shore diving

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

C

cgamble

Registered
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Murphy, Texas
12

A planning to do some shore diving, for the frist time, on our next trip and do not know what is really recommended in regards to using a diver down flag.

Do I need to attach something to myself and drag it along or what?
 
When I go shore diving, I'm carrying two things in my hands: my fins in one hand and flag/spool in the other (ok, I guess that qualifies as 4 things). When I get to about chest deep, I'll float on my back, let the flag float on its own and put my fins on (which takes some transferring back and forth a bit in regards to the other fin and the spool). I never attach the flag or reel to myself. If a tangle occurs, at the very least I can just drop the spool and work on getting the line off of me. It hasn't happened yet, but just in case.
 
Gfisher has it right. You might want to keep your gear to a minimum to limit the amount of possible gear loss or your coordination. Your attention will be more on your gear than on your diving, Gives you a higher chance of forgetting to do something. Take your time and concentrate as you get closer to entering the water.
The conditions of the surf will determine how much you bring. If the Surf is between 2 and 3 foot close in you might want to put your fins on right at the waters edge and walk in back wards. I don't let the flag go until I am past the surf zone to limit the beating the flag will take.
Rinse your gear well after the dive the sand can get in all sorts of areas after to get out of the water.

Dave
 
I always take a compass bearing so that I exit the water near the easiest exit point. Here in the UK a lot of beaches I dive have lots of slopping banks of sometimes sand or pebbles so it nice to find an easy place to exit the water when your tired.

Consider taking a whistle along to get the attention of the shore in case of a problem.

Peter
 
cgamble:
12

A planning to do some shore diving, for the frist time, on our next trip and do not know what is really recommended in regards to using a diver down flag.

Do I need to attach something to myself and drag it along or what?
Click to expand...

It depends entirely on where you plan to dive..

- Are there laws or ordinances requiring a dive flag?
- Is there boat traffic in the area?

If the answer to either question is yes, then it's a no-brainer ... carry a flag.

If not, then you have to weigh the tradeoff of potential hazards. Carrying a dive flag isn't always the safest choice, especially if there are pilings or other potential snag hazards at the dive site ... or if there is surface current (induced by wind or tidal conditions). You have to make the choice dependent on site conditions.

I'm guessing from the way you put the question that you're a fairly new diver, and that this will be your first shore dive. In which case, there are some other important considerations.

- Pick a spot with relatively easy access/egress, and preferably sheltered conditions.
- Choose a conservative dive profile.
- Make sure you take a compass heading ... at a minimum, set "out" and "in" on your bezel, and visualize a mental "map" of the dive site.
- Before descending, look back at shore and get a good mental picture of landmarks ... if you end up ascending somewhere other than your starting point it may be confusing to figure out which way to head back to where you want to exit the water.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Are there any other local divers (you dont say what area you are from) that you could call upon to help mentor you through the shore diving process? I think the others have covered the general aspects of shore diving and flag use - remember to take a cutting tool if you are somewhere that you might get entangled (in flag/float line, kelp, fishing line and such). If you havent ever even swum at the site take a few moments down at the shore, maybe in your wetsuit and just feel what the bottom is like before you try to do it for the first time lugging all your kit. Leave a bottle of water outside your car to wash off your car key (prevent rusting out the lock) and more water or find the nearest shower to wash off all that sand and salt.\

So where are you located? That would help greatly in determining if there are any further recommendations or finding you a buddy who knows the area!
 
Thank you for all the good advice. You are all correct in that I am new to diving, just certified in 10/2004. I have done 6 dives since then, all boat dives. I am planning a trip to Hawaii and want to do some shore diving around Maui and Oahu and wanted to make sure that I did the appopriate thing as far as letting people know there are divers in the area. I like your suggest on asking the local dive company that I will be renting tanks from.
 
Check with the LDS, but also post up a question (in the Hawaii forum) regarding shore diving etiquette and if anyone is around on Oahu or Maui to dive with you!
 
NWGratefulDiver:
It depends entirely on where you plan to dive..

- Are there laws or ordinances requiring a dive flag?
- Is there boat traffic in the area?

If the answer to either question is yes, then it's a no-brainer ... carry a flag.

If not, then you have to weigh the tradeoff of potential hazards. Carrying a dive flag isn't always the safest choice, especially if there are pilings or other potential snag hazards at the dive site ... or if there is surface current (induced by wind or tidal conditions). You have to make the choice dependent on site conditions.

I'm guessing from the way you put the question that you're a fairly new diver, and that this will be your first shore dive. In which case, there are some other important considerations.

- Pick a spot with relatively easy access/egress, and preferably sheltered conditions.
- Choose a conservative dive profile.
- Make sure you take a compass heading ... at a minimum, set "out" and "in" on your bezel, and visualize a mental "map" of the dive site.
- Before descending, look back at shore and get a good mental picture of landmarks ... if you end up ascending somewhere other than your starting point it may be confusing to figure out which way to head back to where you want to exit the water.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Click to expand...

You might also set up an object on your expected exit point that could easily be seen from the water. (Sort of like a light if night shore diving). You might also consider having a non-diver stay at your exit point to help guide you and assist if any issues arise. Even more so since this is your first shore dive and you are relatively new to diving. Think safety and fun. Just my 2 cents..

Larry
 
cgamble:
Thank you for all the good advice. You are all correct in that I am new to diving, just certified in 10/2004. I have done 6 dives since then, all boat dives. I am planning a trip to Hawaii and want to do some shore diving around Maui and Oahu and wanted to make sure that I did the appopriate thing as far as letting people know there are divers in the area. I like your suggest on asking the local dive company that I will be renting tanks from.
Click to expand...
I'm not certain of the official regulations regarding shorediving in Maui. I do know that any small boat with divers in the water has to display a flag.

We've dove near Kihei(Wailea Beach) and Airport Beach up north and never used a flag. In fact the Airport Beach dives were DM accompanied and he didn't bring a flag. They were scooter dives though so that might make a difference.

If you are shorediving off Maui, be careful if surfacing offshore. We did the 360' look at our safety stop prior to surfacing off Wailea Beach, there's boat traffic going by there regularly. If you go out to the wreck there, you'll be in the boat channel. Especially watch for sailboats, you won't hear them coming.

The reef there is only in 30-40' of water, worth a look. We saw Pipefish, Puffers, and hundreds of other fish. There's a big resort north of the parking lot there and they have a dive op right near the beach. It's about 100 yds. from the parking lot to the right. So everything's close by, parking is the only problem there, it's kind of limited.

Check with Maui Dreams or Shaka Divers, they both specialize in shorediving on Maui.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom