I gotta ask...

[WreckWriter]

Was looking at snorkels online today. Seems like almost all of them have the little dry valve thing on top. Last time I bought a snorkel those things were considered unsafe. Is that a changed thing?

Not for me, looking for a big bore wrap around with no thing on top.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Never been considered unsafe as far as I know. The problem ones are the full face snorkels.

 

[MB NZ]

I own a snorkel with a valve at the top to stop water ingress. After freediving, the valve has stuck a few times making it impossible to take a breath on reaching the surface. I don't know if this is common to all snorkels like this or my particular one which is from a well known brand. I would say that it's fine for snorkelling, but not freediving.

As for full face mask snorkels, I found an expensive one recently at an underwater sculpture park. I did a "Banksy" with it.

 

[WreckWriter]

I own a snorkel with a valve at the top to stop water ingress. After freediving, the valve has stuck a few times making it impossible to take a breath on reaching the surface. I don't know if this is common to all snorkels like this or my particular one which is from a well known brand. I would say that it's fine for snorkelling, but not freediving.

As for full face mask snorkels, I found an expensive one recently at an underwater sculpture park. I did a "Banksy" with it.

That's why they were considered unsafe.

 

[David Wilson]

There are still some large-bore "wet" (valveless) snorkels around these days, e.g. the Cressi America below. Try searching freediving websites.

As for combined masks and snorkels, they are not all full-face devices, some cover the eyes and nose only like this ProDive model:

The design enables users not only to breathe through their noses (a healthier option than mouth breathing) but also to avoid the constant presence of a snorkel mouthpiece rubbing against the gums or triggering a gag reflex.

Masks with built-in snorkels, whether full- or half-face, are not meant for deep diving but for users who want to lie face-down on the surface observing what is happening underwater over long periods. The full-face variety now has a national standard: BS 8647:2024. Respiratory equipment. Full-face snorkel masks. Specification. Any item of diving equipment, not just snorkel-masks, can be misused by inexperienced people who flout the safety limits of such gear, deliberately choosing to operate untrained and unsupervised.

​

 

[dmaziuk]

There's "splash guard" or "splash shield" "thingies on top" and the "dry valve" thingies. The latter are to be avoided, but the former are fine.

 

[Waterwulf]

I bought a new snorkel for my last Florida trip. I enjoy SCUBA but I also enjoy just plain snorkeling. I got one that has a dry valve on top and a purge valve on the bottom curve. To be honest, I had my good old regular wet snorkel along as a standby but it turned out to not be needed. That thing actually worked as advertised. I was impressed.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

I mean this in the nicest way… but…
It time you became a scuba diver. .
Come over to the other side…
It is soooo much better.