Long Hose/Bungeed Back up/No Snorkel

[TSandM]

Well, so far, I haven't been anywhere where you couldn't find a path through the kelp on the surface, and I've never come CLOSE to not having enough gas to get back, even if I surfaced a long way from the boat and had to resubmerge and swim under the canopy. If I dove places where I was likely to encounter a kelp mass so thick I couldn't get around it, I might be even a bit more conservative on my gas planning. There are a lot of reasons why one might want to reserve more gas than the minimum to reach the surface.

And remember, I'm not knocking having a snorkel. I'm just arguing that, since it doesn't need to be deployed in a screaming hurry, it can be carried somewhere where it takes a little time to get it out and ready for use.

 

[Thalassamania]

...
And remember, I'm not knocking having a snorkel. I'm just arguing that, since it doesn't need to be deployed in a screaming hurry, it can be carried somewhere where it takes a little time to get it out and ready for use.

I know that you're an inveterate gas planner so I thought I'd throw you a sinker. As far as the snorkel is concerned, I might agree with you if I ever found a way to carry one that I was willing to use and to securely mount and dismount it. Another plus point for a snorkel is the almost routine glottal control that routine use trains into the diver. While not a primary point, it sure comes in handy when something like a regulator diaphragm failure or mouthpiece pulling off forces you to deal with that problem of suddenly having a mouth full of water instead of air.