How to Safely Enter & Exit Rocky Shores
Shore diving is an exhilarating way to connect with the ocean and harvest your own seafood, without investing a bunch of time and money on a boat. This may require navigating rocky shores to access prime fishing spots. Navigating rocky terrain can be dangerous, as the ground is often slippery, jagged, and uneven, particularly when you're weighed down with equipment and wearing inadequate footwear—or none at all. In this guide, I will walk you through the steps to safely enter and exit rocky shores. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned spearfisher, these tips could be helpful to help you stay safe when exploring new spots.
Before You Go
Check Tide & Weather Conditions
Before you leave your house to head to your dive spot, make sure you check dive conditions. There are so many factors you could consider, but to keep things simple you can focus on surf/wave height. Generally speaking you will want to look for wave heights of 1.5ft or less to be safe, especially if you are just starting out. If you want to take it a step further, you can consider tide height, wind speed and direction, and so much more.
Pre-Dive Planning
Scouting out your spot is key to understanding how and where you should be entering and exiting from. Oftentimes your entry and exit points will be the same. Ideally scouting your spot in person is best but if you don’t have that luxury, you can still do your own scouting using Google Map’s satellite views.
Here is my general approach when planning dives:
Analyze rock formations the best I can from Google Maps Satellite view
Search forums, or social media spearfishing groups for photos or comments about the spot
Check conditions in this order most of the time:
Surf Height - I look for surf to be 1.5ft or less when diving rocky shores from a safety standpoint, but also it increases the likelihood that visibility will be better when surf heights are low
Chlorophyll (aka algae) - the less there is the better. Algae suck up oxygen from the water reducing fish activity and more importantly ruining visibility for you
Surge - I look for low to low/med surge conditions to ensure good visibility and energy conservation.
Wind Speed - I primarily look at wind speed and direction to determine how much chop I will likely be dealing with on top of the water. This could mean using more energy swimming from place to place.
Tide height - I will go out at any tide most of the time but knowing the tide height prepares me mentally on what to expect when I get there (e.g. lower tide mean more exposed rocks).
Ask a dive buddy that has been there to go dive with me, if not I ask a dive buddy that I have dove with before and can trust
Inform Someone of Your Plans
Spearfishing is a grip of fun, but you can’t deny the obvious and not so obvious dangers of diving for fish, so make sure you let someone know where you plan to dive and your expected water exit time. This ensures someone can get help if needed.
Time to get wet
You have done all the preliminary research and have identified a great day to go out spearfishing. Now it’s time to go get some fish but before you do you have to make sure you can safely and successfully pass where the water breaks (aka where the waves crash). Here are some tips that I had learned from other divers and from my own personal experience when entering and exiting from rocky shores:
Rule of 3: Maintain three points of contact (e.g., two feet and one hand) or 2.5 points (an athletic stance ready to catch yourself).
Throttle your speed: You want to cover more ground when there is a lull between sets. Don’t try to force your way through surf zones but work with the lulls between sets and leverage support you have when water receding back from shore.
Use the Water to Your Advantage: Let the water take some of your weight between sets to reduce strain on your feet. So I like to crawl on the rocks keeping the upper half of my body just above the water.
My approach to entering the water
Hold on to your Gear: Carry your speargun in your dominant hand and fins in the other. Maintain muzzle awareness to ensure you don’t poke yourself or others.
Walk Past the Crash Zone: If water levels are below your belly button, walk past the breakers before putting on your fins.
***If You Can’t Walk Past the Breakers:
Wait until you’re in 3 feet of water.
During a lull, tuck one fin under your armpit and put the other on.
Use your speargun hand to pull yourself out while kicking.
Flatten out if a wave is about to crash.
How to Exit Rocky Shores Safely
Exiting rocky shores follows many of the same principles as entering but in reverse. Here’s what to keep in mind:
Before you go past the break
Muzzle Awareness: Always keep your speargun pointed in a safe direction. This is especially important when you are heading in since there is a chance you could get tossed by a wave.
Secure Your Catch: Ensure your catch bag is closed and behind you to avoid snagging on rocks.
Spot Your Exit Point: Note any hazards you saw during entry and communicate with your buddy. Make sure to head in one after another, not at the same time.
Wait for a lulls between breaks
To take off your fins quickly, I found rolling to one side when removing fins keeps your back to the shore, allowing you to watch incoming waves.
Option 1: Take fins off after passing the breakers.
Option 2: Remove one fin before swimming past the breakers and the other after.
Final Step
Hold your fins in one hand until you’re ready to stand up, then tuck them under your armpit for stability.
General tips
Dive with a Buddy: Never spearfish alone. A partner can assist in emergencies.
Know Your Limits: If conditions feel unsafe, walk away and enjoy a meal with your buddies instead.
Stay Calm in Emergencies: If you fall or get injured, stay calm and signal for help.
Gear Can Be Replaced: In a sketchy situation, prioritize safety over gear. Keep your fins until you’re able to stand, then decide if you can retrieve the rest.
By following these tips, you can minimize risks and focus on the thrill of the hunt. Always prioritize safety, dive with a buddy, and know when to call it a day. The ocean is a powerful force and will wack you around if you don’t respect her.
Dive safe.