Who Wears A Snorkel When Diving ?

[Mike Newman]

Wow, this thread has really started me thinking. It had never occurred to me to dispense with - or tuck away - my snorkel.

I guess the training has emphasised the requirement to have a snorkel for all those good reasons like surface transits / out of air on return leg etc.

But I do find the snorkel catching my hair occasionally and getting in the way - not a whole lot, but often enough to be a reasonably frequent source of irritation.

I don't think that I will dispense with, or stow mine just yet awhile. Being a newbie and a bit of an air hog to date, I value every cubic foot of the invisible life source too much.

But like I started out saying - it's definitely got me thinking - thank you all for your input, especially the thread starter.

MN

 

[JamesK]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug
(btw... don't worry about your second stage failing... it will fail in freeflow mode if it ever does.... just abort the dive and do a safe ascent.)

Not all regs! ut:

Originally posted by builderbloke
in the uk we get lots of ice and a snorkel can come in handy in an ooa situation by smashing through the ice with your knife poping your snorkel through and breathing

See, I just don't understand this one. If the ice is thick enough where you would need a snorkel to breath out of after you make the hole in the ice, then you are probably going to run out of air breaking through the ice anyway. If the ice is thin enough where you can break through it easily, then you can make a whole large enough for your head. Now I am not an ice diver, so it is very possible that I am wrong. I am not trying to say you are wrong, but I am just trying to understand this logic.

 

[DEEP SEA]

When I wear a full face mask, I don't use one. However, whenever I dive standard Scuba, I always have one on. Sometimes when I am out of air, I am not ready to go back to the boat. I just float around in the kelp enjoying all I can see! I’ve followed big fish, watched seals dart about along with many other sea creatures. Try that floating around on your back:tease:

 

[Divesherpa]

Snorkels are a great tool to a) introduce general public to the underwater world, and b) teach someone airway control. Aside from those two things, I feel that they are worthless. Then again, that may only be the cave diver coming out.


I do have a snorkel in my pocket when teaching classes that require it.

 

[devilfish]

A snorkel is just a dangling thing from a mask. It creates drag, foods the mask, gets entangled, can't use it in overhead, can't see in dark water, it's not for swimming on the back, etc. I meet the standards and teach with a snorkel. I also teach how to swim with scuba on the surface without it. Once we are done I tell my students that a snorkle is for snorkeling. If it was meant to be for scuba diving it would be called a "scuby". A good place for a snorkel is in the dive bag.

 

[exnewwavedivers]

I am comfortable on the surface of the water, stationary or swimming on my back. On the other hand, if I wear one, it's only because I am doing a course.

 

[ladycute1]

I did away with using a snorkle shortly after training... then I used to keep it in my bc pocket... and on a recent trip to Fiji, I decided that I will wear it unless there is a specific reason not to -- Manta Ray night dives -- or if I start diving wrecks or serious caves...

But, during this trip to Fiji, there were a number of times when I was at the surface quite a long time waiting for the boat... or... it took quite a long time to pass up my gear to the boat crew... but the final straw was watching the boat drift to some WILD surf while the crew tried desperately to start the engine with a screw driver... If I was going to have to swim to shore... I wanted that snorkle right where I could get it quickly.

So, for MY diving, there are more reasons to wear it than not to.

Liz

 

[mddolson]

I always do.
After 30 years and over 1000 dives, I have always found a snorkel handy for surface swims, conserving air while swimming to the down line at the bow of the boat , or in rough conditions etc.
As an instructor I teach a snorkel is an esssential part of your scuba gear.
I lead by example.

Mike Dolson

 

[raxafarian]

Originally posted by scubby
Even though I have only been certified recently, I plan to keep my snorkel with me at all times.

Redundancy equals a safer dive in my book.

then you should get a folding snorkel and carry it in your pocket

 

[raxafarian]

cont. from previous post...


along with the one strapped to the mask