You didn't learn this in your Open Water Course - scuba diving skills

[@AzulUnlimited]

Have you tried these skills out? How did it go?? OUR SPONSOR 🌱 EcoRoots 🌱 bit.ly/EcoRoots Use code: AZULUNLIMITED for a discount!

[@davidb5195]

I haven’t crawled to safety… I have crawled when having a few too many after I had a few too many lol

[@nfthach]

I was taught this at San Carlos Beach on my first two dives. The next day when I was at Monastery, I put those skills to the test.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@nfthach woah! You went to Monastery during your open water course?

[@nfthach]

@@AzulUnlimited yep. It was on my 2nd day of ocean dives. I liked it, and got to use the Monastery Crawl. First day was at San Carlos Beach.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@nfthach Impressive 👏

[@alexfinn7989]

Ooohhh, thats what all the scuba divers are doing at 2am leaving the bar. Practicing safety skills 😂.

[@AzulUnlimited]

haha yeah, partying and diving isn't a good combo. Don't know how those young people do it :P

[@jaesonpaul]

North Monastery is my favorite site! Done the crawl soooo many times. On a good day you can walk out but the crawl is always there for you. Watching that exit was like watching someone else filming in your house….!

[@AzulUnlimited]

It's now one of mine too! I was glad to have calm conditions and get the footage, not fight for my life 😆

[@fabherod]

I really like this channel! I learn new diving skills as I practice my english listening!!!😁😁😁

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yay!!! Gotta love a double whammy 🤙 thanks for watching

[@paulgee8253]

Technique has been taught and used for a very long time. Used to see classes do this at Divers Cove as practice. Basically it’s lowering your center of gravity and using 4WD when needed. Works. Not why it never got more widespread use but good to see this.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Honestly! It's so useful. I can't believe I hadn't done it until recently. Thanks for watching 🤙

[@mokpot]

Well done and well explained. Monastery is such a great dive!

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you! It's such a great place 😍

[@keithrootsaert6002]

Monastery beach usually has a scalloped shore with high and low spots. The waves wash from the high spots to the low spots so in the low spots the returning wave will push you back into the water causing the washing machine effect you described. If there is scalloping crawl up at the high spots. Also, the closer you can enter and exit near the sides of the main cove the less wave action you will have to deal with. If things get real bad when you exit you can always take off your BCD and let it float on the other side of the waves with a buddy. Once you've come ashore and you've removed your fins and weights above the waterline they can release it and then you can drag your gear up onto the beach. Last one out has to brave it, but you will be there to assist. When you walk in use your fins as oars to get yourself out of the surfline. I'm a DM and have been briefing divers here since 2009.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Rad. Thanks for the thorough break down 🤙

[@azurehome3316]

Great Video! Keep up the good work!

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks! I have some fun things planned this year, stay tuned 😁

[@shawnskiver1341]

Enjoyed the video great tips for the surf and kelp forest. You and Abby be safe looking forward to the next video.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you!!! Safe adventures ahead 🚐🤿

[@Majovegana]

Muero de ternura con esa perrita🥰

[@AzulUnlimited]

Es que, es muy dulce y linda jijiji

[@carlosfernandez5969]

Nice video!!thank you,greetings from Colombia...

[@AzulUnlimited]

Hola hola!! Muchisimas gracias 🙏

[@calkelpdiver]

