The wind is not usually a problem for abalone divers. At worst, it's an inconvenience because it tends to push floats and boats away from where the diver is working. That's easily remedied simply by tying off or anchoring whatever you don't want to have blown away or by simply not minding the need to chase things down.

The wind on the north coast generally flows from sea to the shore and most commonly from the northwest. Occasionally, however, it blows from shore out to sea. Known as "offshore flow", this is usually a boon for abalone diving in that it is very effective at chopping down the ocean swell and calming the surface of the ocean. There is one consideration worth worrying about though. For those abalone harvesters using a paddle craft to dive from (dive board, kayak, etc.), keep in mind that loss of your paddle will leave you in jeopardy for being blown out to sea. This is one of the many considerations that need to be taken into account when you're assessing the ocean prior to entering it.

Another annoyance generated by wind are "wind waves". When air flows across the surface of the ocean, the friction between air and water pushes the water into lots of piles. If these piles get large enough, they turn into breaking waves. The greater the wind, the bigger these offshore waves become. Though these waves have little to no effect on things below the surface of the ocean, they do have a tendency to slap you around while you're on the surface. Aside from the annoyance this generates, there's a need for extra caution due to the possibility of accidentally inhaling water unexpectedly dumped into your snorkel.

On a perfectly windless day, a boat sitting offshore and motionless will noticeably rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern. This rise and fall is known as "ground swell" (or simply "swell") and it's important to abalone harvesters because without swell there are no waves breaking on shore and no surge to deal with at depth. Conversely, as swell increases, shore break and surge follow suit. With experience, a swell report can provide a good indication of what to expect in the way of diving conditions.

Swell is measured by its height and interval. The height is simply the number of vertical feet our stationary offshore boat travels as it rises and falls. The interval is a measure, in seconds, of the time between the peaks (or valleys) of rising and falling. One way to understand how swell works is to visualize it as horizontal columns of water rolling toward shore much like logs rolling downhill. Over their long travels across the ocean, these columns stack up so that they come one right after another. What we experience as swell in the rising and falling of our boat is the alternation between top of one column and the low between adjacent columns as they move under us. This visualization clearly illustrates that the swell interval roughly correlates to the diameter of each column and that the height of the swell generally corresponds with the speed the column is rolling toward shore.

The explanations provided in this section apply quite well to swell falling inside the extremes of height and interval.

In terms of what swell is acceptable on the north coast, that's a matter of experience, personal comfort and physical conditioning. At some point in the swell interval/height curves, abalone diving is only fun in hindsight; it can be quite a rush to escape from an ocean where the swell obviously traveled all the way from New Zealand just to personally snuff you out. It's hard for me to remember what it's like to have a testosterone level much higher than IQ but each season provides new examples that this does indeed exist. Speaking for only myself, I pay close attention when the swell height exceeds 8' and the interval is greater than 15 seconds. At 10' at 10 seconds is probably where I draw the line depending on how I'm feeling that day.

In 1997, a diver was killed off Fort Ross when he was reportedly slammed against some rocks, knocked unconscious and drowned. This resulted in a lively but useful discussion on the ba_diving maillist. Ted Wheeler, one of California's most passionate and most experienced recreational ab divers, provided a list of DOs and DON'Ts that made it very clear he'd either watched a lot of retarded seals in his life or has learned from a few mistakes himself. Here's what Ted offered:

ROCK ENTRIES

• Ideal entry sites are at the end of rocky points (eliminates long swims) where a cliff drops by narrow shelves into water of diving depth.
• Put on full gear, fins and all, and wait just out of harm's way for a calmer set.
• Step down and kick off into the next wave just as it reaches it's highest level. Then rapidly move away before the next wave puts you back.

ROCK EXITS

• When returning to shore get close enough to a cliff face that you can touch it as the swell lifts you up and down like an elevator.
• The strongest diver should pass the extra equipment to the second diver and then land, take off her or his gear and help the second diver out.
• Strongly try to avoid landing on rocks that the water flows past or over.
• If you must go through surge channels keep knees and elbows up and protect your mask.
• When opposing water flow, use hand holds where possible; save your energy to save your self.
• At times hide behind sheltering rocks and sometimes low down in the front of a rock.
• Avoid being part of natures way of scouring the rocks; your suit, skin and blood are not natural to the environment.

