I'm from the old school and carry a snorkel with me on every dive. Over the years, it has made long swims much easier. How about you? If you do, where is it stored during the dive?
Do you carry a snorkel on every dive?
- Thread starter DCBC
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I was taught old school, and for many years had a snorkel on my mask. Once I tried going without it I found swimming on my back easier. My fins stay in the water, it's easier to breathe open air than through a tube, even in choppy seas and I don't have the resistance/snagging a snorkel gives. The only time I would use a snorkel now is for snorkelling.
Damselfish
Contributor
I keep a rollup snorkel in a pocket. I've never used it. I have a real snorkel for when I want to go snorkeling.
pollywogg
Guest
I always have a snorkel in my gear bag at the site. I generally don't carry one, but if I'm going out from a boat or doing a long swim out/in, I keep a flexible snorkel in my BC pocket.
I only use a snorkel when teaching and when I know the surface swim has critters, coral or whatever that make it worth snorkelling out vs swimming on my back.
In five years, I haven't had a single time when I thought life would be easier if I had a snorkel, except the day I tried to snorkel in the bay at Puerto Aventuras without one.
I stopped carrying a snorkel with me after my OW dives. I do however keep one with my equipment just in case the water is rough. Otherwise I am usually doing drift dives, and will end up staying underwater until I am in water that is too shallow to swim anymore.
vladimir
The Voice of Reason
- Messages
- 44,661
- Reaction score
- 65,265
- # of dives
- I just don't log dives
I brought one of those collapsible snorkels to Cocos Island. We thumbed a dive a little bit early when the clicking of dolphins alerted us. Ten minutes later we were on the fringes of a huge bait ball: silky sharks flying out of the water, birds diving in, the surface aboil with the feeding frenzy. The divemaster said jump in--no tanks. "Cool, I'll just grab my snorkel, affix it to my mask and jump in. Where is my snorkel? I know I stuffed it into a pocket...or was it stashed on the panga..or..$%$*!, where is my &*#$! snorkel!?!"
I never found my snorkel. I eased into the water with just my mask and kept bobbing up to the surface to breathe every minute or so, surrounded by hundreds of sharks, a pod of dolphins, yellowfin tuna zipping by, birds diving in, big sharks patrolling below...a truly amazing scene. The only thing that could have made it better was a pod of orcas...or a snorkel. Please note that I'm not saying you should have one on your mask, or even on your person necessarily. I'm just saying you should have one handy, and know where it is--in case the opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime snorkel comes along.
I never found my snorkel. I eased into the water with just my mask and kept bobbing up to the surface to breathe every minute or so, surrounded by hundreds of sharks, a pod of dolphins, yellowfin tuna zipping by, birds diving in, big sharks patrolling below...a truly amazing scene. The only thing that could have made it better was a pod of orcas...or a snorkel. Please note that I'm not saying you should have one on your mask, or even on your person necessarily. I'm just saying you should have one handy, and know where it is--in case the opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime snorkel comes along.
I always carry and snorkel...in my gear bag. When I'm diving in open water, in a situation where if something, anything went wrong, I'd appreciate having a snorkel, I carry it in a pocket.
Similar threads
