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jimmyjet

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I'm a 59 year-old male from Pennsylvania. I first snorkled in Jamaica in 1994 off Negril where I was married and honeymooning. After that it was 1999 in the Florida Keys at Islamorada Key before I was able to do it again.
It was February and the water was choppy, so the 3 times we went out it wasn't real pleasurable!
2 years active duty in the US Navy and I never got seasick.
Swallowing water and bobbing like a cork in the small boat made me feel real queazzy!
The dive master gave me ginger to stop the nausea.
I wound up feeding the fish.
Jamaica was great! The water was clear, warm and shallow. Did I mention I'm not a great swimmer?
Anyways, I would love to go again and I've been bugging my wife to go somewhere again to be able to snorkle.
Before we went to the Keys, she bought me and our friends taht went with us our own mask, fins and snorkle. It's the type that a ball floats up so you don't get any water down it.
Questions I have are:
Are there any good websites that list places to go to snorkel that are safe, warm, clear water, and not teribly expensive? I saw an ad for St. Croix, USVI.
Will my equipment still be useable after 6 years in a basement closet?
Thanks,
Jimmyjet
 
Jimmyjet, don't know of any "good" websites for where to snorkel.. you might try http://www.shorediving.com .. for a start but most of those sites gear to the scuba dive. As for your equipment.. mask and fins should be o.k. but check the fin straps if yours have them.. you might consider replacing those.. and check the mask skirt for cracks/wear/weathering and also the mask strap for tears or wear, you may want to replace the mask strap. For sure I wouldn't trust the snorkel..consider getting a new one. They have some excellent "dry" snorkels without the ball on the market now (my wife has one, and I sure do like it)..
but I'm a proponent of the simple snorkel tube.. no valves, no balls, no troubles. Oh, yes,, and the snorkel keeper.. that attaches to your mask strap.. check the condition of that too.
Take snorkeling to the extreme a bit and those shore dives that the scuba divers are doing are within reach... and offer some great snorkeling.
 
i say you can snorkle anyplace you wont get injured
 
Don't give up on the Keys. If you do a search for "best snorkelling" or something you should get some stuff, but you won't get my site . There are some pictures and stories from various places (Belize, Costa Maya, Keys, Destin). You don't have to look at my paintings and stuff.
 
This may seem like an obvious comment to some of our users, but have you considered taking a scuba class? The reason that I ask is that, with the exception of time on the dive boat, divers are much less prone to motion sickness than snorkelers. (The surface chop that makes you so nauseus while snorkeling goes away at around 10-12 feet underwater.) In lieu of scuba, I might suggest spending a session in the pool with a divemaster or instructor, to learn a few of the little tricks that make snorkeling more fun. There's even a short course, called Skin Diver, that PADI offers that covers a variety of useful techniques. I'm a PADI DM and have taught that course to many of my snorkeling friends, and most of them say that they get more out of their snorkel trips after taking it.

Sorry to digress. Here's a great site that lists lots of Florida Keys dive and snorkel sites:http://www.conchdivers.com/ I also like a couple of sites in west central Florida - Rainbow River, a two-hour drift snorkel trip down a white sand river, with clear water, bubbling springs and fossils on the bottom, and the Crystal River/Homosassa River area, where you can do freshwater snorkeling with manatee.

Good luck,
Grier
 
The best Snorkeling I have ever done is at trunk bay in St. John's, USVI. The reason it was so cool is that it had a snorkeling course. Of course this is just a trail over a reef, but they have fish id signs everywhere and such. It was definately pretty cool and one of the nicer beaches I have been on.

http://stjohnusvi.thebeach.vi/trunk-bay.html

Of course I'm sure there is better snorkeling out there, I just haven't seen it.

Also the comment on the manatee's. Snorkeling with the manatee's was one of the best experiences I have had in the water. I would highly recommend it.

Matt
 
jimmyjet:
I'm a 59 year-old male from Pennsylvania. I first snorkled in Jamaica in 1994 off Negril where I was married and honeymooning. After that it was 1999 in the Florida Keys at Islamorada Key before I was able to do it again.
It was February and the water was choppy, so the 3 times we went out it wasn't real pleasurable!
2 years active duty in the US Navy and I never got seasick.
Swallowing water and bobbing like a cork in the small boat made me feel real queazzy!
The dive master gave me ginger to stop the nausea.
I wound up feeding the fish.
Jamaica was great! The water was clear, warm and shallow. Did I mention I'm not a great swimmer?
Anyways, I would love to go again and I've been bugging my wife to go somewhere again to be able to snorkle.
Before we went to the Keys, she bought me and our friends taht went with us our own mask, fins and snorkle. It's the type that a ball floats up so you don't get any water down it.
Questions I have are:
Are there any good websites that list places to go to snorkel that are safe, warm, clear water, and not teribly expensive? I saw an ad for St. Croix, USVI.
Will my equipment still be useable after 6 years in a basement closet?
Thanks,
Jimmyjet

My experience up now has been snorkeling with the exception of my ongoing scuba training. I know that in a sense you have been spoiled with your warm water trip but may I suggest looking in your own back yard between trips? Gliding along a peaceful pond or lake can be very relaxing and a pleasant way of getting a few hours of gentle exercise. You may be surprised to learn how many artifacts, fish and sights you can enjoy in the first 10-20 feet. A nice duck dive down and you can enjoy the 3 dimensional freedom and tranquility known only to divers.

The idea to get some basic skin diving training is a good one. Understanding a little more that the obvious and can make a big difference in your enjoyment and safety. Another good thing about doing it near home is that when you go on those trips cramping and fatigue will be greatly reduced. Books and online tutorials are also available. Reading here on scuba board can also provide a lot of great information, it's not all scuba and many of the gear forums are perfectly applicable.

Now that you've been bitten with the water bug I suggest you make sure that any gear you purchase is good enough to migrate to scuba. My wife and I went throught that last year and now as we are getting certified so much of it is already second nature and paid for. :)

Everything you've read about hydration for scuba applies to skin-diving. drink plenty of water before and after. It even seems to help prevent motion sickness for me. Search for threads on motion and sea sickness there are countless posts of what works for others.

Pete
 

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