First time snorkeling, hard to breath

[Paul Jr]

I am starting a scuba course this summer and I know that snorkels are one of the pieces of gear used in the training process. I've been going to our local YMCA the past few months swimming and get comfortable with the water etc. So I thought it wouldn't hurt to practice a little snorkeling as well, being that I've never been snorkeling before.

I only had swimming goggles, but I wanted familiurize myself w/o something covering my face and to learn to breath only my mouth. At first dipping my head under it was kind of a nice little rush, that little doubting question of "will I really be able to breath under water with this thing.." eventually was answered and it become decently comfortable. I swam about 30 ft with it and then back and everthing felt great. I later tried it again and for what ever reason, I could not breath very well thru the snorkel. I would go put my face in the water and after a couple of breaths it felt like I was sufficating. I didnt feel any anxiety at this point as I was in the shallow end, however more frustraighted than anything. I even put my head above water and breathed thru the snorkel w/ my nose closed, and it seemed okay. But when I would put my head back down and tried to breath, it kept doing the same thing. I evenutally called it a night, i'm certain I was doing something wrong.. There would seem to be a little water in there every time I would stop. but I dont know if that got in there when I went to pull the snorkel out of my mouth or what. I felt I was holding it pretty well above the water though...I know this may be somewhat vauge, but, any suggestions to what I was expericneing, and what I need to do or try to do next time?

My snorkel was a cheapy for adults from wal mart. It is about 15" actual length I beleive w/ splash and purge.

Thank, jR

 

[Gombessa]

It's not an uncommon reaction, breathing through a snorkel doesn't feel natural. There are a couple of things that can contribute to the feeling of "not getting enough air." Most of them can be overcome with slow, steady, deep breaths.

1. increased dead space: With a snorkel, you have about twice the dead space, or stagnant air that goes into your lungs and out to the snorkel, but doesn't make it all the way out, so it stays in the snorkel and gets sucked in again next time you inhale (think of how electricity moves in AC current). You can overcome more of the dead space by breathing in and out deeply, increasing the ratio of clean fresh air that follows the dead air into your lungs.

2. increased water pressure on your chest. Even at the surface, you've got a bit more pressure against your chest and lungs because of the water. That makes it so you have to use a bit more effort to inhale, and if you don't, you inhale less deeply, which probably doesn't help the whole dead air thing above.

3. shallow breathing: same problem as #1, a lot of people don't breath deeply for whatever reason, or feel a bit anxious and worked up because of the unfamiliar feeling/environment.

Just slow down, take deep controlled breaths and just relax. You'll probably start doing this naturally as you get used to breathing through a snorkel. And that relaxation will help when you start your scuba classes too.

Good luck!

 

[spectrum]

Paul; Jr,

Gombessa [retty much summed it up. Due to the dead volume of a snorkel it's imperative that you take nice deep breaths. Otherwise you will feel anxious and have a hard time.

What you are doing is splendid preparation for your OW class. Breathing underwater is not natural for humans and many folks need to do a little mental reprogramming to let it be fun. Knocking this off before class time is a great head start.

It gets even better though! That same deep breathing pattern will serve you well as a dive as you will get the most from every breath and conserve air in the process. More on the topic can be found here.

Keep up the good work!
Pete

 

[syonker]

Howdy!

Snorkeling - a GREAT sport indeed! Welcome to the water friend - have a little patience, and spend some time getting used to your snorkel and as Gombessa and Spectrum said, it will likely sort itself out.

I would add just one thing here. There *is* a snorkel made specifically for snorkeling which has a separate air intake and outlet tube so that every time you draw a new breath it's "fresh" air. It's called the "Kapitol Reef" snorkel, and should be available through most dive shops. Below is a photo...

WARNING: This is a $100.00 snorkel, and people either "love it or hate it" because the valve system makes you *feel* like there's always water in it. The peculiar trait that causes this is related to the exit valves so that when you exhale it "bubbles" a little like there's a little water left in it (which technically there is, but you can't actually inhale it because of the bi-directional valve).

More information can be had at Kapitol Reef • Introducing new breed of snorkels

Speaking from personal experience, it takes a little getting used to (I own two of these snorkels) but once you do it's a very good snorkeling snorkel. Most divers I know do not use it for SCUBA (myself included) because of the bulk, so keep your current snorkel for your Open Water Certification and beyond as well.

Good luck - Keep getting experience, and your comfort level will quickly soar!

Regards,


-S

 

[Paul Jr]

Thank you all for your help and advice/encouragement! I didnt think about it when I posted, I had just gotten over a cold, i'm certain my chest was still a little congested, which Im sure would most certainly make be winded after a while, epesically when breathing thru a snorkel!! I'll keep practicing tho, I have a few weeks until my confined water dives. So i'll keep my health n check and give it a another go.

