Hi SD fans, and welcome back to the channel. In a recent video, we focused on seasickness,
and ways to try and limit, if not eliminate, the effects of this debilitating condition.
However, if you are one of those people who just cannot even look at a boat without feeling
the urge to unload your breakfast, then shore diving might be your only option, so in this
video, I am going to provide some useful hints and advice on getting to grips with shore
diving.
I love boat diving, be that off a dayboat or a liveaboard, because it is as easy as…
well, falling off a boat. But shore diving also has a place in my heart, and if often
my weapon of choice when it comes to tackling certain dive destinations. Some people opt
to shore dive because they get seasick and can’t face being on a boat, others prefer
shore diving because it is cheaper than boat diving, while others just like being able
to do their own thing and not play ‘follow my leader’ behind a dive guide. Whatever
your reasons, shore diving has its place in your diving repertoire, and here are some
useful tips. One of the most vital things you can do when
you rock up to a location and are planning to go shore diving is find the local dive
centre. One, you can get your tanks filled/rent tanks and weights and pick up any last-minute
equipment purchases you require if needs be, but two, you can pick their brains on where
to actually go diving. Dive centres will know the best shore diving locations in their vicinity,
so it makes sense to ask their advice on where to go. Not only will they be able to point
you in the right direction, but they will also be able to tell you about any potential
hazards you might encounter. For instance, some of the best shore dives off the coast
of Anglesey in North Wales, one of my frequent dive locations, are also extremely popular
with those doing surface watersports. Now surfacing in front of a kayak or a stand-up
paddleboard is one thing, popping up near jetskis or speedboats is another. So I either
use a surface marker buoy so that people in the area know where I am at all times, or
I opt to dive in and out of gullies close in to the rocks where no boat traffic will
approach. Boat traffic aside, other shore dive sites
can be affected by the tides, so you need to plan your dive time accordingly. At Ravenspoint,
a fabulous shore dive in Trearddur Bay on Anglesey, the optimum time to enter is shortly
before high tide, so you can enjoy the clarity of the incoming tide, but also finish up your
dive and be out of the water before the tide turns the other way. Far too many shore divers
have been caught out at this location and been swept miles out to sea. You do not want
to be those divers. You also need to know where to get in and
out of the water. If the shore dive is off a nice, soft, sandy beach, the biggest issue
you are going to have is keeping sand out of your equipment. You will be able to literally
just walk in and out of the water. However, if entry and exit require you to scramble
over rocks, then you need to work out exactly how you are going to get in and out of the
water, especially if there is swell and surge. Getting in is often the easy part, getting
out can be the difficult bit. In Malta, at Cirkewwa at the north of the island, there
are several great shore dives, including a couple of awesome shipwrecks. Conditions here
can vary immensely, but I recall one time being at the site when there was quite a wind-driven
swell. Getting in was no hardship – we just timed the surge and did a big giant stride
off the rocks into deep water. Getting back on shore was a different matter. We had to
scramble up a rocky ironshore slope through the surf. It was a case of ride a swell in,
then hold on to the rocks as the water receded, crawl up the slope aways until the next surge
came in, hold on for grim death, then repeat until you were far enough out of the surf
zone that you could remove your fins and climb up the rocks back to the car park. My wife,
being quite a bit smaller than me, was tossed about in the surf and I remember her washing
back and forth in on the swell two or three times before I was able to grab her BCD strap
and drag her up out of the water. Thankfully, now there are several ladders at that location,
so exiting the water is a doddle. The neighbourhood dive centre be able to advise
you on all of the above, so make use of local knowledge.
Another thing to bear in mind is getting to and from the entry and exit points from your
vehicle. If you are going to have to truck your equipment a fair distance, then that
might dictate what gear you are going to use. No point lugging a twinset when you could
maybe get away with a single cylinder, for example.
Look at what is underfoot. Here in the UK, all my diving is done in a drysuit, so I have
thick boots to soak up whatever terrain I am walking on. But if you are in a tropical
location and wearing a wetsuit, then you need to think ahead. I always wear thick-soled
booties and open-heel fins, so it is not an issue for me whether I am walking across a
sandy beach, hot concrete or rough ironshore, but if you routinely wear full-foot fins and
no booties, you might need to reconsider your footwear. The last thing you need is lacerated
feet from walking on broken coral or sharp rocks.
One of the biggest advantages for me of shore diving is being able to dive to my own schedule
and not be bound to boat dive times. If you don’t want to be up bright and early, you
can start your diving day at a far more civilised time, giving you more opportunity for another
coffee or two. Similarly, if you suddenly feel like heading off for a night dive at
2am, then you can get wet to your heart’s content.
I also like being able to dictate what I do on my dive, rather than play follow my leader
behind a guide. As I am generally taking photographs for the magazines, I want to be able to go
nice and slow and look for shots, then have the time to set them up and get the composition
right, especially if I am working with a model. It can be very hard to set up and get decent
shots when you are having to follow a group and only have time for a shot or two before
being forced to move on. One a shore dive with your buddy, you can mooch along the reef
and just go as fast or as far as you want.
Are you a shore-diving fan? What are the main attractions of shore diving for you? Leave
your comments below, and if you have a question, fire away – if we can’t answer, maybe
someone in our community will be able to. Remember, if you enjoyed this video, be sure
to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and check out our ever-growing playlist for more educational
and inspirational videos. As always, stay safe – and if you are going
diving, enjoy!