...my DIR friends told me when I began my BOW course, "Once you get certified, NAIL that thing on your garage wall with a spike and admire it as a decoration, because thats all it good for!"
Are we out to SNORKEL or SCUBA dive? Notice why both are referred to SNORKELING or SCUBA DIVING!
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."
Leave the entanglement hazard, mask leaker, etc. at home!
Go to GUE's Equipment Guide at:
http://www.gue.com/equipment/equip-anatomy.shtml
Notice snorkels are not even listed!
See DIR UK's web site at:
http://www.dis-uk.org/snorkel.htm
The Argument, and I quote: "Snorkels also have DEAD AIR SPACES, an area where carbon dioxide builds up. The last thing a diver needs before or after a dive is breathing through a dead air space. Swim on your back while on the surface or breath through the regulator which should always have enough reserve air and giving it to you at the rate you need it. There are divers out there who keep snorkels either on the left side of their mask or on their ankle on any dive. The latter is a definite entanglement hazard and should be avoided. It is a dangerous club practice. A snorkel on the mask, meanwhile, interferes with the regulator, the calamity of a dive and overall performance. Also, where lines or reels are used, or in environments where fishing takes place (hence lost lines, nets etc), they may mean an entanglement that could even lead to mask loss. The best place to keep a snorkel is in your dive bag or, if you insist, in a dry suit pocket. If you are contemplating using a snorkel as a rescue device, it may be better to review your own safe diving practices and seek further training on diver rescue. Most experienced divers do not use snorkels. Snorkels have no place in technical diving. "
ENOUGH SAID? And thats not even a Newbie speaking now...