I dived SoCal for over 10 years, and taught scuba for 10 years. Dived from Northern Channel Islands down to San Diego (Pt. Loma, Wreck Alley, La Jolla), and the beaches from Malibu down to Laguna Beach. Used Divers Cove in Laguna for cert dives as part of Open Water classes. So I've dived in kelp around the islands and beaches, and the "Kelp Crawl" is an effective way to get around/over an out cropping of Giant Kelp. You have to lay flat on your stomach and use your hands to push down on the kelp fronds while slightly kicking to propel yourself along. No big flutter kicks like you normally would do, small ones while pushing the kelp down and out of your way. Slow and steady is the rule. And yes, some beach faces are steep and drop out quickly so you need to be wary of the waves breaking close to shore. The surf zone is very short in those instances and a wave can build/break quickly. So time the sets properly and get through the surf zone as quickly as possible. Mother Nature has a sick sense of humor, and she will slap you around if you don't pay attention. On the exit from the water if the waves are breaking quickly then you'll probably need to do the crawl out. If you deflate your BC so you're not floating you can pop your fins off and "bounce" walk your way out. But that takes practice and experience to do without getting tumbled. All in all though, it is about timing the sets and moving in or out at the right time. There is no rushing in diving, you've got time to do things safely. And yes, my name here is derived from my time diving in SoCal, it's short for California Kelp Diver (Calkelpdiver). Be safe.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks for summarizing the video! Have a good one.

[@theck672]

Sweet Abby dog 🐕!!! Great 👍🏼 video as always!!! 💛💚🧡💙❤️💜

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you!!! Big hugs to you, my friend.

[@moocowp4970]

I've falling face first on a rock platform and smacked my head on the rocks (with full scuba gear on) after a wave washed on the rocks as I was getting up after getting out of the water, had to go to hospital to get some stitches. I immediately bought some better boots, but now I always crawl out of rocky areas until I'm in a safer location. May look silly, but I don't miss any dives due to injury, so I'm happy with that :P I tell newbies to do it too at that site, they're usually pretty grateful for the advice so they don't make the same mistake as me.

[@AzulUnlimited]

THIS 👆 we all have had accidents and made mistakes and it's important to talk about them, share knowledge so others can learn from our growing pains. Thanks for sharing about your experience. I'm sure you've helped a lot of divers avoid the emergency room.

[@EEEZSolutionS]

Great videos - My GF and I have watched many of your tutorials -- I've been diving for 20 + years but she is new... that said your videos have been educational for both of us. Another thing about the crawl.. My GF is 5' tall, 105 lbs and dives with an 80 steel and 16 to18 lbs in salt water. That's a lot of weight -- so on several occasions, once out of the water, I have helped her get out of her gear and then take the tank off and then carry them out separately... another inelegant way of doing things, but it works and is safe :) BTW - I learned to dive off Casino Point when there were no stairs - that was such fun :(

[@AzulUnlimited]

Oh man! Old school casino. Must've been beautiful though 😍 I'm so glad the videos have been helpful. Where are you two diving next??

[@EEEZSolutionS]

@@AzulUnlimited Yeah, it was - and I was 22 years younger LOL--- We just got back from diving at Casino Point on Sunday, Mon, & Tues. Was AWESOME! I grew up in So CA but now live in No CA so we dive Tahoe and are thinking about giving Folsom Lake or Natoma a try - good for skills practice and treasure hunting... how about you - where next?

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@EEEZSolutionS I'm gonna be learning how to dive in my new dry suit and heading to the Oregon coast! My most recent video explains what I'm up to. #DiveDryRoadTrip :)

[@EEEZSolutionS]

@@AzulUnlimited I will check it out -- sounds like fun :)

[@00bikeboy]

Hopefully getting back into diving in the near future after about 10 years. This was very helpful, thanks.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yaaaas!!! So stoked for you. Connect with me on ig and let me know how it goes 🤙🤙🤙🤙

[@jonramsay5123]

I have been TOSSED by big waves surfing and can’t imagine the same experience in dive gear, shore break can be deceptively dangerous. Thanks for the info! I learn a ton on your channel!

[@AzulUnlimited]

not a great feeling! Thanks so much :) Glad I can help :)

[@mariagutierrez5194]

Great informative and entertaining video. I'm a fan!! I am getting OW certified in June in Roatan, but I live in San Jose, California so I expect diving in those waters at some point. I can't wait to dive in a Kelp forest.. I'll be practicing the crawl for sure..:)

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yay! I'm going to be away from California for a while, but maybe we can dive together in the future. Connect with me on IG @azul.unlimited I love meeting new dive buddies.

