Should I wear a snorkel or not

[TMHeimer]

@Happyladydiver , I don't know what to say except that Tom is one of the nicest people I have met on SB. He may have had a bad day in the cold North or perhaps he is irritated by the numerous troll threads on this subject and others and thought you were one of them. He is a super nice guy and I don't think that he meant any disrespect or to attack you. I hope that you both work it out and get past it.

Signed: Burhan the peace and love maker!!

Thank you Burhan. And a big apology to Happyladydiver. All I can figure for my comment was that I didn't realize I was in fact on the New Diver Forum. I really was sure this was a troll. No excuse.

 

[Blackcrusader]

At 1 atmosphere you have gas for a long time, even with the 500 PSI or so you surface with. Is the snorkel is a gear solution for the skills problem of surfacing OOA?

Sometimes OOA is equipment failure so not really a skills problem. So you can have air in your tank and not be able to use it. I use mine as often at beginning or end of dive waiting for others to get on the boat I will still be looking down at the reef and also looking to make sure all our divers are accounted for even though I am not the guide or DM.

Here on one trip I am in the water waiting for divers and I use my snorkel to view the reef. Sometimes I may get a passing turtle before we descend. As Stoker wrote, I am not using my air from my tank unless I am diving. It's my precious. In another case a Krait snake came up to the boat for air. So imagine someone on the boat going off and not seeing it and being bitten as a result?

 

[doctormike]

Sometimes OOA is equipment failure so not really a skills problem. So you can have air in your tank and not be able to use it.

OK, you are right.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I don't - because my hair gets tangled in it .

I am not sure a snorkel is the only thing causing hair to get tangled. On this dive I was convinced that mermaids do exist.
Every time she breathed out my heart went all a flutter.

 

[Jafo19D]

No! Constantly clearing your mask because a snorkel is breaking your skirt seal makes your mask fog up.

Shhhhhhhhh!

Hmmmm. I wear a snorkel every dive and I don’t have that problem at all. And it’s a completely rigid snorkel not the kind where the bottom part is flexible.

Fir everyone rationalizing that you won’t need it I suggest you watch Blackhawk Down.

 

[David Novo]

Hmmmm. I wear a snorkel every dive and I don’t have that problem at all. And it’s a completely rigid snorkel not the kind where the bottom part is flexible.

Fir everyone rationalizing that you won’t need it I suggest you watch Blackhawk Down.

For an emergency, you can have it in your pocket (and for that it needs to be foldable).
It can be a mess to wear one all the time with a long hose.

 

[BoltSnap]

Hmmmm. I wear a snorkel every dive and I don’t have that problem at all. And it’s a completely rigid snorkel not the kind where the bottom part is flexible.

Fir everyone rationalizing that you won’t need it I suggest you watch Blackhawk Down.

Exactly, everyone is trying to rationalize that they don't need it and use very "weak stories" to do so compensating for poor and inadequate training.

 

[doctormike]

Exactly, everyone is trying to rationalize that they don't need it and use very "weak stories" to do so compensating for poor and inadequate training.

I actually think that the pushback is to the position that you absolutely need it for every dive, which from what I can tell is the official position of at least one major training agency. Now you could say that this is just for training, but most infrequent divers (i.e. most certified scuba divers) just do what they learned in training when they go diving, so it tends to carries over.

I think that the "anti-snorkel" posts can be broken down into two categories:

- Objection to the idea of wearing it on the mask
- Objection to the idea that you need it for every dive, and if you don't have it you are putting yourself at risk

I can't think of anyone in this thread or elsewhere objecting to the idea of carrying a foldable snorkel in case you are in the situation where you want one unexpectedly. Saying that people object to that is kind of a straw man argument.

I guess I can see that it would be convenient or comfortable in some circumstances, but I don't see that not having a snorkel - even on an ocean dive - would be a major SAFETY issue. And that's an important distinction. Unless, I guess, you are diving in situations where helicopters and rocket propelled grenades are a consideration.

 

[NorCalDM]

Only on SB we can have a 13 page argument over wearing a snorkel or not and this is not the first time? If you feel there is benefit in wearing one go for it if not then don't shouldn't be shamed either way.

 

[Altamira]

Only on SB we can have a 13 page argument over wearing a snorkel or not and this is not the first time? If you feel there is benefit in wearing one go for it if not then don't shouldn't be shamed either way.

And you can put a lot of money on this not bring the last time. Same with split fins, bp/w vs jackets, etc., etc., but this is to be expected with a continuous influx of new divers. It's all good, and I am certainly grateful to have this board, and its broad spectrum of a diverse number of divers' opinions. This board was not around when I started diving, and appreciate the constant opportunity to review my previously held opinions on a wide variety of subjects, often finding flaws in my thought process. That is a good thing: It shows my brain is still functioning.