IndigoBlue
Contributor
Wreckie:> FYI, in NAUI the snorkel debate has been raging unabated for 40 years.
When i was working with a naui shop in the sates on a DM crossover is seemed the only reason to have a snorkel was to get the first ow dive done fast and cheep.
>and yes, I strongly believe that your most important piece of gear is the snorkel. It never runs out of air. You never know when your life may depend on it.
Never runs out of air? It does if your head is more than about 3 inches under water. I find it very difficult to think of a single accasion where some poor diver has been killed due to the failure of his plastic tube, or one where the tube has saved a life.
The arguments for the tube usualy run along the lines of: It saves air on surface swims to the site = swim on your back, its easier and you have better situational awairness....
But then i cant see the fishes im swimming over = if its that interesting go down there and look.....
Surface swim on the way back = swim on your back, or breath from the large metal thing on your back, thats what its there for....
but i may run out of air = how far are you planning to swim? you should have 50bar/500psi left anyway (depending where you live and no they arnt the same) and this'll last a fair old time on the surface.
Yes there are reasons to have/use/carry a snorkel, but i remain unconvinced and you wont find one in my bag.
>So as far as numbers goes, with 20 to 25% of all divers being NAUI (my guess only)
25%? sorry but thats pie in the sky even for a guess, in the US this may be true but as for the rest of the world? I know of one naui shop in the UK (there may be more) and since getting my dm in the states i have not yet come accross a naui diver in the uk. Even if you split the numbers evenly between the 6 or so training agencies i can think of (and lets be honest padi probably has over half all to itself) It doesnt come to 25%
Have i gone off topic, sorry..... most important bit of kit? Get a dive computer, makes life easier
Mike
There is a strong argument for getting your dive computer as soon as possible, even before your suit, before your reg, and before your B/C.
But then, like everything else, there are counter-arguments by those who truly believe that a dive computer is a major liability.
Nothing is written in stone.
Speaking of stone, and of the UK, I have friends who are heading over there soon for a vacation (in February of all times!). They are just dying to see Stonehenge! As well as the British museum(s).
I have been to the UK about a dozen times on business, and never once have I gotten to see Stonehenge!
