Do you dive with or without your snorkel attached and why?

[kulot]

I used it for my OW class, as it was required. Now, it is relegated to the bottom of my gear bag. I was stupid enough to buy one of the overly-expensive "dry" snorkels. What a waste of money!

I can relate to that. Even after snorkeling for years my husband and I were taken in by that one.

I might always have my snorkel in my gear bag but I rarely use it for diving. Do boat dives mostly and should the waves get a little high then I'll just keep my reg in my mouth. It's what I'm comfortable with.

 

[clockradio]

I see a lot of divers without their snorkels, new divers tend to have them attached, and was wondering if the more experienced divers were not using them becsuse they didn't want to look like a newbie, or just don't see the need for them. How anybody would not wear one doing a drift dive is puzzling

i don't use one because its uncomfortable. i do carry it in my dive bag, if for some reason i may think i might need it. geo.

 

[pinoypizza]

I dive with my snorkel most of the time specially when i'm doing training dives. I wear snorkel because it's required by standards when we are teaching, I'm a PADI instructor. When I'm leading dives with fun divers I do wear my snorkel unless we are doing a strong current drift dive (3/4 knots of current). Snorkel can be a problem during the dive because no matter what you do but you can't have it streamline on your mask when you stop to look at something. The snorkel would be flapping around and your mask would not seal properly. Wearing a snorkel is not because you're a new diver or beginner. I have done myselft 4500+ dives and I still wear one. When the water is a bit choppy just keep your snorkel in your mouth to avoid swallowing salt water.

 

[scubamo]

If you are scuba why do you have a snork????

 

[LuvsItWet]

Had I not been wearing one, I would have SURELY drowned! Read about my "near death experience" in "accidents and incidents"!

Hi there Pilot Fish -

I normally don't use one as most dives I do are boat dives - so surface activity is usually limited to floating around over relatively deep water, with nothing to see below, while waiting for a pick up. There’s not a lot of surface swimming involved - and indeed if I have to swim a long distance on the surface I use a fairly relaxed backstroke to save energy. Snorkels just plain suck while poking around in wreaks and can even become a bit of a entanglement hazard, and the drag they produce in ripping currents, such as on drift dives, can get annoying.

If I'm doing a shore dive and swimming out over shallow water I'll wear one though...

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Web Monkey]

I just ignore the anti-snorkle people.

I developed a bunch of new respect for both the snorkel and the big SMB while I was sitting off the cost of Florida after a drift dive, in the middle of a bunch of big waves, and the boat wasn't there.

It's a big ocean, and when you don't have anything except what you brought, you start to be very grateful for the stuff you did bring.

Also that "breathe your tank on the surface" advice is useless for any significant amount of time. When you come up with 500 PSI, you only get about 20 minutes with a slightly elevated SAC. Even if you come up with 1000, it's only around 40 minutes. This isn't a lot of help after a couple of hours.


I'd say the same for the "time your breathing to coincide with the wave trough" advice. I'd be willing to bet that after a few hours of that, pretty much anybody would give quite a bit for a moderately-dry snorkel.

I keep one in my pocket. However as has been said here a number of times, there are no SCUBA police, and anybody who doesn't want one certainly doesn't have the bring one.

Terry

Okay, Aquaman, maybe you are like your name-sake from the comic strip.

Until you show me how well YOU do swimming two and half to three miles in heavy chop, I'll continue to keep a snork with me, and use it when I need it!

You think about it!

As I said, it's a tool. Use it when you need it. As Mr. Natural always says: "Hey, get the right tool for the job, Kids!"

Rob Davie :doctor:

 

[H2Andy]

Until you show me how well YOU do swimming two and half to three miles in heavy chop, I'll continue to keep a snork with me, and use it when I need it!

ok... could you give me an actual example why you would swim 2.5 miles?

 

[BigJetDriver]

ok... could you give me an actual example why you would swim 2.5 miles?

Easy answer, Andy. When nobody is coming to get you, and it is the ONLY way to get to shore. (I certainly wouldn't volunteer to do something like that for fun!! )

Rob

 

[H2Andy]

it's not the kind of diving we do here. we either do shore entry (500 yards max
swim) or we do boat dive (10 mile swim minimum -- i.e. it ain't happening).

so did you find that the snorkel helped in the heavy chop?

 

[BigJetDriver]

it's not the kind of diving we do here. we either do shore entry (500 yards max
swim) or we do boat dive (10 mile swim minimum -- i.e. it ain't happening).

so did you find that the snorkel helped in the heavy chop?

In that particular case we were lucky in that we could see the island. We just hung out in a group. We discussed it, and picked a point at which we would have to start working our way in before the current drifted us past the end of the island. As I say, we were lucky, and the boat came back and found us before we started the long haul.

I did not have my snork with me on that one. That was the one that made me decide to keep one in a pocket. Since then, yes, it has come in handy a couple of times in heavy chop.

As someone pointed out, it is amazing, the depth of feeling engendered by this simple piece of plastic. One would almost think we were discussing religion with the Amish Diving Society because of the ferocity of some of these attacks.

I just put my two cents in the form of: "Hey, I found it useful to carry one, and here's why I did." It is just a tool after all.

Cheers!

P.S.--Love the little tag under your avatar!

Rob