Snorkle Use while diving

[Coldwater_Canuck]

I use mine since I prefer swimming forwards with my face in the water to swimming on my back to get to the descent point.

However, I ignored PADI's "left-side" rule. Unfortunately if you have a newer style snorkel that goes straight when not in use, the soft bottom part feels way too much like your inflator hose, and I kept grabbing the snorkel by mistake under water. PADI's left side reasoning is so you don't use your snorkel instead of the reg:I don't see this as an issue however. I've descended with a snorkel in my mouth, but the side of the face was irrelevant to doing this, and underwater your reg is never going to be anywhere near your snorkel mouthpiece if it falls out of your mouth anyways.

 

[Diver0001]

I find my snorkel gets in my way (unless I'm snorkeling.) But I know guys who wont dive without it.

If it feels in the way you probably just need to push it back further on the mask strap. Where it should be attached is as far back as you can get it, right where the mask strap starts to widen. Doing that puts it in the right orientation for snorkeling and it keeps it out of the way while you're diving.

Many people, for some strange reason, attach the snorkel right at the clip that holds the strap onto the mask and if you do that it feels in the way, in my experience, and it hangs too far forward when you're using it.

R..

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

If it feels in the way you probably just need to push it back further on the mask strap. Where it should be attached is as far back as you can get it, right where the mask strap starts to widen. Doing that puts it in the right orientation for snorkeling and it keeps it out of the way while you're diving.

Many people, for some strange reason, attach the snorkel right at the clip that holds the strap onto the mask and if you do that it feels in the way, in my experience, and it hangs too far forward when you're using it.

R..

1+

A properly-positioned snorkel is pushed as far back on the strap as possible so that:

1.) It is in the correct position for face-down swimming on the surface
2.) It is out of the way while diving.

Also, this is one of those cases where "simpler is better". The old-style "J" snorkel without bells and whistles is easier to get out of the way, and works just fine if you practice with it.

And as far as using a snorkel in choppy water? That is what the snorkel is there for! It raises your airway. Ever watched Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers jumping from helos in to the roughest imaginable ocean conditions? That "J"-shaped tubular thing on their mask..... oh, gosh, it is a snorkel

Not DIR... but I dive long hose with a snorkel. Just position it back where it is supposed to be, and slide it down a bit in the keeper. (Ignore my avatar, I was testing a foofy modern snorkel and ditched it soon after that dive for my old "J" snorkel, partly because the new snorkel was harder to position properly)

Best wishes.

 

[Supershark]

Easy answer.

A foldabale snorkel that fits in your pocket.

 

[RJP]

There are no dive police-after your classes you can do what you want. I find they interfere with deploying my long hose, so I don't wear one.

+1

As well, they create an entanglement hazard in overhead environments such as wrecks or anyplace where there's likely to be lots of monofilament around.

 

[RJP]

PADI's left side reasoning is so you don't use your snorkel instead of the reg...

PADI's "left side reasoning" is so that the snorkel doesn't come in from the same side as the reg. Not so you don't use it instead of the reg, but so that you can access both with separate hands and neither gets in the way of the other.

 

[Deep VI]

Haven't used one since OW class. But then I dive off of boats 98% of the time, so no surface swim. The time's I've had swim, I prefer to roll on my back and check out the clouds. I can see the use for shore diving that has surf, other than that I see no point, other than snorkeling. Find what you like and go with that.

 

[MichiganScott]

I find when I want to use it I like it just fine, such as when I'm just swiming around on the surface waiting for other people or getting to or from the actual site, but on the other hand when I'm not using it it's a pain in the butt. So I see it as one of the almost necessary evils

 

[Garrobo]

Snorkels are for sissies and children.

 

[tcpip95]

Mine fits fine. I took plenty of time at my LDS to choose what fit the best. Oddly, the only problem I had with it was when I was doing som practice OOA with my buddy. My BCD has an AIR2 and when she would take my primary air supply I grabbed my snorkel once or twice instead of the AIR2 (both are on left side).