bamamedic
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This is the only good use of a snorkel...........
Finally! I now know why I've been keeping all those snorkels in my drawer for the past year....
Why a snorkel?
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Finally! I now know why I've been keeping all those snorkels in my drawer for the past year....
KY_BOB
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Charlie99
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It's not just "splashing" action. Think more like being in a carwash. In a good squall or any other wind 40+ kts the ocean surface gets pretty frothy and is a mix of air and water. Windwave break and the froth gets blown. Think "whitecap", but on a big scale. Having a snorkel lets you look upwind to keep an eye on your buddy or look for boats, without having to keep your hand in front of your mouth all the time.
You can survive on the surface without either a snorkel or a mask. But both of them make life easier.
Even running small boats in 35 kt winds I've had a few occasions where I wished I had a snorkel in addition to the goggles I was using. Or better yet, a full face mask. High speed water drops can really sting!
Those guys get delivered and picked up by a foam, spray and froth generating machine.rstofer:
If I dived more in the open ocean as opposed to our dives here in the PNW I'd carry a fold up snorkel. I have been in windy conditions where if my air ran out on the surface and I had to try to keep water out of my mouth for a long period of time it would be hard.
When the wind whips up the waves the time between waves can be very short. It's more like sitting in a chair with a mask on and having someone continuously throw a bucket of cold water in your face. Every now and then some gets in a takes your breath away and before you can deal with that another bucket of water hits you again.
You can simulate this by doing a long surface swim at EUP on a very windy day with no regulator in your mouth. Around here we are never that far away from the boat or land but if there was the possibility of being stranded in the open ocean for any period of time I would be very glad to have a folded snorkel in my pocket. I don't dive in those areas at the present so I don't own a folding snorkel and the standard snorkel that I do have is only used if I'm actually snorkeling rather than scuba diving.
When the wind whips up the waves the time between waves can be very short. It's more like sitting in a chair with a mask on and having someone continuously throw a bucket of cold water in your face. Every now and then some gets in a takes your breath away and before you can deal with that another bucket of water hits you again.
You can simulate this by doing a long surface swim at EUP on a very windy day with no regulator in your mouth. Around here we are never that far away from the boat or land but if there was the possibility of being stranded in the open ocean for any period of time I would be very glad to have a folded snorkel in my pocket. I don't dive in those areas at the present so I don't own a folding snorkel and the standard snorkel that I do have is only used if I'm actually snorkeling rather than scuba diving.
It seems everybody has a valid opinion here. In reality, many divers dive without snorkels. However, the standards published by the main training agencies list a snorkel as required equipment. This means that your instructor will be wearing (or carrying) a snorkel and will require you to do so as well for the duration of the class.
Snorkels can be useful for rough days on a surface swim, but they can also get in the way and pull out your hair. A good compromise is a pocket snorkel.
Snorkels can be useful for rough days on a surface swim, but they can also get in the way and pull out your hair. A good compromise is a pocket snorkel.
I would hope that we are using one for more reasons than it is "required".
I use a snorkle on about 30% of the dives I do...sometimes for rough seas...but mostly because, whenever possible, when doing a boat dive, I just use one larger tank for both dives. Because of that, saving all the air I can is a nice option...which means snorkle out... dive.. snorkle back.
In calm seas, don't use the snorkle, but don't see many days like that.
Oh, I didn't mean to say that the only reason to carry a snorkel is that it is required... Just that it would likely be required for a class due to standards, and that outside of classes it is a judgment call. Like you said, you don't carry a snorkel in calm seas, but do when you expect a surface swim.
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Debra@DivingMuseum
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I had the same question and was considering leaving my snorkel behind - but now I think I'll make sure I've always got it. Seems there are more reasons to take it than to leave it. Any thoughts on how to keep it out of the way?
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