Dry top snorkels

[dive_turkey]

Fair enough. I feel the snorkel has its use in the surface swim. However, I rarely require and therefor rarely carry my snorkel. I suppose if i ever found that "perfect snorkel" with a means for safe storage until I needed it, I'd carry one. I like the idea of securing it to the backplate (for me, the zip mounts on my ranger), but the snorkel I have is ridiculously huge (came with a kit) and is not practical for this.

 

[AfterDark]

Try one of these attached to your mask. Lose the plastic ring and get a simple snorkel tab to attach it. This snorkel cost me $12.00 +shipping. That was last year or the year before. I lost my other one like it, had that one for years. I lost it because I put one of those ring type holders on it and it slid right out of it.

 

[dive_turkey]

Try one of these attached to your mask. Lose the plastic ring and get a simple snorkel tab to attach it. This snorkel cost me $12.00 +shipping.

View attachment 168505

While that does look like a small, utalitarian snorkel that should do the trick for me, I'm just not a fan of having it hanging off my face throughout my dive.

 

[supergaijin]

I see some recreational divers with them attached to the lower leg under the straps of a BFK. Nothing wrong with that.... until someone comes in with "you're gonna get tangled up and die!!!!!!!!!!"

 

[dive_turkey]

I see some recreational divers with them attached to the lower leg under the straps of a BFK. Nothing wrong with that.... until someone comes in with "you're gonna get tangled up and die!!!!!!!!!!"

Now that's an idea!!! ...if I carried a BFK on my leg. I think it'd look awfully silly to attach my snorkel to my shears or my trilobite.

Also, my apologies to the OP. This thread was supposed to be about Dry Top Snorkels. I will defer the rest of this discussion to: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/hogarthian-diving/466066-snorkel-problem.html

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I teach a lot of snorkeling classes. I am not a fan of the dry snoprkel even for snorkelers, because the float woill often stick and cause a mild panic. SO I have added the "float flick" as a skill in my snorkeling classes. Also, the dry snorkel is a limiter on free diving as it traps air and makes descent harder toa limited degree. However, there are those who love their dry snorkel- and that's fine- for snorkeling. But I would never wear one when diving. I wear a snorkel when teaching, but when diving recreationally, I have a folding snorkel in my pocket for long swims out or in. It works just fine. Three things I think every snorkel used for snorkeling should have: flex tube from mouth piece; purge valve, and substantial diameter bore. Everything else is a fluff.
DivemasterDennis

 

[fdog]

There's choices because everyone has different preferences.

Lots of freedivers I respect hold to the "simple J tube or nothing" school of thought. Simple, nothing to break...put it on the back of the mask strap, and it swivels out of the way when you're underwater...simple is good, right?


Hmmmm.



Weeelll....I'm a freediver, too. Up until a month ago, I was one of the simple J tube folks. Then, a fellow freediver talked me into trying her Riffe Stable snorkel. It took some talking, because this has the dreaded purge valve. OMG. And even worse, it just didn't look very "purist".

It only took one freediving session for me to kick my J-tubes to the curb. This snorkel produced the easiest, driest, best breath-ups I've ever had! For me, being on the surface is all about breathing, to prep for the next dive, and the Stable is perfect for that.

The clip is solid and attaches to the back of the strap even better than my old school J's; it flips to the back of the neck when I spit it out; and clears better than any snorkel I've used yet. No more rattling during breathe-ups. You can't help but fall in love with it.

Every freediver I know, that has used it, ditches their old snorkel. Me included.

...And taught me a lesson about keeping an open mind.


All the best, James

 

[toddthecat]

Without going in one direction or the other, I would simply say that it is a matter of personal preference. If you like a dry snorkel, then use it. If you like a J-snorkel, then use that. I use the gear that I like and prefer. If someone has a problem with my gear then I suppose that's too bad for them. Maybe they should be more concerned with their own setup. After all, it's not like they'll be using mine...

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I teach snorkeling classes for kids starting at age 6 through my local YMCA extension program. I encourage them if they have gear to bring it. What I often see them come in with is oversize dry snorkels that do nothing but give them trouble. I have some kids size ones but I have removed the float flapper from them. The purge on the bottom I can live with. But the dry top on the ones I have is removable and that's what they seem to like better. They say that it is easier to clear and pulls less on the mask. These are also kids size masks and seeing them struggle with dry snorkels that tend to flip around and pull on the strap is just not acceptable. I have them doing mask and snorkel recovery from the bottom where the mask needs to be clear and snorkel breathable when their head clears the surface. When you have someone trying to get a mask on that a big bulky dry snorkel is twisting the strap and pulling on it adding unnecessary difficulty it adds to the things that will frustrate a kid. And that never has a happy outcome.

Not to mention the fact that they are more expensive and an unnecessary use of cash. The snorkels I sell are less than $15.00 for the simple j tube for adults and just a bit more for the kids dry with the top that can be removed. These are the only ones I stock.

I once had an 8 yr old show up with an older aqualung impulse dry snorkel. That has to be one of the biggest pieces of crap I have ever seen. He was given it by a relative (who must have hated him) and the look of relief on his face when I told his parents that it was not right for him and I would not allow him to use it was priceless. It looks like it has an oil filler funnel on top of it and weighs a ton. When I gave him a choice between the kids dry with the top removed and the Edge Stealth 2 simple j tube, he grabbed the j tube and has been using it every session since.

---------- Post added October 8th, 2013 at 04:07 PM ----------

The Riffe looks nice but I can't in good conscience recommend a $45-$50 snorkel to anyone. Especially in my area.

 

[ekremer]

I know one argument I heard a lot. A standard J Snorkel is way easier to preform rescue breaths with