In Reply to: Beach diving with camera posted by Wally Burke on September 09, 2008 at 10:04:31:

Definitely clip it to your BCD... but also, I'd suggest not to let go as long as that's possible. The clip is a last resort.

Sand will get in no matter what. Even if you don't drag it through the sand, there's enough sand floating around in the surf zone that it'll inevitably get into every nook and cranny. Make sure you do a thorough cleaning afterwards, check the o-rings etc.

I find it pretty tricky to maneuver the camera and deal with everything else getting through the surf, so I tend to leave it behind if the surf looks remotely gnarly. I know plenty of people who take bigger cameras than me through more difficult surf, though - I imagine it just takes practice, like everything else. :) It also helps if you have a buddy you can hand things off to if necessary while putting on fins and such.