Thanks, Again,

jR

 

[RalphinOrmond]

It seems to me that many of the people who are just entering upon snorkeling, or who plan to do it only on their next vacation, assume that cheap equipment is a good option. I would have to agree that the equipment used is so essentially simple that it is hard to imagine why the more expensive stuff is worth the money for a recreational user. As a part time bookkeeper, I do not have a lot of money to throw around. Nor do I think it is necessarily wise to buy the very expensive stuff because that usually is made for some special purpose and one should know that he has that particular purpose before blowing a lot of money on it. Nevertheless, there has been a wonderful amount of Research and Development put into snorkeling gear over many years. The results include a lot of really great equipment. But the best stuff for all around use, the EASIEST equipment to use, is going to cost more than the cheapest. It is, in my opinion, well worth the money, a fantastic bargain. A person wants to breath under water, wants to travel quickly under water, wants to dive a little under the water and then wants to pay for all the equipment to do this much less than he would for a decent tennis racket? for a mediocre pair of skis? for a bowling ball for heaven's sake? My personal experience and resultant opinion is that reasonable prices a recreational snorkeler should expect to pay would presently be in the following ranges: Fins: $40-60; Mask: $60-80; Snorkel: $ 25-35. So that would be a total somewhere around $150. That may not be the cheapest but it is an extremely cheap entry cost for such an amazing, satisfying, delightful sport. IMHO, of course.

 

[Hank49]

I have three or four of the purge type snorkels, (not as nice as the $100 one) and I hate them. They're nice at first but after a short while, they seem to always start to leak. If you're using one of those, that could be why you always have some water in the snorkel. If you can find one, get the old tube design (I have one I've been using the last 10 years). It's just a plastic pipe with a mouth piece. Never mind all the fancy flex tubing and little purge flap. And get a nice figure 8, slicone holder to strap it to your mask strap. The plastic clip is useless. I have probably found 5-10 snorkels with the little plastic clip that people have lost because they fell off the mask strap.

 

[luciandavidescu]

I am starting a scuba course this summer and I know that snorkels are one of the pieces of gear used in the training process. I've been going to our local YMCA the past few months swimming and get comfortable with the water etc. So I thought it wouldn't hurt to practice a little snorkeling as well, being that I've never been snorkeling before.

I only had swimming goggles, but I wanted familiurize myself w/o something covering my face and to learn to breath only my mouth. At first dipping my head under it was kind of a nice little rush, that little doubting question of "will I really be able to breath under water with this thing.." eventually was answered and it become decently comfortable. I swam about 30 ft with it and then back and everthing felt great. I later tried it again and for what ever reason, I could not breath very well thru the snorkel. I would go put my face in the water and after a couple of breaths it felt like I was sufficating. I didnt feel any anxiety at this point as I was in the shallow end, however more frustraighted than anything. I even put my head above water and breathed thru the snorkel w/ my nose closed, and it seemed okay. But when I would put my head back down and tried to breath, it kept doing the same thing. I evenutally called it a night, i'm certain I was doing something wrong.. There would seem to be a little water in there every time I would stop. but I dont know if that got in there when I went to pull the snorkel out of my mouth or what. I felt I was holding it pretty well above the water though...I know this may be somewhat vauge, but, any suggestions to what I was expericneing, and what I need to do or try to do next time?

My snorkel was a cheapy for adults from wal mart. It is about 15" actual length I beleive w/ splash and purge.

Thank, jR

Had the same thing and this was the first result that came up on google, so here's what else I found:

#1: If your body weight is greater than average, you should make sure that the snorkel is wide enough at the opening.

#2, and generally most important: Make sure you breath with your "belly" i.e. diaphragm, not with your chest. To exercise, put one hand under your stomach and one above the chest and make sure that only the hand on the former moves while you inhale. This is the more efficient way of breathing.

#3, and probably most important for you: If you submerge standing (as i suspect you may have done the second time), it's harder to breathe, as pressure to exhale is greater. OTOH, if you submerge swimming it's much easier, as moving your feet up and down actually helps doing the "belly"-breathe from #2.

Have fun

 

[4dawgma]

Throw that snorkel away and get a tank!!!

 

[Harmonyhallresorts]

I teach people all the time and what you're experiencing is very common. SLOW DOWN. Next sigh. Yeah sigh. you breath naturally only through your mouth when you sigh, so get your face in the water and just relax and sigh. In no time at all you will settle yourself down and you'll find breathing is no longer something you have to "concentrate" on and you can just enjoy the scenery. It's not about the snorkel, it's about you relaxing both your mind and your body and after all isn't that why you go to begin with? Come swim with us in St.Vincent and I'll happily show you some tricks as well as some amazing reefs all in shallow calm bays.