Posted by Jason on December 03, 2001 at 12:14:32:
In Reply to: Re: Beach Diving posted by George Austin on December 03, 2001 at 11:26:38:
I'd worry less about embolism than drowning, esp if you keep the BC empty. You can't reliably get at the reg in the midst of a wave and if it were big enough to pose a real threat, you probably shouldn't be diving that day. Also, if surf is so high that the thought even occurs, I'd have the fins on.
Procedures vary by location, depending on the wave heights, nearby rocks, and length and steepness of the surf zone. What works for Monastery is very different from a SoCal beach when the waves are going big.
I usually keep my BC empty, though coming back in would be a good time to consider otherwise. If my reg isn't in, it's in my hand right next to my mouth. Fins stay off if the surf is nothing to push me around or (at monastery) if it's only a 10ft zone to jump past.
The dumbest practice I've seen is the PADI OW students holding hands as they sidestep through the surf. Guarantees that one will take the other down.