But, but, but... how do you use a snorkel with that big @$$ yellow helmet on yer nut?
:mooner:
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But, but, but... how do you use a snorkel with that big @$$ yellow helmet on yer nut?
I can't believe how contentious this topic has been. I don't think that anyone is saying that every diver should or should not always carry a snorkel, or have I missed something?
I can't comment on where, or how anyone dives. All I can say, is if you want to dive in many of the areas of the North Atlantic (unless it's dead calm), I recommend that you come well trained, have good watermanship abilities and ensure that you enter the water with all your equipment functioning properly (including a snorkel).
Here you can expect to deal with cold water (30-40 degrees much of the year), strong currents, tides, waves, surf and rocks. Getting in and out of the water can be exhausting. Forget about being on your back unless you don't mind being thrown into a rock or miss your exit point. Add a tired or rescued diver to the mix and you will be pushed to your limits.
If you really don't think you need a snorkel, bring one anyway. Search and Rescue use helicopters and you may find yourself under the downdraft of one and will wish you had one with you.
If you honestly don't think that it's worth the time to carry one while you're diving here, I'll pay for your air fills. I think that this is a safe bet because chances are the only reason why you don't want to carry a snorkel is that you've perfected the technique of breathing water and don't need SCUBA either. LOL
I'm curious ... for those (2) of you who are using the open ocean/helicopter rescue scenario ...
... do survival suits like the ones commercial fishermen use come equipped with snorkels? I mean, if they're going to be used at all, it's going to be in some of the worst conditions imaginable ... and if the people using them survive at all, it's almost a dead-nuts certainty that their rescue will involve helicopters.
I can't say for sure ... but the survival suits I've seen ... used by former friends of mine who fished George's Bank ... didn't appear to include snorkels.
If snorkels are so necessary for these conditions ... why not?
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I'm curious ... for those (2) of you who are using the open ocean/helicopter rescue scenario ...
... do survival suits like the ones commercial fishermen use come equipped with snorkels? I mean, if they're going to be used at all, it's going to be in some of the worst conditions imaginable ... and if the people using them survive at all, it's almost a dead-nuts certainty that their rescue will involve helicopters.
I can't say for sure ... but the survival suits I've seen ... used by former friends of mine who fished George's Bank ... didn't appear to include snorkels.
If snorkels are so necessary for these conditions ... why not?
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
No Bob, Survival Suits are for deepwater survival and offer thermal protection only. None that I'm aware of are equipped with a snorkel. Survival suits are not designed to be agile enough to allow the victim to get out of the water in current, surf and waves on a rugged shoreline. If this were the situation, the person would likely be beaten to death on the rocks.
You correctly point out that you do not need a snorkel to float around in deep water and wait for someone (with a snorkel) to save your life. This is getting old...
They don't come with fins either, but they would be helpful keeping survivors together and swimming to the raft.
The quarter was there because there was a pay phone at a local dive site that had spotty cell phone coverage.My personal favorite in your goodie bag is the quarter. To call home, I presume, after you're rescued?
.....So let's examine those divers trying to get out of the water in current, surf and waves on a rugged shoreline. How will a snorkel help them? How will a snorkel be of any use when a wave slams you into a rock, or rolls you around on a beach?
I'm saying the argument doesn't seem consistent with anything I've experienced or can envision based on my experiences.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)