[@psarmstr]

Another note with Monastery Beach: The sand is large grained and you'll be cleaning it out of all your gear for days. Particularly check regulators as it's well known for jamming them. Lots of inexperienced people have free flow issues with octos, in particular, after diving Monastery; even more for those who treat their octos as ornaments. Having said that, the dives there are really amazingly beautiful. Totally worth it, if you find a safe day to dive. On the note with regulators when crawling out, I encourage regulators to be in from the time of entry to the time of exit; not just in places like Monastery. It's a life saving habit as surprises can happen regardless of how nice the dive site usually is. We've all seen people trip over and end up face planting, it's just way to easy to drown in embarrassing ways.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Great points. Thanks for sharing! And yes on the sand thing. That would've been a good thing for me to mention. It was everywhere 🤪

[@mikebreeden6071]

Known as Monster Berrys... Nasty ... large sand... on a steep beach.

[@joakimdiver1120]

Awsome video as always;) big fan of your channel🤩🐠

[@AzulUnlimited]

Aww thank you so much! I really appreciate you 🙏🤙

[@pulpogigante]

Interesting and informative video. Just wanted to know have you seen any sharks around this diving area, and what species? Excellent video, just subscribed.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks so much! Around here, most commonly you can see horn sharks or leopard sharks. There are other bottom dwelling sharks like the Angel or Swell that are harder to spot. I've seen more shark activity in Southern California, but in general, sharks around the shore are not interested in being around divers.

[@seekingourwow8289]

Timing the sets is important. Also, my observations include people entering and exiting the center of the bowl. We would enter and exit on the left (facing the ocean). Here is where the water hits that area of the beach and transitions to the center of the beach creating what east coasters warn of the rip tide. I used to lay on the bottom at the base of the kelp and hold onto one or two of the stalks. Count the waves (and feel the outward pull of the waves and wait for the lull. If I remember the counts were four heavy outward waves followed by two calm waves. During the calm wave period you kicked hard and hit the shallow beach and begin your crawl out of the wave zone. Also, if I remember correctly, kelp always grows at roughly 40 feet of depth. Also on the left side just beyond the kelp forest is a large rock that marks the wall where it drops to a depth 1,500 feet.

[@AzulUnlimited]

There's definitely an art to entering and exiting this dive site! It's a wild ride sometimes.

[@donr3407]

Thank you for the vid, you totally Rock. You should make the trip to Seattle we have some pretty cool dive spots here. Shipwrecks, a couple of submarines, underwater tunnels that lead into Seattle's underground city. The vast majority is actually quite accessible. Wishing you the best and happy diving.

[@AzulUnlimited]

I'm gonna be up that way this summer. See you there??

[@donr3407]

@@AzulUnlimited Totally, that sounds great. Currently I am in a kayak in the middle of Lake Union. Let me know when you're going to be up this way and I will show you some of the reasons Seattle is considered the Great Northwest. We would love to have you and your puppy 🐶.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@donr3407 cool, we can connect via email [e-mail]

[@Blakdragon42]

Most of my diving has been done in California. I dive in Southern California. We have a site called Veterans Park. Most divers in the area no matter the skill level. We have all crawled out. No shame in crawling out.

[@AzulUnlimited]

I'm a big fan of it! So simple and useful

[@Blakdragon42]

@@AzulUnlimited yeah we always tell the students everyone crawls. Plus the waves crash right on shore. The sand right there is really soft. You can sink up to your knee in it..

[@myscubablog]

Hi there! great video as always! I'd just like to ask about your wetsuit... it's SOLAFX, right? How you like it?

[@AzulUnlimited]

It is. I would like it more if it actually fit properly 😆 Aitor bought it so it is designed for a 6ft tall man, not a 5'4" woman. Other than that, it's great 😅

[@myscubablog]

@@AzulUnlimited yeah, I got mine few months back, had no chance to wet it yet 🤣 but fit is great. I just wonder how comfortable it will be in 8°C - 12°C ... Would you care to do a really deep review of your?

