shore diving site, a rocky beach that can be dangerous in as little as two foot surf. I always joke that if you haven't been knocked down on the rocks and hurt you haven't dived there enough.

 

[Dogbowl]

Oh wow! Folks who dive such sites are brave.

 

[northernone]

Adding rocks to your pockets is deceptive. Underwater they aren't as negative as on land. For rocky shorelines it is always best to remove your fins once you are in waist deep water. Pull the fin straps over your forearms, clip them off if you have clips on them or throw them on the beach if you can do so easily. \When exiting, keep your knees bent, take baby steps and never turn your back on the ocean. Time the surf. It comes in sets. You may have to wait for the next calm between sets. I have close to 400 dives at my favorite shore diving site, a rocky beach that can be dangerous in as little as two foot surf. I always joke that if you haven't been knocked down on the rocks and hurt you haven't dived there enough.

Loved those videos. A good reminder of the broad spectrum of dive conditions we consider familiar with experience.

 

[Bob DBF]

Oh wow! Folks who dive such sites are brave.

The technical term is crazy.


Bob

 

[BRT]

I

Diving with a thick wetsuit or drysuit requires a lot more attention than a thin suit. There is more of a buoyancy swing so you need to be on top of it (small adjustments to BCD volume - don't wait until you are out of control). The only way to know what weight you need is to do a proper weight check - pre dive with full tank and no air in the BCD you should be at approx eye level with lungs half full (rising on inhalation and dropping on exhalation).
Another take away would be try to add only one new thing at a time if possible. You did a new site and new gear without adequate preparation. A better plan would have been to find a sheltered site to get used to the new gear, do a proper weight check with your new gear (a nice easy safe site) and then add in the new dive site once you are happy with the gear.

If you do a predive weight check like that you will be very light as you approach an empty tank.

 

[Neilwood]

I

If you do a predive weight check like that you will be very light as you approach an empty tank.

Apologies - I forgot to allow for that. Allowing for the weight of the head, that would put you a couple of Kg light so easy enough to add. That will get close enough that doing a stop should be possible (with a minimum of effort).

 

[BRT]

Apologies - I forgot to allow for that. Allowing for the weight of the head, that would put you a couple of Kg light so easy enough to add. That will get close enough that doing a stop should be possible (with a minimum of effort).

Without recalculating I believe a 100 cf tank has 9 lb or so of air. If I am really close to, or in decompression I'm going to want to breathe it all on my safety stop. 2kg is about 5 lb. I have been in the situation of too much nitrogen while too light once. Swimming down at 15 feet while trying to hold a steady depth and use a minimum of air doesn't work very well. I want enough lead to breath a tank nearly empty while holding depth when the situation is not tranquil. I don't ever plan to be in that situation again but stuff happens.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

To the OP,
Glad everything ended up OK.
Those types of dives are some of the best learning moments you can have. One of those events is equal to 100 benign dives where nothing goes wrong but nothing really special happens either.

We have some sites in Norcal that can get pretty challenging. Big surf, rocks, cold water.
What I eventually found was the less stuff and clutter I had on the better off I was. I use a super streamlined rig with all hoses tucked in and nothing dangles. I use a 7mm freediving suit because they are flexible and warm. I also like steel 72’s for the more sporty sites since they are light and small and easy to maneuver/deal with.
It was a learning curve but I’m a lot more confident and agile now on some of those entries/ exits.
Some of the learning curve is to know when to pass on a dive because you know better.
Keeping in shape helps a lot too.

A lot of people ask why we dive some of those sites, and the answer is because the life and underwater structure is fantastic and it’s beautiful. The coast where I live is exposed to the wrath of the North Pacific, but I want to dive, so I learned to deal with it. Otherwise I would never get to dive if I had to wait to go to warm water. Instead of looking at what’s wrong with it, we look at what’s good about it and we focus on that. One thing we’ll never have to worry about is the place getting overrun by tourists!

I also second Bob’s advice of freediving a spot first to experience currents, rips, and other hazards without being encumbered by scuba gear. We are both from Norcal and regularly dive many of the same spots.