Should I wear a snorkel or not

[Jerome O'Neil]

Are you going skin diving? They are really great for that.

They don't serve much purpose under water, though.

 

[Steelyeyes]

I use one when I go snorkeling. Otherwise it stays at home. I actually just completed a PADI course, which generally means you have to have a snorkel, but neither I nor the instructor had one. It was a lion fish hunter specialty course so I guess diving skills were a given. It was two really good dives. I appreciate a well skilled partner in the water.

 

[Altamira]

The most useless piece of dive gear you own is the item you need in the water, but don't have because you left it at home or in your dive bag on the boat or beach. In most dive environments and situations, the snorkel is not needed, and I gave up using a snorkel permanently attached to my mask strap years ago. However, I carry this snorkel in a pocket on my bp/w waist strap "just in case." Happy New Year to you too.

Aqua Lung Nautilus Foldable Travel Snorkel

 

[Sawdust82]

I wear one when im scouting in shallow water for wrecks or critters im looking for, or if im swimming out from shore a long or undetermined distance. Other than that, i usually leave it in the kit bag. Just a cheap deep blue, thinking hard about one of those foldable jobbies now...

 

[UCFKnightDiver]

The most useless piece of dive gear you own is the item you need in the water, but don't have because you left it at home or in your dive bag on the boat or beach. In most dive environments and situations, the snorkel is not needed, and I gave up using a snorkel permanently attached to my mask strap years ago. However, I carry this snorkel in a pocket on my bp/w waist strap "just in case." Happy New Year to you too.

Aqua Lung Nautilus Foldable Travel Snorkel

Have you ever needed to use it having not planned to do so prior to the dive?

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Have you ever needed to use it having not planned to do so prior to the dive?

I used mine once when I wasn't planning to do so. Just stick it in a pouch and you won't even know it's there if you don't need it.

 

[Storker]

If you use a long hose setup for your regulators (like I do), never.

Yep. A snorkel on the mask strap sucks majorly if you're using a LH/BO setup. However, there are times when a snorkel might come in very handy. Good thing, you don't have to wear a snorkel on your mask strap to have it available. I always carry a roll-up snorkel in my right thigh drysuit pocket.

 

[Storker]

I was involved with a new girl that was finding it difficult to the point of exhaustion, to differentiate between the snorkel and the inflator underwater including the regulator on the surface. Then followed my minutes disentangling her hair from the snorkel, holder and mask strap as her terrified boyfriend was not prepared to pull hard enough.

Poor training, poor preparation

 

[Storker]

Have you ever needed to use it having not planned to do so prior to the dive?

Yep. For certain liberal values of "needed", but it sure has come in handy.

 

[Altamira]

Have you ever needed to use it having not planned to do so prior to the dive?

Yes, on a couple of occasions in choppy seas with an unexpected adverse current where my dive buddy did not have the air needed to go back to depth, and a boat captain too busy with onboard problems to come get us. Both my dive buddy and I were happy to have the snorkel when needed.