Question What are easy shore dive conditions?

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Bubba_in_cali

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Hello I am interested frequenting a beach in Malibu, California, for shore diving, scuba. I know I should be looking for days and times when the surf is less than 2 feet. I believe I should be looking for days and times when the tide is coming in, not when the tide is going out. What else should I be looking for please? I am PADI OW with 50 dives.
Thank you.
 
Hello I am interested frequenting a beach in Malibu, California, for shore diving, scuba. I know I should be looking for days and times when the surf is less than 2 feet. I believe I should be looking for days and times when the tide is coming in, not when the tide is going out. What else should I be looking for please? I am PADI OW with 50 dives.
Thank you.
I've neve dived the West Coast but can't argue with your idea. I assume tides play a bigger factor than here in the East (although if an outgoing tide you must be aware you're against it coming back in and won't notice the slight push you got going out). Other than sunny weather for better visibility, all I can think of at my age is parking really close to the shore and an easy walk to it....
 
Not familiar with your area, but you should look first for a good buddy- better if he/she already know local area.

Also, perhaps scouting with snorkel will let you see from above what to expect underwater, know better the topography, secondary entry/exit points etc and you can more easily cover by far a larger area than with all scuba gear. I find it easier to scout the area from above then plan the route for scuba accordingly.

In my area of Mediterranean sea, 2ft surf is diveable but already stirs so much sand that it reduces visibility for shore diving. A few minutes with your mask and snorkel you will see how much vis you have there.
 
Take a look at the local charts to get an idea how fast the bottom drops off and what depths you are looking at. You can also check the NOAA bathymetry site at Bathymetric Data Viewer to see if there is multibeam imagery for your area. Even if there is not, you can quickly see how deep the water is. Currents and visibility are more of a local knowledge thing. For example, in my area current is negligible, but vis is 6" from May through September because of the Alge Bloom.
 
How about if it looks like this and forget the rest

129.JPG
 
Hello I am interested frequenting a beach in Malibu, California, for shore diving, scuba. I know I should be looking for days and times when the surf is less than 2 feet. I believe I should be looking for days and times when the tide is coming in, not when the tide is going out. What else should I be looking for please? I am PADI OW with 50 dives.
Thank you.
If you are talking about the kelp forests just off the PCH, be aware of how deep they go and bring a cutting tool. Also talk to the local dive shops and the LaCo Life Guard Station out at Zuma Beach for advice. There is an active local dive community, so you can take a more experienced guide with you.
 
Terrain makes a big difference - how far do you have to lug your gear from where you parked to the waterline? What will you be walking on as you enter/exit - nice sandy bottom, or softball-sized ankle turning rocks?
 
I shore dive up in Norcal.
Avoid long period swells - 14 seconds or longer. Those will cause a lot of surge and have a lot of surf line pulling power. Look for days where the surf is knee or at the most thigh slappers. Shin slappers are even better. Get in the habit of going to NOAA’s website for marine forecasts and plan your outings accordingly. You will learn what swell direction, interval, and swell height mean for your location. Also look at the tide charts. Pick a day when tides are not at extremes and pick an incoming tide or slack. During a calendar period when the tides change is minimal this is less of an issue.
Protected coves are easier to get in and out of than exposed beaches. Pay attention to the forecasts and pick days you know won’t get huge on you when you are out there (more of a Norcal problem). If the surf picks up when you are out there make sure you save enough air to get back in on the bottom and crawl out. We do this by dumping all air out of our bc’s to remain heavy and literally crawl out on all fours. Leave you reg in your mouth until you are high and dry! I’ve seen too many divers try to stand in the surf zone to get their fins off only to get rag dolled and lose fins, mask, second stages, very ugly. If you’re going in when the water is benign enough that you can wade in to minimal wave action and get your fins on in waist to chest deep water easy enough, great! If not then put your fins on on the beach and side/ back step in (reg in mouth) as far as you can and flop in and kick like hell. You’ll need a compass to make sure you’re headed out and not back in. It’s easy to get turned around in the chaos of the surf.
Use your gut, if it looks like a day you shouldn’t be out there, then don’t go out there.
I’ve stood on the beach for an hour or longer looking at it and decided nope. No shame in that.
They used to teach us all this during OW class on how to read the ocean before going in. It was part of OW training because this is where 99% of people dived after they got certified.
 
I prefer outgoing tides for better viz.
 

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