Snorkel tube in scuba diving

[doctormike]

it has more purposes than just helping you on surface.

Maybe this is controversial in some places, but I think that a snorkel should ONLY be used on the surface. What are the other purposes?

 

[Bob DBF]

Same leg as your bfk?

Slip it under the knife straps, curved section at the top, it seems to stay OK. Since I normally do long surface swims, and have had the snorkel attached to my mask for decades, I don't notice it anymore. I only put the snorkel on my leg when I'm going to do something more stupid than usual.


Bob

 

[KeithG]

Slip it under the knife straps, curved section at the top, it seems to stay OK. Since I normally do long surface swims, and have had the snorkel attached to my mask for decades, I don't notice it anymore. I only put the snorkel on my leg when I'm going to do something more stupid than usual.


Bob

long surface swims - good point. Why do you do that? We have not ever experienced a site / conditions that required a surface swim. We do take snorkels for drift dives were there may be a long surface interval after the dive before pickup.

We have been puzzled by divers in bonaire doing a surface swim out to the boat anchor buoy and then descending. We start our dive right away and descend directly from the dock.

What type of conditions dictate a surface swim over a subsurface swim?

 

[doctormike]

We have not ever experienced a site / conditions that required a surface swim.

Lots of shore dives are better done with surface swims, since not every reef is close to the shore. For example, on St. Croix, if you swim out from the beach to the reef and back underwater, you will use up a lot of your gas swimming over sand. Better to save it for the reef.

 

[KeithG]

Lots of shore dives are better done with surface swims, since not every reef is close to the shore. For example, on St. Croix, if you swim out from the beach to the reef and back underwater, you will use up a lot of your gas swimming over sand. Better to save it for the reef.

understood - snorkeling makes sense if you are an air hog or going deepish.

we tend to dive shallow so air consumption never becomes an issue, so i do not think about it.

I would think a bigger tank would be the appropriate solution?

 

[doctormike]

understood - snorkeling makes sense if you are an air hog or going deepish.

we tend to dive shallow so air consumption never becomes an issue, so i do not think about it.

I would think a bigger tank would be the appropriate solution?

No matter how big the tank, I would rather spend that gas on the reef than swimming over sand for 20 minutes.

 

[Bob DBF]

long surface swims - good point. Why do you do that?

Shore dives, I've seen the close shallower stuff already, and there is better game and things I haven't seen out further. I could burn most, or all, of a tank trying to get where I want to dive. On lobster dives, west coast, I some times get further from the boat than I have air, I keep a reserve and swim back.


Bob

 

[Bob DBF]

I would think a bigger tank would be the appropriate solution?

I use a 120 and it lasts as long as my thermal protection at depth.

Bob

 

[doctormike]

I would think a bigger tank would be the appropriate solution?

Also, at many Caribbean dive ops you have a choice between an AL 80 and an AL 80....!

 

[tbone1004]

if I have a long surface swim, I find it infinitely easier and more efficient to kick out on my back vs. face down with a snorkel...