What's the best way to enter & exit from shore?

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Pembina

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Going to Bonaire in Feb (my 2nd trip). I had never made a shore dive before my first trip to Bonaire and my 1st few tries were not pretty :depressed: So for the remainder of my trip we either did boat dives or stuck to the house reefs (such as Cpt Don's & Buddies).
This time I want to do more from shore but how do you enter and exit without getting knocked over by a wave?
 
I feel you. Have done shore dived but never with surf, then in Oct did some in Washington with my bro in law. Looked (and felt) like an idiot on my way out
 
I do a fair amount of shore diving with surf. Here are a few tips:

  • Exercise good judgment. Don't attempt a shore entry when there's too much surf action. That being said, I don't recall noticing much surf at all in Bonaire. It's probably safe to say that Bonaire surf is site- and date/time-dependent.
  • If there is surf, spend a few minutes reading the water before gearing up. Watch the sets and roughly time them. Analyze the water for any rips which can be used to get out but understand that such rips will be working against you on the way back in. Immediately before entering the water, check to see that the water "looks" the same. Surf conditions can change rather quickly.
  • Identify the most convenient entry point. I tend to avoid areas with waves breaking on sharp rocks. Sometimes you don't have much of a choice in this regard. At Bonaire, there was always a decent option available. If you're lucky, you can spot the location of good entry/exit sites by looking for the stacks of rocks that other scuba divers have built. Divers in the know understand what the rock-stack means and take advantage of it.
  • Use good footwear to help negotiate the uneven ironshore at Bonaire. Most people prefer some sort of hard-sole bootie.
  • For Bonaire entries, it makes sense to have your fins in one hand as you enter the water. (There are other shore dives in the world where it makes more sense to don the fins and then backward shuffle into the ocean. When in doubt, ask local divers about the best method.) The other hand can be used for balance or helping out your buddy. Walk slowly/deliberately. Try to lower your center of gravity a little by bending your knees while walking over uneven ground. Watch out for potholes in the ironshore. No one likes having a broken ankle while on vacation. Look out for urchins.
  • Once your feet touch the water, you might want to think about shuffling your feet to avoid stingrays. Also, make sure that all your equipment is securely attached to you or else the surf can separate you from your gear. That's not good at all.
  • As you approach the surf zone, make sure your mask is on and keep your reg handy. For novices, it's recommended to keep the reg in the mouth when getting rolled by the surf is a possibility. If you get rolled by the surf, you want to have access to your air supply.
  • Move quickly through the surf zone. If a large wave comes, place one hand over your mask and reg, duck your head, and lean into the wave a little to let it break over you. (Here in San Diego we'll actually kneel down and lean forward into a big wave.) This puts you in great position to pop up immediately after the wave passes you by.
  • Once you get past surf zone in about chest-deep water, don your fins. While you're doing this always keep an eye on the waves. You are particularly vulnerable to getting rolled when you're standing on one leg.
  • Make sure you are entering/exiting the surf zone near your buddy. You need to be in a position to help each other. Many people find it easier to don their fins by leaning/holding onto a buddy for balance. It doesn't take much of a wave to separate the dive team.
  • Always keep your eyes on the waves. Never turn your back to the surf. The waves will get you.

Be patient with it. Successful navigation of surf on a shore entry takes practice.

Arguably the easiest entry/exit will be at one of the dive resorts. Even though we weren't guests at Buddy Dive Resort, we used their dock to conduct night dives on several occasions. BDR has steps with handrails right into the water. Entry and exit are a piece of cake. If you aren't a guest at the dive resort, ask a resort employee ahead of time for permission to dive the site. BDR was very nice about this.

Hope this helps...
 
On Bonaire wear thick soled booties for the iron shore. Look for marked entrances to the surf, some sites there are yellow rocks by the water indicating easy entry. Buddy up with some more experienced folk who can show you the entrances.

Take your time, watch for urchins.

My wife has very very bad knees so we enter together, very slowly, I can take her arm if need be.

Of course do not put fins on until in waist to chest deep water. Do have your mask in place, and reg in mouth when entering or exiting in case of a spill.

Oops, bubble beat me to it with more detail..
 
I have been to Bonaire a dozen times and I have never returned home without a couple of "Bonaire Badges" take your time, watch where you step and hang on to your buddy. As you already know it is worth a few "scrapes", have fun!
 
Bubble could not have put it better. The only thing I can offer is that my wife and I walk in together arm in arm and keep each other balanced. It has worked for us, although we have landed on our arses more than once. But I'm still here to comment on it so..... It's all worth it!!!
 
1- Thick Sole Booties - Seasoft Sonrays are nice
2-Clip your fins to the front of your BCD- keep hands free
3-Put mask on your head- Backward until you are in the water
4- Inflate bcd a tad
5-keep Reg handy
6.-Look for the quietest entry point- Avoid big splash areas
7-Watch the water surge. There is a rhythm- enter during the lull
8-Walk slowly into water until you are in enough water to float
9-Once in floatable water depth, put reg in mouth and slowly, doggy paddle out to deeper water
10- once in deeper water- unclip fins, put them on, put mask on correctly.
11-Check your systems and Let's go down !
12-To return to shore- do everything in opposite order !!

Also, you may want to consider 62 tanks.. Have a wonderful time !
 
We shore dive here in Okinawa quite a bit over sharp coral and rocks and many times we get a bit of surf also. There has been good advice given above - get into chest deep water to put your fins on, move quickly but not rushed through the surf zone, keep your reg handy- or just have it in your mouth to begin with. One thing that I find most people have a problem with is entering with too much air in the bc. The BC should have very little or no air in it so that as you put your fins on a wave does not pick you up and carry you. If the surf is moving a bit walk out to chest deep water, put your reg in and start the dive as you put your fins on, the less time on the surface the better. When exiting swim all the way into shallow water - keeping the reg in and while negative remove your fins, stand up and walk out- do not remove the reg until you are stable and standing in shallow water outside the surf zone.
 
I see some people take their gear to the shore and don it on in knee deep water. I guess they either don't have a convenient place to suit up their gears or it is too long a hike from the truck to the shore. If the surge is too strong, it might make things harder.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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