Who Wears A Snorkel When Diving ?

[brendanrtw]

Bad habit I know, but on easy boat dives, it stays on the boat.

 

[ChicagoMermaid]

I use a snorkel if I have a long kickout when shore diving, but that's about it. Other than that, it's just an entanglement waiting to happen.

 

[kwesler]

My $.02...

I was a free diver for 20 years before SCUBA so am very comfortable with 'em. Having said that, I kept mine in my gear bag-too much a pain in the !@#$ while diving. I always felt like someone was tapping out "War and Peace" on my skull in Morse...

In my Rescue cert, I was required to wear one, and my instructor made me deploy my 6' primary in an OOA drill he sprang on me, and the snorkel was not a problem.

After doing Rescue, I can see some value, but I think I will buy a collapsable (sp?) and deal with it that way, although I have not figured out where to put it with my BP/wing.

 

[Welshman]

I wear one. It doesn't cause my mask to leak. It doesn't otherwise get in the way, and it saves air when you have some way to go to the dive site. However, each to their own.

 

[dc4bs]

Originally posted by Scuba446
Oh,
I haven't reached ANY milestone that I now consider myself a Newbie, other than I have spoken with, e-mailed and joned many messages boards (this and pure DIR) around the USA and UK and have gathered many opinions, facts, info as I could.

I find getting my BOW cert like getting one's drivers license form DMV. Its a license to drive, but comes without any REAL experience to boot.

Same with my BOW cert - now comes the much needed practice and experience to try things, find what works and does not work, for me and the type of diving I plan on doing, and then, just dive, dive, dive and get better - but remain as safe as possible!

I've got a stack of PADI & TDI cert cards (around 15 or so) and I still think of myself as a "newbie" cause I know I still have LOTS to learn.

I usualy don't enjoy dives as much when I don't learn something new (sometimes even what NOT to do again ).

When I get to the point that I "know it all", that's when I'll be a real danger to myself and others in the water.

--------

Back on topic:

I carry my snorkel for use when a boat captain insists or when my budy (an instructor) asks me too when new divers are part of the group.

 

[Scuba446]

I don't hate snorkels, per se, and have used them when I want to 'snorkel' and look around from above. Where we dive, vis isn't 100 ft deep, so its use is rather limited. I notice on our check outs that the Instructor below me a mere 5-10 ft - he was quite blurry. I doubt I'll wear one when doing actual scuba dives though. However, it will be in my dive bag - just in case. or if my wife wants to snorkel only - (she currently doesn't dive yt).

 

[Soggy]

Originally posted by Scuba446

The Argument is: "If you use a snorkel you can conserve air while swimming to/from the boat."

Answer: If a guys SAC (Surface Air Consumption) is so poor that he can't swim on his back with his reg in his mouth, then he needs to get into the gym and workout or start a running program."

It is really irritating when people make assumptions such as this. While I agree that the snorkel is both annoying and an entanglement hazard, it IS a useful tool. Sometimes, after suiting up, I'll hop in the water to cool down while my buddy finishes his last minute gearing-up. If there are any waves at all, it is difficult to breathe without use of a reg or snorkel. So...I use a snorkel. Your point about SAC is irrelevant and also unfounded. The point is that using the reg does waste air that can be used underwater. While I admit I am a relatively new diver, I am in good shape and I still suck air down like a hoover vacuum cleaner. My air consumption continues to improve with each successive dive, but it is not as a result of being out of shape. Ultimately, less air used on the surface equals more air to use underwater. Don't say that because someone chooses not to use their regulator on the surface they are out of shape.

Swimming on your back is also fairly difficult (for me). I use a jacket-inflate BC...perhaps this is why, but for now, the snorkel stays on if there is going to be any time pre-dive on the surface. They are mostly useless on some shore dives and after surfacing and swimming back to the boat -- that's the type of thing that the 500psi rule is for.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by AaronBBrown
that's the type of thing that the 500psi rule is for.

I think a lot of folks assume that the 500 psi *rule* is for surface contingencies...

 

[metridium]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug

I think a lot of folks assume that the 500 psi *rule* is for surface contingencies...

My OW instructor said the 500 psi rule goes like this: 250 psi for surface swim or ducking under boats, and 250 psi to keep water out of the first stage.

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

I am just now getting around to reading this thread that I know has been going on for days. I am very surprised at how many of you never wear or carry a snorkel. I come from a rather rigid military background where you do the things you are told/trained because if you don't people die so I guess I carried that into scuba diving with me. I always wear my snorkel hooked to the left side of my mask strap as I was trained.

I remember some discussion in OW about it helping to conserve air during surface swims and good in high waves. I do have constant problems with mask leakage so perhaps I will try a few dives with it not attached to my mask and see if it helps. I guess that is one of the reasons that we are all "newbies". You never know what you might learn from someone else on any given day about diving; in or out of the water!

KC_Scubabunny