Venice Beach Dive Help

[tampakiter]

Hi there. This is my first post on this forum so forgive me if this has been answered elsewhere. I'm planning on coming down there this weekend with my wife and we are going to dive for teeth via the beach. My question is, which beach dive has the shortest walk from the car to the water. My wife is fairly small and carrying the scuba equipment is not easy for her.

Thanks in advance. Great forum here.

AJ

 

[Fossilbabe]

Ok anyone want to jump in on this for me!!!

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

According to Google Earth, the distance from the parking area to the water for the popular beaches are:
Alhambra - 103 yards
Service Club - 204 yards
County park N. of sharky's - 104 yards
Park South of Sharky's - 104 yards
South Brohard - 116 yards
Casperson North parking lot - 60 yards
Casperson South parking lot - 51 yards

These are not exact and vary depending on where in the parking areas you park but it should give you a good starting point!

 

[thedaddy]

If I can make a suggestion -
I dive Venice with my daughter sometimes and I've found it makes it a much more pleasant dive if I bring a hand truck and wheel down to the end of the boardwalk at Service Club, then I walk the tanks and weights to the surf and allow her to gear up at/in the water. She's tough, but I notice she gets fatigued from the tanks more easily than I do (she still outbreathes me once in the water). Same goes for my wife. As for location, Service Club is longer, but the boardwalk makes for an overall easier trip with the hand truck and has some integrated tables that make for nice staging areas to stack gear prior to entry. Sharky's and S. Brohard entries are pretty easy if you get there early enough to get a good parking spot (or drop your stuff at the entry then park).

I'm generally a firm believer in everybody hauls their own gear, but make an exception for my daughter and wife in the interest of making their experience (ergo my and the overall experience) better. By using the hand truck, the double load on me is reduced (an even bigger difference when there's a long haul through parking lot or boardwalk as at Blue Springs). If you're in decent shape it's worth the extra work to make it a more enjoyable experience - you'll definitely sleep sound come evening too.

 

[artistdiver]

I'd agree with thedaddy. Service Club is a longer distance, but it is mostly sidewalk/boardwalk. So it ends up being easier than walking through the sand for a farther distance. As he mentioned there are also several picnic tables set up off of the boardwalk that you can use. A hand truck will make a huge difference though. Also, regardless of where you choose, try and get there as early as you can so you can park right near the entry point to the beach. (Really no secret there I guess, lol). Service Club doesn't have a huge amount of parking, but as long as you're there somewhat early, you should be fine. They also have restrooms and a fresh water rinse. I hope it works out well for you. Enjoy your dives!

 

[tampakiter]

Thank you for all the help. We are heading out today and hope to have a good time down there. I"ll post later with our results!

 

[Fossilbabe]

I like the service club as well. I like to be able to rinse off after my dive and some of my gear if I'm doing a beach dive. The hand truck is a added bonus as well for me. I have found that it makes me less fatigued and I dont suck all my air by the time I get to the water. Happy collecting and let us know how you did. Be safe and Sea Ya

 

[safyrewulfie]

I love alhambra but unless u get there before the beachers do, then its a walk from the parking areas. Then of course alhamy has the worse sand slopes lol. They can be really steep after a stormy night. Ive fallen in the sand a few times there.

 

[Walter]

I disagree. Unless your wife has a physical handicap or injury, a hand truck is not a very good idea. Yes, it will make things easier in the short run, but it will actually make things harder in the long run.

Your wife is "fairly small." Is she less than 5 feet tall with a small build? Nancy is. When Nancy started diving Venice Beach, the walk from with car to the water with an AL 63 on her back at Alhambra was a major chore. She didn't walk, she waddled. Coming back after the dive was even harder. Guess what happened in a short time. She got stronger. Now she can easily walk, not just from the car to the water at Alhambra, but she can easily make the much longer walk at Service Club Park, including the stairs, with an AL 80 on her back. She no longer waddles with a tank on her back, she walks with strength and ease, even on the way back to the car.

The decision is up to the two of you, but consider the results of your decision. One choice will leave her pretty much the same, the other makes her stronger and lets her do lots of things much easier.

 

[thedaddy]

Walter has a point.

To accelerate the strength building, you might want to have her carry your weights as well, and possibly run a drill on entry and have her make an additional touch and go between car and surf. Increase the drill by one lap each time until she can make five laps car to surf and back prior to entry. After that, the walk to the beach will seem like nothing and she'll do great on her next stress test.

She could also do this drill in her own home or apartment if you have a flight of steps. Just don't lean back too far on the ascend...

Make sure to leave a day between drills to allow for muscle fibers to heal.

PM me for swimming drills. There are some great drift sock and mushroom anchor exercises you might be interested in.