Posted by Frank O on August 08, 2002 at 15:50:38:
In Reply to: Beach entry question..... posted by Starfish [now the one and only :)] on August 07, 2002 at 20:51:45:
Sometimes no approach works too well.
Usually I prefer to get out past the breakers with my fins under one arm and my mask/snorkel in place, and then slip on the fins (then again I've usually been freediving, so my approach may be a little different from what's called for toting 50+ pounds of cylinder and weights). A few weeks ago, though, I was at Christmas Tree Cove in Palos Verdes. The shoreline consisted not of sand but of very round, very _slippery_ polished rocks (extra slippery from algae growths), ranging from maybe half a foot to a foot in diameter. The problem wasn't the breakers but more that it was like trying to walk across a slope of big, greased ball bearings. Neither walking in fins or neoprene socks was going to cut it (I was probably at an extra disadvantage because freediving-style neoprene socks don't have the tread that scuba-style booties do). Let's just say I was happy there wasn't a video camera there capturing it for posterity.