Free dives from the beach
Free dives from the beach are an option that is increasingly in demand by divers. Sometimes, lack of time, the impossibility of meeting Diving Center schedules, or economic reasons cause groups of divers to do beach dives on their own.
Although it is true that the means available at a Diving Center are more suitable for doing dives at points far from the coast, beach dives, a priori, are easy dives that can eliminate that "Monkey" to wet the neoprene and spend some time with the diving buddies.
As we said before, dives from the beach are, for the most part, of low technical level given the shallow depth that the Spanish coasts usually present. However, sometimes the situation can get complicated, with deep dives on cliffs that are difficult to access or in coves, beaches with paths that are difficult to access or far from the urban center or areas where our mobile phone does not have coverage.
Following a few simple steps of organization and safety, beach diving should not cause a day of pleasure to turn into a bad day.
- The first concern we should have is to check the weather and sea conditions. Bad weather conditions, surf on the coast or currents can make entering the water difficult, but even more so getting out. It is very important not to dive in water conditions that may exceed our diving level or that of our colleagues. It is vitally important to know when to abort a dive, decide to have a coffee and leave it for another day.
- We must undertake a dive plan and try not to break it. The entire diving team must know the buddy system, the course to follow, the maximum immersion time and how to act in the event of the loss of a buddy with the technique of searching for 1 minute and surfacing. Finally, it is highly recommended to have a first aid kit that all team members know how to use.
- It is very important to have someone on land who keeps an eye on the divers: who knows the time of entry, the place of immersion, how many members are in the diving team, the departure time and that it has an executable Emergency Plan, specific to the place where the immersion is taking place. This Emergency Plan must include the telephone numbers of the competent authorities and the time and methods of transportation to the corresponding health center in the event of an accident.
So, although shore dives are generally easy, problems can arise that make them very complicated. Never neglect possible accidents and stay trained and always prepared in rescue and primary care techniques, so you will always know how to act in unforeseen and delicate situations!
Your instructor or trusted Diving Center will be able to inform you of the steps to follow to keep you up to date on these techniques according to your diving level.