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@myscubablog The lowest I've gone is 11... that gets cold after about 30 min. 8 will probably be kind of rough :D

[@nes.torfernandez]

I went to monastery beach to fly my FPV drone. Didn’t know it was a dive site and is not like I would dive it cause I didn’t have any gear since I’m from FL and I was there for aerial work and not UW but it would have been cool. I did notice the waves were crazy

[@AzulUnlimited]

It's a beautiful place for filming. Maybe you'll have to give diving there a try sometime!

[@elefja1]

My wife and I got our drysuit cert at Breakwater in Monterey on a swelly day, we crawled out but my wife was having a hard time and got helped out by a very friendly and muscular woman who yelled, "no one dies on my beach!". It must have been hilarious to watch🤣, great memory!

[@AzulUnlimited]

Hahaha that's the kind of story I like to hear. Divers helping divers 🥰

[@ryanmoeller3308]

Your dog is way to cute.. LOL.. I'm hoping to get PADI open water certified! I absolutely LOVE the ocean and want to explore it as much as possible. Gonna be going to the Galapagos Islands next summer!! Keep up the GREAT work ma'am! Much respect and support from Yuma, AZ. 👍👍

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you! Abby is definitely the cutest dog I know - not biased at all 🤪 the galápagos is on my bucket list. Would love to hear how the trip goes!

[@ryanmoeller3308]

@@AzulUnlimited I'll definitely let ya know!! I've been wanting to go ever since I was little. Gonna be doing an 8 day exploration cruise where we go to all the islands in the archipelago and snorkel and have fun!

[@ryanmoeller3308]

@@AzulUnlimited I don't have any social media.. Let me know how to get in touch with ya!

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@ryanmoeller3308 email is always good [e-mail]

[@ryanmoeller3308]

@@AzulUnlimited Sweet! Email has been sent

[@shackleton1962]

Hello Sara will you come back to Komodo?

[@AzulUnlimited]

Maybe I'll bring a dive group to Komodo someday, but I'm not moving back there :) hope things are going well now that the country is finally opening.

[@shackleton1962]

@@AzulUnlimited I would have liked to come and dive with you, I had thought about it but the pandemic came, also living in Indonesia must be difficult to live there. now in California, back home, I wish you the best. a kiss from Barcelona.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you! We have wonderful new owners at the dive shop and they would be thrilled to show you around Komodo of you still want to go. You can email me anytime about it [e-mail]

[@candacesteveley2798]

So maybe it’s because I got certified in chilly California, but I learned both of these in training 😊 But great video. Love the channel.

[@AzulUnlimited]

yay!!! so glad you did. they're super useful. I've seen a lot of people teach the kelp crawl in OW but not necessarily the crawling exit. Thanks for watching anyway :D

[@timgosling6189]

This is a great example of when having your gear nicely squared away is super important. If you have a dangling BC inflator or octo it will get full of sand and you may have a hell of a job cleaning it out. And there's nothing wrong with crawling; you'll look a lot less elegant rolling around like a clubbed seal trying to get to your feet!

[@AzulUnlimited]

THIS 👏 haha and yes, especially at this dive site, the sand grains are large and they can get caught in all kinds of places causing leakage problems. Great point!

