I guess there must have been chaos in many areas and it's hard to imagine what was going through the minds of those stuck on the beaches within sight of the boats , but I suspect that any lad who chucked his kit and swam for it wouldn't have been allowed to queue-jump the lines of infantry standing shoulder deep out at the boats ... he would've probably found a line of underwater bayonets pointing his way back to the beach !
There may have been little boats picking up individuals though on the fringes .
The sand dunes must have been thoroughly sifted for milsurp treasure long long ago . Best dealers of crusty rifles were usually Belgian .