Do you dive with a snorkel!??

[RJP]

Hello, I am trying to get some input on who uses snorkels and who does not. Is it safe to not dive with a snorkel? Why do people choose to not use them?

I opt not to dive with one. They are not much use in wrecks (or anywhere underwater) and could interfere with deploying a long hose if needed.

I understand why people who do dives with long surface swims might like them. I'd rather do the swim on my back.

More than 500 dives and I've never been on one where I thought "man, I really wish I had a snorkel"!

 

[WoodnDive]

As a newly certified diver one year ago I use my snorkel. I have only done shore dives so far this year and I use it to swim out to the site with my buddies. I am the only one out of four of us who uses theirs for the swim out. Everyone else rolls on their back and swims out. One time I made a giant stride off a dive charter with the snorkel in my mouth. LMAO. I dont know what I was thinking but that first inhale was a wake up call. Luckily my bcd was fully inflated and I was able to grab my 2nd stage immedialty.

 

[Bigd2722]

There's a reason cetaceans have a breathing hole on the back of their heads. On anchorline deep dives I may carry a fold up snorkel in my leg pocket. Otherwise, it's always there, unobtrusive, tucked neatly on the side of my head, instantly deployable. I've heard people say that snorkels break a streamlined profile. Sometines these people have incredible amounts of junk hanging off them, with clumsy BCs that look like winter overcoats and more hoses wrapped around them than the Michelin man.

I once swam more than a mile to a small boat that had drifted because the kid in it had fallen asleep. There were two of us, the Jamaican small shop operator and me. On the surface, looking at the faraway boat, we fully inflated our BCs, took them off, made small semi-buoyant rafts out of them, and slowly snorkeled, pushing our equipment, toward the boat, which happily was drifting shoreward. It was actually lots of fun, relaxing, got to see a lot of things as the bottom slowly rose and turned to turtle grass. I learned many new Jamaican words that afternoon.

sounds like fun

 

[theduckguru]

For boats dives in rather calm conditions - no. For boat dives in rough conditions - yes

 

[DeeperOut]

I carry a snorkel on all dives in open water. It is a flexible all silicone folding snorkel that I can easily have in my pocket if needed. I love it and it has allowed me to save gas and move on the surface with great efficiency.

 

[Dive the World]

"Snorkel is for snorkeling" that is what they say at the club. Haven't seen a need for it - always have the reg in the mouth until I get back on the boat.

 

[RonFrank]

I generally carry one when ocean diving. Rarely use them but there was a time on the Grove, 5 foot seas, current ripping, and I attached and used the snorkel as just dragging ones self on the surface line resulted in a few hundred lbs of air use. One dude said he used 800lbs on the surface, yes conditions were rough.

 

[Thalassamania]

"Snorkel is for snorkeling" that is what they say at the club. Haven't seen a need for it - always have the reg in the mouth until I get back on the boat.

For me, swimming at the surface is snorkeling, scuba means being below the surface.

As a newly certified diver one year ago I use my snorkel. I have only done shore dives so far this year and I use it to swim out to the site with my buddies. I am the only one out of four of us who uses theirs for the swim out. Everyone else rolls on their back and swims out. One time I made a giant stride off a dive charter with the snorkel in my mouth. LMAO. I dont know what I was thinking but that first inhale was a wake up call. Luckily my bcd was fully inflated and I was able to grab my 2nd stage immedialty.

I have my snorkel in my mouth whenever I am at the surface, that way there is never any confusion. I enter the water with my snorkel in my mouth and I switch to my snorkel as soon, or even before, I surface.

I generally carry one when ocean diving. Rarely use them but there was a time on the Grove, 5 foot seas, current ripping, and I attached and used the snorkel as just dragging ones self on the surface line resulted in a few hundred lbs of air use. One dude said he used 800lbs on the surface, yes conditions were rough.

That's part of the issue, if you only use our snorkel when conditions are bad you do not develop, or maintain, your snorkel related skills, especially the detection of water coming in that happens more often with a snorkel, but also signals the start of regulator issues.

 

[Scott L]

I opt not to dive with one. They are not much use in wrecks (or anywhere underwater) and could interfere with deploying a long hose if needed.

I understand why people who do dives with long surface swims might like them. I'd rather do the swim on my back.

More than 500 dives and I've never been on one where I thought "man, I really wish I had a snorkel"!

100% drift diving here. The last time I carried a snorkel was during my PADI AOW class 15 years ago. It was last seen the same day speeding away from our charter boat at high velocity toward the Gulf Stream to the east.

 

[jmneill]

Well, I thought this thread was going away... but if ya can't beat em, join em.
I went through OW with one and it kinda just stayed with me for a bit until one day I forgot it and realised I had been set free. I would, as others have surely stated use one anytime I had a long surface swim. I avoid these types of dives so I have not used my snorkel in years except of course when .....