The snorkel problem

[Zeagle Eagle]

Carried a foldable snorkel in my pocket for 20 years and never used it. I lost if 10 years ago and have no plans to replace it. I dive splits. I use a purge valve on my mask. I use an Air II (Octo Z). I use a weight integrated BC. I dive Nitrox. I use a wireless computer. I use a digital watch and I have an Android phone. Ain't technology great!!!!!

But, there is someone out there that hates all of those things. I am okay with that.

 

[george_austin]

Snorkel = stuffed inside my rolled up SMB and both attached to the BP. If I'm going to need the SMB, it's likely I'll need or want to use the snorkel. Neither has been required (yet) - first time for everything, though. A snorkel is particularly useful here in SoCal if doing a beachdive and transiting through heavy kelp before descent. I was trained to swim in scuba face down.

 

[Subcooled]

A (foldable) snorkel may very well be an important piece of equipment at sea.

 

[Octopusprime]

In regards to the use of snorkel for rescue breaths .... Almost all snorkels these days have a purge valve making it useless for rescue breaths.

I always cary carry a snorkel but only use it if in surf. In calm waters I prefer the back float.

 

[MichigandiverJon]

Just my .02, but I kinda like my snorkel, especially when fighting 5 ft waves on my way from the boat to the surface buoy. It keeps me from sucking my gas supply down before i'm even decently underwater. Now....after I'm down, I don't mind the idea of stowing it off my mask to prevent flooding, entanglement, etc. There were some great ideas here for stowage.

 

[Chugwhump]

Carried a foldable snorkel in my pocket for 20 years and never used it. I lost if 10 years ago and have no plans to replace it. I dive splits. I use a purge valve on my mask. I use an Air II (Octo Z). I use a weight integrated BC. I dive Nitrox. I use a wireless computer. I use a digital watch and I have an Android phone. Ain't technology great!!!!!

But, there is someone out there that hates all of those things. I am okay with that.

HOW IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!!!!

Chug
Wearz 'Der Schnorklez Ein 'Der Caverns.
Likes to hear the screams of the cave diver schmucks.

 

[Freewillow]

Sorry for the contradiction but no snorkel, no pony, no real knife, just like the majority of european divers

I would certainly have one if I would be beach diving or solodiving.

In strong currents, to have a snorkel attached to your mask is not a great idea . My old knife was repaced by an "easycut" and sometimes I take a deco bottle with 50 or 100% oxygen. But a pony, I do not understand the idea if you are not solo diving.

Having said that, its ok for others to have all the three items on with them. Diving should be free and fun

 

[DiamondD]

I'm not a snorkel person, but I've seen where Eric is talking about. Some of the bays are very shallow and have a lot of inshore kelp. You COULD swim out underwater, but you'd do it in miserable viz and you'd swim a long way before you got to anything worth seeing. His preference for swimming out with his tank out of the water and his face in it is understandable to me, and his fondness for snorkels goes along with his use of vintage gear, too

I do think there are situations where snorkels are useful. We were surface swimming off Maui, on our backs as we always do, and had a contemptuous swimmer kick by and inform us that we were oblivious to the presence of two large turtles right below us . . .

I've never understood the desire for them in rough water, though, and I certainly agree that there is no time when you need emergent snorkel deployment, so the rolled up one in my pocket does me quite well.

This is one reason I like a snorkel. I would much rather have my face in the water seeing whatever I can see from surface than be looking at the sky.

 

[shoredivr]

Sorry for the contradiction but no snorkel, no pony, no real knife, just like the majority of european divers I would certainly have one if I would be beach diving or solodiving.In strong currents, to have a snorkel attached to your mask is not a great idea . My old knife was repaced by an "easycut" and sometimes I take a deco bottle with 50 or 100% oxygen. But a pony, I do not understand the idea if you are not solo diving. Having said that, its ok for others to have all the three items on with them. Diving should be free and fun

Carried a folding snorkel for years, never used it. So, no snorkel, no problem for diving here in the Great Lakes. However, with the kind of cold water we get, and the risk of free flows, a redundant gas supply like sidemount, Backmount doubles, H-valves or a slung smaller tank AKA pony is a very important part of the dive plan.

 

[abscuba]

Dive gear very much depends on the diver, the type of diving, and what the diver likes. I never dive with a snorkel, but 90% of my dives are wreck dives and both my OC kit and my CCR are set up to minimize entanglement hazards. When I am diving with recreational divers I am usually leading which means during surface swims I am swimming backwards keeping my eyes on every one. I have gotten more comfortable doing surface swims backwards than face in the water. On that its based on the diving I do and what I have done for years and is not what every one is comfortable with.