Should I wear a snorkel or not

[BoltSnap]

if you can use a snorkel you can also just move your mouth out of the water and breathe

This is truly one of the most erroneous statements in this thread so far. Before you say such things, try to swim with your melon/head out of the water for few hundred meters and let us know how you felt especially if there are waves/swells in the area or current or any type of water movement.

 

[Lorenzoid]

And after you had to use an octo in an OOA, you will need a snorkel on the surface to get back to your exit point since you don't have air in your tank and you are most likely in an not so calm state and need the snorkel to help you swim comfortably to exit the water without having to strain your head to breathe, you are already stressed from your OOA experience (you or your buddy OOA, it doesn't matter, both of you are in a stress situation).

I have not been keeping up with this thread, but wasn't it mentioned a hundred posts or more ago that a folding snorkel kept in a pocket can address this kind of contingency?

Did someone point out some deficiency of the folding snorkel?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

And after you had to use an octo in an OOA, you will need a snorkel on the surface to get back to your exit point since you don't have air in your tank and you are most likely in an not so calm state and need the snorkel to help you swim comfortably to exit the water without having to strain your head to breathe, you are already stressed from your OOA experience (you or your buddy OOA, it doesn't matter, both of you are in a stress situation).

What???

1. Why are you necessarily out of air?
2. Why are you necessarily needing to swim anywhere to get back to your exit point?

Now you’re going to argue for the redundant snorkel I mentioned earlier so that you have one for the OOA diver as well.

Another day of humor from this thread. Thank you!

 

[lowwall]

This is truly one of the most erroneous statements in this thread so far. Before you say such things, try to swim with your melon/head out of the water for few hundred meters and let us know how you felt especially if there are waves/swells in the area or current or any type of water movement.

You picked the wrong guy for this. As an ex-competitive swimmer and triathlete, I've swum many, many miles in oceans and Lake Michigan without a snorkel. Turn your head and breathe. It's not that hard to filter out the water from the air. Every swimmer does it. It's also a lot less effort to clear a mouth full of water than a snorkel full of water.

 

[EFX]

This is truly one of the most erroneous statements in this thread so far. Before you say such things, try to swim with your melon/head out of the water for few hundred meters and let us know how you felt especially if there are waves/swells in the area or current or any type of water movement.

Do you want to know how I would feel after a 300 m swim in rough seas without a snorkel? Exhausted. Do you want to know how I would feel after a 300 m swim in rough seas with a snorkel? Exhausted. I would not go diving in those conditions if I had to make such a long surface swim. I would not attempt that long of a swim after the dive -- I would have the boat pick me up. What kind of diving are you doing that requires such long surface swims? I've been diving in relatively rough seas from a boat before and have never felt a snorkel was needed. If anything, I inflated my wing more than usual to keep my head higher out of the water.

 

[Celt]

The important thing about the snorkel decision is that you never actually need one. They are occasionally nice to have, but if you can use a snorkel you can also just move your mouth out of the water and breathe.

That is simply not true. And in some sea conditions and particularly in the surf zone on the Irish coast thinking you can simply move you mouth out of the water is a good way to drown.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

You picked the wrong guy for this. As an ex-competitive swimmer and triathlete, I've swum many, many miles in oceans and Lake Michigan without a snorkel. Turn your head and breathe. It's not that hard to filter out the water from the air. Every swimmer does it. It's also a lot less effort to clear a mouth full of water than a snorkel full of water.

+1 Another former competitive swimmer here. Far easier than using a snorkel.

 

[BoltSnap]

I have not been keeping up with this thread, but wasn't it mentioned a hundred posts or more ago that a folding snorkel kept in a pocket can address this kind of contingency?

Did someone point out some deficiency of the folding snorkel?

Sure, it would do the job. No problems with folding snorkels.

 

[Celt]

Do you want to know how I would feel after a 300 m swim in rough seas without a snorkel? Exhausted. Do you want to know how I would feel after a 300 m swim in rough seas with a snorkel? Exhausted. I would not go diving in those conditions if I had to make such a long swim. I would not attempt that long of a swim after the dive -- I would have the boat pick me up. What kind of diving are you doing that requires such long surface swims? I've been diving in relatively rough seas from a boat before and have never felt a snorkel was needed. If anything, I inflated my wing more than usual to keep my head higher out of the water.

I’ve done 5 mile shoreline swims to get to and back from some dive sites before I had a boat.

 

[Celt]

Turn your head and breathe. It's not that hard to filter out the water from the air. Every swimmer does it. It's also a lot less effort to clear a mouth full of water than a snorkel full of water.

A snorkel used properly will not fill and you will not get a mouth full of water. One of the first things you need to learn is to keep pressure on the mouth piece and to anticipate a flood.