fnfalman
Contributor
Just say No to snorkels.
But without snorkels, how are we going to do snorkel fight?
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Just say No to snorkels.
Please bear in mind that I haven't even taken my OW cert class yet and have never actually dived... Isn't the general idea to maximize bottom time? If you are wasting your air on the swim out, this does reduce your bottom time, does it not? I may be completely missing something here, but I always envisioned tank capacity as THE limiting factor on a dive. I understand that there may be situations where air is not what limits your dive time, but I would think this the exception rather than the norm.
Given the makeup of the people who read ScubaBoard, I'm going to point something out ...I often like to be able to do multiple dives on a single tank, so while on the surface, I will generally conserve air with the snorkel.
If you are putting yourself in a situation where you have to dive down to avoid ships that are "trying to run you over", you have way more serious issues than whether or not you're carrying a snorkel.You will not be able to use the air from your tank indefinitely and in my opinion, some reserve should be saved in the tank in case a ship tries to run you over and you need to descend deeply to get away from it. I have been in situations with solid whitecaps that were challenging with a full BC and a snorkel; without a snorkel it would be very uncomfortable.
First off, the comment about back-inflate BCDs is nonsense, and perpetuating a myth.Also, for the people who wear back inflate systems (that push you face down when fully inflated) a snorkel would be really important in rough seas. Trying to "lean back" or minimally inflate the wings is just not gonna cut it in a squall at night for example.
...Where I part ways with people is when they start overstating its importance and referring to it as "safety equipment". It is hardly that. It is a piece of gear that may or may not be useful to some, depending on what other gear and instructional choices they have made, what skills they've acquired, and the conditions in which they dive.
That, really, is ALL it is.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Do you need a snorkel while recreational diving, I've heard in some places it's illegal to dive without one but it's always in the way.
If I can make an analogy to a car .. fins are your motor, a snorkel is your air conditioner. One is necessary to the function of the activity, the other is a convenience.Bob, I hadn't refered to a snorkel as a piece of safety equipment, but it certainly could be. In a similar way, Fins are not normally considered to be "safety equipment," but I have been in conditions where I would have been injured without them.
All things in their proper context ... a snorkel is not NECESSARY for either rescue or self-rescue. It may make such activities easier under certain conditions, but I cannot conceive of a situation where a rescue would fail because you didn't have a snorkel.I would definitely consider a snorkel to be a piece of rescue /self-rescue equipment, in-that it may be used to facilitate in-water AR, or to improve personal performance in-case a long swim is required.
All of whom are training divers to perform specific functions that are not shared by recreational diving ... context is everything.I (like anyone) can only express my opinion on the topic under discussion. I do not suggest that my opinion is empirically correct, but it is shared by:
- The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard (Rescue Swimmers)
- U.S.A.F. and Canadian Air Force (Search and Rescue Technicians)
- U.S. Navy (Surface Rescue Swimmers)
- British and Danish Air Force (Rescue Technicians)
There are several things required by many SCUBA agencies that I don't believe are necessary. There are also several things not required by those same agencies that I believe should be. Agencies follow their own agendas, and for their reasons. In the case of snorkels ... depending on the agency ... it's either due to the fact that they begin their basic OW program by teaching freediving skills (in which case a snorkel is needed equipment) or it's an artifact left over from a time when they used to teach skills which they have since dropped from their curriculum.As you have pointed-out, it is also required by many SCUBA certification bodies as a required piece of equipment.
These would be the same organizations that resisted the use of nitrox for years, because they were firmly convinced it was dangerous? The same ones who currently restrict their instructors from teaching in certain configurations because it's "tech" gear?Perhaps myself and these organizations are mistaken as to the importance that a snorkel may have in certain situations, but this is not my experience.
If I can make an analogy to a car .. fins are your motor, a snorkel is your air conditioner. One is necessary to the function of the activity, the other is a convenience.
All things in their proper context ... a snorkel is not NECESSARY for either rescue or self-rescue. It may make such activities easier under certain conditions, but I cannot conceive of a situation where a rescue would fail because you didn't have a snorkel.
All of whom are training divers to perform specific functions that are not shared by recreational diving ... context is everything.
There are several things required by many SCUBA agencies that I don't believe are necessary. There are also several things not required by those same agencies that I believe should be. Agencies follow their own agendas, and for their reasons. In the case of snorkels ... depending on the agency ... it's either due to the fact that they begin their basic OW program by teaching freediving skills (in which case a snorkel is needed equipment) or it's an artifact left over from a time when they used to teach skills which they have since dropped from their curriculum.
Snorkels have their use ... overstating that use doesn't do anyone a service. It simply reflects poorly on the credibility of those who promote them.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)