[@tinocruz6417]

Vámonosssssss 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@AzulUnlimited]

Vengaaaaaaaa. A bucear! Woooo

[@tchize]

Interesting. Here in Zeeland (Netherland) we have to deal with dangerous tide. One of the things you learn and is repeated at each briefing is "if the tide get difficult to fight, purge the jacket, go to the bottom, whether it's 10, 20, 30 40 m, take out your knife and crawl to the shore. Never ever surface in the blue.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Very interesting! It's a little different around here because there aren't a lot of deep areas accessible by the shore. Monastery is one of them, but most shore diving sites here are very shallow

[@jonnieinbangkok]

I guess that might work if you have the air.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@jonnieinbangkok with good dive planning you should! :D

[@tchize]

@@jonnieinbangkok Well, like usual, in case of incident needing to resurface, resurface with a parachute as much as possible. But if you reach surface in the blue it can take quite a while for coast guard to send you a boat while you derive. Or you can try to hitchike a regular boat if it doesn't hit your head first. Also, while you can easily reach 20~30m not far from the coast, getting back to the coast is only a matter of 5 mins crawling. And you don't care where you get out at that point, as long as it's ouside of water :) You'll be out of it very quickly and might have hike back to the car. The problem is more if you are diving nitrox, you might have to break the 1.4 PPO2 rule to do it, considering absolutely no visibility mean no idea how far to reach bottom .

[@tchize]

@@AzulUnlimited I tend to think a good dive planning should always include the "what if we discover we have no air" enven if this should not happen :)

[@user-gk7dn3ts1q]

perfect crawl for veterans park where there is a mushy soft sand bottom

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yes! The crawl is perfect for that. Thanks for watching 🤙

[@carlschumann]

I dive rocky New England shores. Crawling is definitely a thing. I wear knee pads to protect my knees and dry suit.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks for watching-and for the double comment!🤪

[@jonnieinbangkok]

Are you doing California van life now - quite a change from Komodo. No more shortys and rashguards 😂😂😂 I'm originally from San Francisco in northern California but now living in Phuket.

[@AzulUnlimited]

I am! The last two years have really changed my whole world. I'm grateful to be here though. Hope things in phuket are good 😀

[@HoracioLanzas]

Something that I think every diver should do is carry water. I use a silicone collapsable water bottle on every shore dive in SoCal. I clip it to my BC and it makes the long walk from my car and surface swim easier both ways. You can squeeze any air out of the bottle and it doesn't affect your buoyancy. You could even use it drink underwater if you really wanted to.

[@AzulUnlimited]

I haven't tried that but that's a great idea! I think cave divers also do that for their long dives too.

[@Jacoeditz]

Hello it's me again congrats of 7k subs

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks so much! So crazy 🥰🥰

[@Jacoeditz]

Np keep up the great work

[@TheMarcoflint]

When did you go diving at Monastery ??? Hit us up and let's go diving if you're still around :D Have you tried Pt Lobos ?

[@AzulUnlimited]

I'm going next Sunday!!! I'll be in Monterey for a couple of weeks. Hit me up on IG and hopefully we can connect :D

[@stephenkennywhatup]

What kind of dog is she? She's really cute!

[@AzulUnlimited]

She's a terrier mix (not sure what though since she is a rescue) but basically the best dog in the world :)

[@stephenkennywhatup]

SHE IS REALLY REALLY REALLY CUTE!!!

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@stephenkennywhatup Thanks! :)

[@chuckstockwell5511]

This is no joke. In Laguna plenty of new divers have died in Shaws cove.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Oh wow, didn't know that one. And yes, it's honestly one of the best safety skills I've learned in a while. Thanks for watching!

[@davidb5195]

Another great video is coming tomorrow

[@AzulUnlimited]

You're the best! Thanks for the support

[@davelundergoesunder]

Abby is adorable.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks! She's the best little dog ❤️

[@stevemellor7989]

Hahaha looks hysterical. Nope, was never taught this exit, but the next time I get bowled over by the waves, I’ll know to stay down. If Sarah can do the Monastery crawl, so can I 👌.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Nothing humbles you more than getting knocked around with scuba gear on 🤪 I had some pretty epic fails that i wish i had recorded hahahaha

[@mikesbigadventures194]

Everyone and I mean everyone does the Monastery crawl. Being able to walk out of North Monastery is something you can do rarely and only when conditions are excellent. But diving Monastery is worth it.

