Confused about the whole Snorkel thing...

[dirkadirk]

Thought I'd throw in my 2 pence worth - I always have my snorkel in my gear box/bag, mainly because I never know when I might have a cheeky opportunity to get a bit of light snorkelling in before/after a dive. If I'm in open water I usually carry it. I don't like it attached to my mask and I'm not a fan of the quick clip things - If I need it I just shove it under my mask strap and it's ready to go.

Stowing wise, because I prefer a solid rather than folding snorkel a good place I use is tucked through the straps of my traditional dive knife on the inside of my calf (yes I know the pros and cons, just my choice of gear config) with the mouthpiece curving behind the handle of the knife for maximum streamlining. It's rare for either knife or snorkel to catch stuff, and if I'm in the situation where something does catch on them, it is rarer still for that to be in a situation where I suddenly need the snorkel.

When I get to the surface, and decide I need it its a simple procedure to just flex my leg, whip it out and ram it under the strap and its all good.

Safe diving everyone

 

[agilis]

Always, always have a snorkel with you, the sleek simple kind, non-folding, without any special features. Keep it instantly accessible but secure.

 

[OldNSalty]

At one point I started questioning if I should drop the snorkel after hearing all the wisdom from people who don't dive where I dive talking about all the reasons I should trash it. In the middle of soul searching I found myself on a dive boat heading back in when the Cpt. spotted a school of dolphin and decided he didn't have anywhere else to be that day. He stopped the boat and said "Break out your mask fins and snorkels and go for a swim if you want." Those of us with snorkels spent the entire time in the water playing with wild dauphins, those with out either stayed on the boat or kept swallowing salt water and ended their time early. I've never questioned the wisdom of having a snorkel while ocean diving after that.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I hear this a lot, what did you buy the gas for other than to breathe? I have never understood the term wasting gas. I bought it to use it and even with some surface swimming, it is rare I come back with less than a third of my gas. Waste away!

Sent from my Dive Rite Bridge II

Sure, if you ever dive here, you can use your gas swimming over 350 yards of bare sand and no relief bottom (one way) and then spend a lot less time in the very nice coral heads, barrier reef and wreck that lies off shore.

Me? I'm taking a snorkel.

 

[rx7diver]

Sure, if you ever dive here...

Any photos of what's there? Or video?

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

You guys do realize there is a large tank full of air on your back right? With a regulator, that puts air in your mouth? It works just as well on the surface as it does below water. I have still never found a use for a snorkel in scuba diving. I have occasionally used my snorkel-tank (patent pending) setup and swam around on the surface.

You do realize that surface swimming with a regulator in your mouth is a gross waste of precious air that could be used underwater right?

It cracks me up how all these self appointed anti snorkel "pro's" think they really have it figured out.
I would just love LOVE LOVE to see them do a beach dive side by side with me here in the land of kelp and rough water. That kelp just loves to tangle itself on anything it can get it's clingy little fronds on, especially tank valves. Feather Boa is even better (or worse) depending on if you are the one in it, or laughing at the person in it, oh yeah! it grabs on anything and holds you down then has it's way with you, especially tank valves. It loves hoses too.
Best to rise above it and surface crawl over that crap with a snorkel, you can look ahead and see where you're going. Push it under you and keep pushing till you're out. Save that precious air for your dive or possibly something that you really need it for. Sucking on a tank is just silliness for surface swims.

 

[OldNSalty]

Me and my girlfriend are located in Phoenix, AZ. We'll most likely be diving Lake Pleasant and some other surrounding lakes, but we will be going to Southern California a lot to do shore diving. For boat diving, it seems like not having a snorkel is as big of a deal, but for shore diving from lakes OR beaches, well... I'm more than a bit confused.

If I had to make a rule it would be Don't use a snorkel in over head environments Do use a snorkel in the ocean (beach dives or from a boat) Could take it but probably don't need it in quarrys and small lakes I hope that is clear.

 

[TMHeimer]

Is the snorkel debate the oldest on SB? My surface swims are rarely long and usually on my back (easier, but I don't have to beware of any coral under me which I may bump into, or have any desire to see). No snorkel or reg required for that. If a problem ever did occur where I found myself with an unexpected long surface swim in big chop, I guess I'd whip out the foldable snorkel. It's not as easy to use as one attached to the mask, but close enough. I can absolutely see where in some situations a long surface swim while looking down is best with snorkel--and attaching one if you dive like this often. OF COURSE it's dumb to breathe off the reg. on purpose for a long surface swim. You do what's best for the type of diving you do.

 

[doctormike]

My old instructor tells a story of a dead diver that would have lived had he had a snorkel.

Oh, yeah... I heard that one too. The guy was packing up his gear in the parking lot, and someone came up to him with a gun and said "give me your snorkel or I'll kill you".

Some of the posters have pointed out specific situation where a snorkel would be helpful - like a long surface swim, especially through a kelp bed. No argument with that. But there is a lot of gear that is useful for one type of dive, but not recommended as standard issue, absolutely-gotta-have-it equipment. That's how the pro-snorkel crowd sometimes sounds to me. I don't take my Nautilus GPS on a quarry dive, I don't take my deco bottle to a 30 foot reef, and I don't take a snorkel unless I'm doing the rare dive where a snorkel would really help.

And I REALLY don't understand this "immediately available" stuff. Why does it have to be stuck on your mask? What scenario is there where the seconds it takes to deploy a stowed snorkel would be a problem? I want my backup second stage bungeed under my chin, so I can get it immediately if I have to donate my primary. But a snorkel stuck to a mask? Especially if you aren't planning on using it? Seems to be a klutzy configuration, DESPITE the fact that many divers have done it for many decades. I just don't see why.

Now I ALWAYS have a snorkel with me on the boat, for precisely the reason that OldNSalty mentioned - you never know when a good snorkeling opportunity is going to happen.

 

[gcarter]

You do realize that surface swimming with a regulator in your mouth is a gross waste of precious air that could be used underwater right?

It cracks me up how all these self appointed anti snorkel "pro's" think they really have it figured out.
I would just love LOVE LOVE to see them do a beach dive side by side with me here in the land of kelp and rough water. That kelp just loves to tangle itself on anything it can get it's clingy little fronds on, especially tank valves. Feather Boa is even better (or worse) depending on if you are the one in it, or laughing at the person in it, oh yeah! it grabs on anything and holds you down then has it's way with you, especially tank valves. It loves hoses too.
Best to rise above it and surface crawl over that crap with a snorkel, you can look ahead and see where you're going. Push it under you and keep pushing till you're out. Save that precious air for your dive or possibly something that you really need it for. Sucking on a tank is just silliness for surface swims.

So do you suggest then that there is only one right gear configuration?

It may well be indicated for kelp, but I have never needed it on the St. Lawrence.

IMO the best answers in this thread are the ones that talk about making a decision according to the diving you are doing. The dogmatic pro and con responses are too religious in nature for my taste.

I am not anti-snorkel and take one on some dives, but not all. It is not an every-dive piece of kit for me.