Snorkel Anyone ?

[skinnydogdives]

i always have my snorkel with me when i dive (tucked in behind the knife strap on my leg).i am still waiting for the opportunity to use it. but you know the one time that i leave it behind is the one time i'm going to need it.

 

[highlandfarmwv]

I have a snorkel that folds up and goes in my BC pocket. I like having one available, but don't like it hitting me in the head.

 

[MBH]

I do a lot of work at the surface which requires the use of a snorkle. A cheap snorkle will make for a long and tough day in my line of work. A good quality snorkle like an "old" Voit Big Bore or a new model Scubapro will breathe easy, have a replaceable mouth-piece, and the lower silicone section provides fatigue free comfort and will fall and hang straight away when not in use...no interference with a divers second stage what-so-ever.
A snorkle is basic surface equipment.

 

[ShakaZulu]

The only good use of a snorkel.....

 

[muddiver]

I guess since I am one of the "Manly Man!" divers I should down play the snorkel. But, I won't because I do like to use it when diving off a boat or during heavy surf exits/entries. There are even locations in So. California that you can get a ticket for not having one on hand when you walk down the beach to dive.

They are good to have when surface swimming from the boat to the down/anchor line because it conserves air. I guess all the other "real" divers must use their air to swim to the dive location before decent. I like to have a full tank before leaving surface. Same goes for beach dives.

As I see it, to each his own. I also carry a wierd knife that doesn't have a point. It has a hook to cut fishing line or straps and I have never poked my self with it. A"real" diver though wears 5 lbs of stainless steel on his inside thigh as perscribed by watching Loyd Bridges in Sea Hunt. Then there was my little tiny friend Christina who had a pair of paramedic shears. Hey, if it serves the purpose and it work for you, wear it!

 

[audission]

Snorkels are extremely useful.... if you've dropped something overboard, they make great impromtu boat hooks, for example

Joking aside, BSAC don't even teach that they should be used, as far as I am aware.. never seen club members diving with them anyway. Got to say from personal experience if the sea is a flat calm a snorkel is unnecessary: if it's rough then it's worthless. Besides which, BSAC teach you to keep your regulator in on the surface.

Ps: The PADI training module that talked about "Choosing a bright and colourful snorkel can be fun!" (or words to that effect) only served to lose them credibility further in my mind too, I'm sorry to say.. :mooner:

 

[Clearwater]

I have not worn a snorkel since my cert dives. However, I keep a Flex folding snorkel in the left pocket of my BC just in case.

 

[Wolfie2012]

The one time I decided, "hey maybe I'll wear my snorkel today" the ocean graciously stole it from me. I figured it was a sign.

 

[friscuba]

Only time I don't wear one is when I'm doing the manta dive.

I used it on a 5-10 minute surface swim just yesterday. I did a ton of shore diving when I first moved to Hawaii and got used to wearing it. It just feels wrong not to have one on at this point.

Even on boat dives I generally wouldn't do without one. If the spit ever hits the fan and I need one, I'd prefer not to have to mess with trying to pull one out of a pocket and attaching it to my mask.

 

[String]

Snorkels are extremely useful.... if you've dropped something overboard, they make great impromtu boat hooks, for example

Joking aside, BSAC don't even teach that they should be used, as far as I am aware.. never seen club members diving with them anyway. Got to say from personal experience if the sea is a flat calm a snorkel is unnecessary: if it's rough then it's worthless. Besides which, BSAC teach you to keep your regulator in on the surface.

Ocean diver has one confined lesson involving duck dive skills (OS4) but thats without dive gear it also mentions the word in OS1 regarding fitting a mask and fins along with clearing the tube (again no dive gear). Thats it though.

Its not required equipment for confined and i dont recall it being required at all for any open water skills and where it is mentioned certainly does not have to be worn.

Given the amount of problems we've seen caused by them and the fact nobody i know of has yet seen a single use for one (outside pouring alcohol down on dry land) we stop trainees diving on the boats with one attached to their mask for safety reasons. If they insist on taking one its in their pocket or stuffed into a knife strap but definately NOT on the mask.

That said im looking through PADI standards now and cant see where it says a snorkel has to be worn on the mask at all times.