Snorkel Anyone ?

[reefugee]

I have a foldable snorkel that is in my drysuit's right thigh pocket.

 

[friscuba]

oopssss

 

[friscuba]

So does a regulator. And that has the bonus of not being able to get swamped.

OR just swim on your back in comfort.

Try doing a 30-45 minute face down surface swim on a regulator at the end of a dive. Altough I've never done that long of a surface swim yet, I know people who have. Regulators have a finite supply of air, snorkels don't.

 

[TheTrickster]

Never use one now...

Good job really as I lost the last one in the Red Sea...

 

[String]

Try doing a 30-45 minute face down surface swim on a regulator at the end of a dive. Altough I've never done that long of a surface swim yet, I know people who have. Regulators have a finite supply of air, snorkels don't.

So swim on your back.

 

[vel525]

Pesonally, I find it annoying attached to my mask and have not used in years. But then again, the majority of my dives are from a boat and do not require me to swim much on the surface. If I could think of an easy way to attach it on my leg or somewhere else I might start carrying it with me just in case, but for now it sits in my dive bag.

 

[Divingsteph]

I hate the snorkel but I wear it to teach OWC only. It's annoying, it looks stupid and it's the best way to swallow water. It does not take that much air from the tank to use the regulator at the surface. For long surface swim I just turn on my back.

 

[divefreaky]

I can't believe some people advocate diving without a snorkel... This is a basic safety requirement, and if an accident happens could make the difference between life and death!

* it is useful for shore entry and exit to avoid wasting air during surface swim
* it is useful for boat entry to avoid wasting air while waiting for everyone to be ready
* it is useful for boat exit to be more confortable while waiting to get back on the boat
* it is essential in choppy waters whenever you have to be at the surface
* it can save your life if for some reason you are lost at sea, or a long way from the boat/shore
* it can save somebody else's life during rescue operations

I strongly recommend getting a simple basic snorkel, with no purge valve and no splashguard. There are few good reasons for that:

* this allows you to perform emergency breathing through the snorkel during rescue operation, while still performing a comfortable pull
* if you are into freediving, a simple snorkel can be emptied simply by looking up and blowing gently in the last few meters of ascent
* purge valves fail; it has happened to me, and it's not fun swimming a few hundred meters while trying to block water from entering your snorkel with your thumb. I know a few people who have had the same problem

IMHO, a snorkel is a more important safety device than a BC: a BC will allow to float at the surface, but not to breathe easily, whereas with a snorkel, you can assume a position that allows your body to float naturally and avoid fatigue by letting your head rest while breathing easily.

Granted a snorkel attached to your mask can sometimes get trapped and cause mask flooding. So what? It's easy to readjust and clear you mask, and if a simple incident like this cause you to panick, you'd better get more practice in emergency underwater skills. In tricky situation where trim is essential, removing the snorkel from your mask can be useful, but make sure you always carry it with you.

snorkels are the devils work. in an overhead enviornmen snorkels are a hazard. if you can figure out how to use one in 100+ foot depth and 800 foot penetration in a cave i would love to hear the idea. the idea that a snorel is a safety device is amusing. the only thing they MIGHT be is a convenience at the most depending on where you are. same as a bc is NOT a safety device. a bouyancy compensator is just that, it compensates your bouyancy at depth. it is not a flotation device so it is not a safety device.

 

[String]

Im so tempted to reply to the arman68 moronic statements above but not sure i have time to waste. Suffice to say every single point on there is incorrect.

 

[audission]

Im so tempted to reply to the arman68 moronic statements above but not sure i have time to waste. Suffice to say every single point on there is incorrect.