Confused about the whole Snorkel thing...

[doctormike]

Only Scubaboard would have 5+ pages back and forth on something like a snorkel.

I don't get it. You don't think that it's worth talking about? Are there better forums with less discussion?

 

[Doby45]

I don't get it. You don't think that it's worth talking about? Are there better forums with less discussion?

What is it you don't get? I don't get that. The point is, there is really and truly only so much content to hash over.

 

[doctormike]

What is it you don't get? I don't get that. The point is, there is really and truly only so much content to hash over.

People here are enjoying having a discussion. I don't get why you have a problem with that.

I don't understand why you need to imply that this could happen "only on Scubaboard", like there is some problem with the board itself.

I certainly don't understand why you would participate in a discussion that you think is a waste of time.

I also don't get the idea that there is only so much content to hash over. Who sets that limit? Who decides when the discussion has gone on long enough? The people having the conversation, that's who. When they stop posting, it's over. As long as two people are still discussing it, they are enjoying doing that. Why should they stop? Because a snorkel isn't important but a rebreather or a deco bottle is?

 

[TMHeimer]

As an instructor friend of mine often says "It's entertainment" (see you in July). There are many many topics on SB that have been discussed to death years ago. In fact, one of my questions years ago was "Aren't there really a finite number of topics regarding scuba"? Sometimes you learn something new, or change your view. Until about 4 years ago I was squarely in the camp of "always wear your snorkel on your mask". But hey, I can exit the new snorkel thread and turn on the TV and be entertained that way instead.

Back in '07 my fellow newbie buddy mentioned SB so I joined. I subsequently googled just about every other scuba forum and joined those. I have quit almost all of them because the last post in a thread may be 2 months ago. At least with SB you can go have supper and come back to find that there are actually new posts. Some may be on the same old topics, but it beats the alternatives.

 

[boulderjohn]

As an instructor friend of mine often says "It's entertainment" (see you in July). There are many many topics on SB that have been discussed to death years ago. In fact, one of my questions years ago was "Aren't there really a finite number of topics regarding scuba"? Sometimes you learn something new, or change your view. Until about 4 years ago I was squarely in the camp of "always wear your snorkel on your mask". But hey, I can exit the new snorkel thread and turn on the TV and be entertained that way instead.

There used to be a lot of people on ScubaBoard who would tell people to "do a search, darn it!" whenever someone would start a thread on a topic that had been frequently discussed. They missed the point that the purpose of a discussion board is to have discussions, not to be an archive of discussions past. Searches can be helpful, but as TMHeimer said, you never know when someone will come up with something totally new or when perspectives have changed.

I have been around long enough to have seen a ton of repeated threads, and some of them have changed significantly over time. For example, threads on "computer v. tables" and "online learning" have completely different dominant beliefs now when compared to only a few years ago. In the instructor to Instructor forum, the first threads I ever saw a decade ago related to teaching student skills were dominated by people saying it had to be done on the knees; now you rarely see anyone taking that position, even though that is probably still how the majority of instructors do it.

 

[Airburnr01]

1 simple question, a bazzilion thoughts on it. Try for your self, in controlled conditions. I personally don't use one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[Doby45]

There used to be a lot of people on ScubaBoard who would tell people to "do a search, darn it!" whenever someone would start a thread on a topic that had been frequently discussed. They missed the point that the purpose of a discussion board is to have discussions, not to be an archive of discussions past. Searches can be helpful, but as TMHeimer said, you never know when someone will come up with something totally new or when perspectives have changed.

I have been around long enough to have seen a ton of repeated threads, and some of them have changed significantly over time. For example, threads on "computer v. tables" and "online learning" have completely different dominant beliefs now when compared to only a few years ago. In the instructor to Instructor forum, the first threads I ever saw a decade ago related to teaching student skills were dominated by people saying it had to be done on the knees; now you rarely see anyone taking that position, even though that is probably still how the majority of instructors do it.

That is the nature of forums in general. I have been part of many forums in varying degrees and they ALL have their hashed over topics. Be it paintball, bullet casting, bee management or any other plethora of topics. You always find the very people that you speak of saying "SEARCH SEARCH SEARCH" and then you also find the people that complain and whine when some DOES search and ends up "necroing" a topic. You also find the easily offended ones and the bullies and so forth. I was simply interjecting what I thought was a funny and in no way meant to so deeply offend our resident Medical Moderator. My deepest hope is he can see his way to move past this infringement and accept my deepest apologies.

 

[Hawkwood]

Haha...I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as "snorkel" threads have gone, this one has actually been pretty good and has been informative. This one has not deteriorated into put-downs of folks who use snorkels...as other threads have.

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

I do apologize for creating this thread. I was looking for specific information on what the recommendations may be for the exact diving I would be doing, which will be primarily shore diving in California and lake diving around the southwest (for now...). It sounds to me like it's mainly a preference thing and what you're comfortable doing for which reasons, pro's vs. cons and how they weigh out for each individual. I see the advantage of having a snorkel, as being able to swim out in a more natural way and seeing stuff along the way out, but also the advantage of not having to deal with the drag and annoyance of having it on your mask. I guess the best thing to do in my situation is to just get a decent little dry snorkel and try it out and see if I can live with it. If not, purchase a folding snorkel and keep the pretty dry snorkel tucked away for times where it might be wanted.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Plus, with long hose donation if all goes well and the gas donation is done according to protocol with proper signals, etc, you lose absolutely nothing. And if it goes wrong and the OOA diver just grabs the primary, it's still just a normal gas share that you've trained for, that happened pretty much the way it supposed to happen, just without the polite bits.

So why don't we train OW divers that way?

Oh yeah, I forgot, because that snorkel is in the way....

Not all primary donation setups use a 5' or 7' long hose wrapped around the neck. Some people use a 40" under the right arm with or without a swivel on the second, and either another 40" under the right arm or a short hose over the right shoulder with the other under chin bungee'd 2nd.
This leaves the left shoulder clear of wrapped breathing hoses so a snorkel could be attached and used if needed.

BTW, for those that think I'm some sort of snorkel warrior,
I never use a snorkel on a boat dive, or a beach dive where I know I won't need it. Staying true to my minimalist nature, I try to only take what I know I'll need on any particular dive. But in the case of some surface swims where I dive a snorkel can be extremely helpful. That's why I get pissed when I hear people say that a snorkel has no place in diving ever, and imply that only idiots, uneducated amateurs, or stupid PADI divers use them in conjunction with scuba.