Snorkel Anyone ?

[seibert.kyle]

I am going to scrap mine, if i was to ever swim on the surface, I would swim on my back. It makes everything so much easier, but i can see how someone may want it. It just annoys me

 

[marcienko]

Nope.Never.

 

[String]

Where I've been working this last 8 years, we rarely have serious rescues to deal with, but I can think of maybe 3 near semi-serious rescues where a person was panicking and on the verge going under that were a direct result of them (they really had only themselves to blame) breathing off their regulator on the surface at the end of a dive and runnning out of air.

So just inflate their BC and dont dive overweighted. Far better solution

In all cases, a snorkel would have avoided the panic situation.

Not if there are waves they dont. That 20cm long bit of tube is useless in wave heights bigger than that. Inflate and float instead of relying on a substandard tube not designed for it. Far better solution.

Negligible amount of air usage does not equal unending air availability.

No but it works even in rough weather whereas snorkels dont.

 

[sporket]

I always have mine, so that I may keep my head down, and I might see whats about to eat me!!

 

[Zoomer]

Discount Divers - IST Silicone Roll-Up Snorkel

 

[Stichus III]

I always have my snorkel with me on dives, even though I rarely use it.

I’m always happy to have my snorkel with me on rough shore dives. When conditions are rough on shore dives I often swim out on my back with the snorkel in my mouth. This is a big improvement on just swimming out on your back with no snorkel. In my experience the divers not carrying a snorkel will put their regs in their mouth on the aforementioned dives; as a result they are always out of air first and have to cut short their dives. Often this means that they are not able to make it to the intended exit point and end up making a shore exit where it is not recommended (with no snorkel and low on air they tend to choose the shortest surface swim back to shore).

Once I was also in a situation where the current unexpectedly swept me and my friends far away from our boat. The boat did not spot us for a while. We were in the water for almost an hour waving our safety sausages and waiting to be seen. Putting my snorkel in my mouth was very helpful as this allowed me to rest i.e. I did not have to keep my head high out of the water.

You never know when a snorkel will prove helpful. That’s why I always carry mine with me on all my dives.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

So just inflate their BC and dont dive overweighted. Far better solution



Not if there are waves they dont. That 20cm long bit of tube is useless in wave heights bigger than that. Inflate and float instead of relying on a substandard tube not designed for it. Far better solution.


No but it works even in rough weather whereas snorkels dont.

Wow, someone should tell US Coast Guard and Navy Rescue swimmers to take off their snorkels when performing open ocean rescues in 20 - 30 foot seas, they must not know that snorkels don't work in rough water.... just kidding!!!

Seriously, really I do understand and agree with your points about snorkels being unnessary for most divers on most dives, and outright dangerous in tech diving in overhead environments, that it is easier to swim on your back, and easier and safer face down with regulator in your mouth, etc... but here the coast is rugged and entirely unforgiving with few safe entry/exit spots, and as a shore diver I am always aware that an equipment failure near my turn point could force me into a long surface swim in strong surface currents and rough water to get back to the only exit point... well with a snorkel I can swim longer and farther than without.

10-15 minute surface swims are the norm in a couple of the places I dive to get out over VERY shallow reefs (3 feet) in choppy conditions to reach water deep enough to dive. 10 minutes of "vigorous" swimming in full scuba gear on the surface will burn through more than a few pounds of air if you are using your regulator. Swimming on your back is NOT safe or practical in the situation I'm describing because you need to see where you are going to avoid the reef, and your tank or fins can hit the reef in a few of the really shallow spots if you are swimming on your back.

So, in certain diving environments (where I dive anyway), snorkels DO have a place besides the gear bag

Safe Diving!