AND SOME LAST NOTES

• Avoid places where large quantities of back-flowing white-water are plunging down. The downward back flow can drag you under and you lose buoyancy in foam filled water. These places often have (had) abalone and weight belts at their bottom.
• If a wave is coming, get up and out of it's way or, depending on the situation, flatten against the rock so that it can not slam you into the rock. Or get back in and try again.
• Double tie everything you want to keep. The ocean has a talent for undoing single knots.
• Small coves often have current flowing out the center. Use this current to make your outgoing surface swim easier and use the sides of the cove to make your return less strenuous.

Swells, as described in the previous section, do not originate from a single source. The swells that reach the northern California coast are a composite of the swells generated from weather conditions from all over the Pacific Ocean. A storm off Alaska can generate swells that combine with swells originating south of Hawaii that combined with swells traveling out from Japan. Some swells cancel each other out when they combine. Other swells combine to become bigger; sometimes, much much bigger. The result on the beach can be sudden, huge crashing surf. These "freak", "rogue", or "sneaker" waves make local news quite often at the expense of victims who turned their backs on the ocean at the wrong time and paid the ultimate price.

A cardinal rule being around the ocean is to never turn your back on it. Stick to that rule and always provide yourself the room and space to move quickly to higher ground and you'll be fine.

Another potentially exciting characteristic of northern California coastal waters are the occasionally strong currents. There are two types to be concerned about. One is the infamous "rip current" which simply refers to strong water flow from shore back to the ocean. Rips occur when water, in the form of waves and swells, moves into shore from multiple directions and combine in single path back out to sea. When conditions are just right, the flow away from shore can be overwhelming and you have a rip current. The other type of water flow that can become a problem is the "longshore current". The waters off the coast of California circulate from the Gulf of Alaska, down the Pacific Coast, and on to the equator. Like a powerful river, the ocean's flow generates eddy currents that run counter to the main flow. Near the coastline along northern California, a powerful eddy current running from south to north is fairly common and often too strong to swim against. But regardless of whether we're talking about rip or longshore currents, the appropriate response when caught in a strong current is the same. First, do NOT attempt to swim against it. That's hard to remember if it's a rip current and you desperately want to get back to shore. But swimming against a strong current is nothing more than a quick way to spend a lot of energy accomplishing nothing. So, your second reaction is to relax and look around long enough to recognize which way you're being carried. Finally, swim perpendicular to the direction of flow. That is, swim toward one side of the current or the other. Eventually, you'll cross out of the grip of the current freeing you to work on a better way to get where you were wanting to go in the first place.

Abalone diving typically involves diving in and around kelp forests. Kelp forests are a beautiful environment that only a few ever get to enjoy. It's a real benefit of abalone diving. However, kelp can cause an unwary or uncomfortable diver minor problems that can quickly escalate to major. Minor surface entanglement can become a major problem it's not handled correctly. One thing is to not spin around to find the source of entanglement. If you can't reach back and free yourself, get help from your buddy. A surface entanglement is often corrected by simply dropping down to 8' or 10'. If everything else fails, you can break the kelp stipe that's got you by bending it in half and squeezing the loop or, if the kelp is too thick, biting through it. Use a knife ONLY as a last resort.

Another source of possible entanglement results from a commercial fishing method known as "long lining." Long lining refers to the practice of laying long lengths of monofilament fishing line with short leaders attached to baited hooks at regular intervals (usually 3'). Depending on the fishery, these lines can be miles long. On the north coast of California, the typical lengths are much shorter as a result of a restriction that imposed at limit of 10 hooks per line. Still, commercial fishers are allowed to lay those lines virtually anywhere they chose. Once laid, the fisher leaves the area. At some later point either the same day or the next, the fisher returns to check what's on the line.

The hazard of long lines to freedivers is simple. If a line goes unnoticed at depth, a diver can be inadvertently snagged by one of the stainless steel hooks. This has already happened on more than one occasion though nobody has been killed or seriously injured, yet. Even in areas where long liners have not been seen for awhile, divers need to remain cautious. Occasionally, a long line will hangup on the reef where it was laid and ends up being abandoned. Such a line becomes a permanent hazard.

Look for pairs of floats with the commercial fisher's permit number stenciled on. Their presence should be taken as fair warning on what might be encountered below.