Heading out to sea for the first time. HELP!!?

[Mongo Johnson]

Surfline will tell ya how fierce the waves are on any given day. Bigger surf will bounce ya that much more. A flat day, means an easier in and out and less boncing.

Regardless of the wave height, and the tides, wave sets are an IMPORANT underlying thing to take time to figure out. You can lessening you hassle by using the lulls between the sets. Often, it's a patience folks don't have and it gets 'em pounded.

Waves come in on a recurring cycle of "sets" . . . like clockwork . . . big waves come in followed by a lull, and then another "set" of the bigger waves followed by a lull. This varies based on tides and wind. But, sets is sets.

You have to sit on the beach, higher up is better, and just watch to find the pattern of the sets on any given day or time of day. Or, sit outside the surf zone and gauge the feel as you come in.

Just watching a bit can save you some grief of a tumble, or a big tumble vs a small one.

You're looking for the mellowest gap in the cycle.

If you stand on the beach and happen to be in a lull, you may think to dash in. If you happen to be at the "end" of that lull, then you meet the big waves as you go out.

Were you to wait for the end of a lull AND the completion of bigger part of the set, you'd be going in at the beginning of the lull and have more time to get out in less sloppy water or genuine waves.

Google beach diving tips. Lots of stuff on beach diving and safe entry that's directly relevant to yak entry.