[@stevemellor7989]

@@mikesbigadventures194 sounds like I’m missing out on some pretty cool dives being here on the east coast. Maybe I need to plan a road trip west.

[@mikesbigadventures194]

@@stevemellor7989 Indeed you are.... ping me if you do, I'll show you some awesome dives

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@mikesbigadventures194 100% 😍 such a beautiful spot.

[@diverdave4056]

you tank is mounted to low ... move it up a few inches !

[@AzulUnlimited]

hahaha, it had actually slipped out during our 'dramatic' crawl out of the water. Adds to the suspense :D

[@Aquaticdiscoveryscuba23]

I have a video of someone getting rolled in the waves at momentary. If you want it let me know I’ll share it with you

[@AzulUnlimited]

Aww that poor diver, been there! 😆 would love to see it. You can send on ig or fb 🤙

[@troop1026]

Do you a favor. If you have to just trim the hair only. Looks great as is. Nothing wrong with van life. If you want to film some cold water Montana diving give me a holler.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks! Yes definitely only going for a trim 😁 I'm heading through Montana this summer, watch out, I may take you up on that!

[@troop1026]

@@AzulUnlimited Look up A to Z Scuba in Great Falls Mt. I dive all over Montana and my wife and I would love to host you. Would also like your input on my dive shop. She is small but we pack a lot in. Cheers. Mike Lukas NAUI 60770.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@troop1026 Fantastic! Would love to check it out. Let's get in touch by email [e-mail]

[@YouTube_user3333]

As a surfer for decades, I don’t understand the crawling up the beach part. You want to spend the least amount of time in the danger zone. Typically if you can, stay under the water until you run out of depth. Take one fin off first, then remove the last one once you no longer need propulsion. Yes you won’t be able to see and your timing is important. If your not happy being a little bashed around in the surf, don’t dive. Shore diving in surf, is a different kind of diving altogether.

[@kentthomas4015]

As someone who grew up diving M.P. you do not want to get caught with any thing off if your hit from behind or front by a large wave and sucked back in like monastery can do and say you lose a fin your in for a really bad time. I find the fastest way out of the danger zone on a beach like Monastery is a crawl . The less time you spend fussing with stuff the better just, get in . 5 decades as a diver.

[@YouTube_user3333]

@@kentthomas4015 there’s a place here exactly the same. It’s so much quicker than crawling. It’s called running 😆

[@paulgee8253]

Surfers aren’t so encumbered by gear. Crawling is often the fastest way out of the “ kill zone” for a scuba diver.

[@YouTube_user3333]

@@paulgee8253 yeah I’m not a Christmas tree diver, like some people 😆 When I shore dive I take minimal gear.

[@psarmstr]

@@KZbin_user3333 Many smaller divers are physically incapable of doing that. Also, there are significant risks if you take a fall with gear on. I'm a fit guy and could totally run out at Monastery if I thought it was in any way sane. I crawl, it's so much safer.

[@Belphegoresque]

Nice to see your hair loose for a change. It suits you so much better. As a matter of fact, no woman I’ve met benefits from wrapping their hair. 😝

[@AzulUnlimited]

I experience many benefits from wrapping my hair.

[@smacinskyjr]

You are so beautiful you melt my heart!

[@AzulUnlimited]

You are very kind

[@smacinskyjr]

@@AzulUnlimited Just very honest. If you ever get over to the southeast coast my son and I would love the opportunity to dive with you.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@smacinskyjr We'll see where the road takes me! :D

[@smacinskyjr]

@@AzulUnlimited We live outside of Atlanta, so anywhere in our vicinity on the East Coast and we'll meet you there!

[@albrennan8158]

քʀօʍօֆʍ

[@AzulUnlimited]

just a little bit of spam?

[@marklee8226]

It's called the beach crawl stay low

[@AzulUnlimited]

how low can you go? ;)

[@carlschumann]

I dive rocky New England shores. Crawling is definitely a thing. I wear knee pads to protect my knees and dry suit.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Now that's a great gear choice!