Posted by Chuck Tribolet on August 08, 2002 at 20:48:33:
In Reply to: MsBluCow is right on! posted by TDI_2 on August 08, 2002 at 12:14:44:
To avoid loosing your fins when you get dumped
(it WILL happen occasionally), hang them on
your wrists. You can either hang two on the
weak side (left) for most, or one on each. Then
you can break your fall with your hands, and your
fins will PROBABLY stay with you. And you have
your hands free to grab a reg or whatever.
The one thing you do NOT want to do is put your
fins on or off in the surf zone (from 10' into
dry sand to safely beyond the breakers). If you
are down, crawl. If you are up, walk.
When crawling, make a fist and crawl on your
knuckles. Your head will be a couple inches
higher, and your wrists less stressed than if
you crawl on your palms.
Mask in, reg in before entering the surfzone.
Absolute dumbest thing I've ever seen on
entry/exit was a few weeks ago at the Monterey
Breakwater. It was a moderately snotty day,
and if you weren't careful, you could get knocked
down. Several of were sitting on the breakwall
scoring entries and exits. Nobody got a 10.
A one-legged guy got a nine. The lowest score:
Two students were crawling out. There was a big
wet area. They crawled beyond where the
current set was washing up, but still well within
the wet, and their instructor or DM comes up and
tells them to take off their fins and throw them
out in front of themselves. They did so, at
which point Neptune conjured up a nice big set,
which washed way up the beach, yep their fins
washed away. Remember: 10' into dry sand.
Chuck