Shore diving in shallow water (sloshed around by the waves when underwater)

[BRT]

The laws of physics disagree. If you can sink 2 feet you can sink to the bottom. Once you have water 100% above you will continue to sink until you add gas to the BCD.

This is the correct answer!

 

[johndiver999]

All the sloshing around is why I surface swim (you can swim much faster on the surface) out a bit before I descend - yes, of course there is less wave and surge action as you get in deeper water

This is 180 degrees from my experience. When going through the surf zone, you can move much faster and with less effort if you crawl on the bottom. When you feel a large wave coming and starting to push you backwards towards shore, you STOP swimming and dig your fingers into the sand and then hold on for about a second as the wave passes over you. Then you immediately sprint forward and try to ride the undertow outward as the next approaching wave sucks you offshore/outward.

Smashing into the surf at the surface is not how you handle surf (with scuba or without).

Perhaps the only time I can think where you might want to be on the surface is when there are very large boulders in the surf zone and you will try to ride over them (or around them and you need the surface visibility to navigate) rather than risking get slammed head first into a boulder. But this would be very challenging and dangerous conditions that would be best avoided and probably outside of the scope of the OP's question or experience.

 

[KrisR]

Anyone would be a fool to disagree that the laws of physics don’t apply, if you can sink 2-3 feet you can drop. However a stressful situation for the op would inevitably have resulted in a fuller lung capacity. My advice would be try to breath steadily - fully exhale and sink as deep as possible. The more you dive the less you will be stressed and these situations can be easily avoided. Happy diving

 

[RXTdiver]

Wave action in open water extends downward to 1/2 the wavelength. WL/2=D. As a wave approaches shore the behavior changes as the waves slow down, the wavelength decreases and is going to slosh a diver around nicely no matter what.

Physics aside, I have been in 30 feet of water and was still getting sloshed about by large waves overhead.

As to getting down, not getting down, whatever, the best place to work on buoyancy, trim skills and get weighting correct is a swimming pool. Most dive centers have one.

I tested the weighting in the pool before I went into the ocean. The 16 lbs. of weight was good in the pool, but that's all the weight that I had.

 

[fred32176]

I felt wave action - back and forth, while waiting for a group of divers to get back on the dive boat. We were diving French reef near Key Largo as the conditions were too bad to do Spiegel Grove. We were hanging out about 15'.

That didn't make anyone sick but changing tanks in swells did. I take scopolamine whenever I dive from a boat.

 

[tursiops]

I tested the weighting in the pool before I went into the ocean. The 16 lbs. of weight was good in the pool, but that's all the weight that I had.

The pool is not salt water. You probably need another 4-6 lbs to make that adjustment ( you need additionally roughly 3% of your body weight).
Have you taken a scuba class, or are you learning/trying this on your own?

 

[RXTdiver]

The pool is not salt water.

I know. But 16 lbs. is all I had.

 

[tursiops]

I know. But 16 lbs. is all I had.

Have you taken/are you taking a scuba class?

 

[Still Kicking]

In the scuba biz we refer to "sloshing around" as surge.

 

[Outbound]

I know. But 16 lbs. is all I had.

And what about your buddy? Didn’t he/she have some more lead you could borrow? If you knew that 16 lbs had you properly weighted in the pool then you should’ve known that it wouldn’t be enough in salt water if wearing the same gear and thermal protection.

I’m thinking what @tursiops is thinking.