How many of u use a snorkel ?

[Jester]

Of course, I use one in class situations, and there have been times where I wished I had one with me when out in open water.

If there was a really nice folding one (I don't like the ones currently on the market), I'd probably get it.

 

[kalvyn]

I just recently did my NAUI OW certification, and my instructor had me do the snorkel skills in the pool our first day, then we didn't use them again until the frist open water dive. I had to dive to the bottom (in about 10 fsw) and grab something so he could see I got there. I did this twice, once for blast clear, and once for displacement clear. After a little more tooling around, we wen in, tossed the snorkles in the gear bags, and I have not worn one since. The breath-hold dives were my least favorite part of the certification, both in the pool, and in OW.

I do keep mine with me in my gear bag, but purely in case I want to do straight snorkelling.

dc4bs once bubbled...


(AIR II stuff)

I suppose, but I know she's had the thing for quite some time. Several people, including DMs and instructors, have reccomended she switch back to a standard inflator but she just doesn't seem to want to listen. Or, barring that, to really learn to use it properly.

Is this the integrated power inflator/deflator and regulator you're talking about? My dive instructor has one, and I really liked it myself. He had no problems breathing off of it during our OW OOA acents, but now that I think about it, he was wearing a drysuit...

Jimmie

 

[charmed]

I have lost my snorkel some time ago, and since then I didn't get a new one. Though, it would be nice to have one for snorkeling. For diving it's just in the way and I might lose it again!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I looked through my gear, and must have about 7 snorkels around. My shotgun snorkel is now on my dive helmet. I used my wife's impulse snorkel in the pool last evening, and it is nice. I couldn't notice any problems with it, even swimming as hard as I could. I have two different corrugated snorkels from about 15 years ago (a Dacor and one other), and used one on my October dive in Edmonds Underwater Park (it's on my helmet in my u/w photo on my profile). In the pool, I use a fin swimming front-mounted snorkel for workouts. It works extremely well, and I regularly swim 600 to 1000 or so yards with my monofin and the front-mount snorkel to stay in shape for diving. I still maintain that the snorkel is quite a useful tool. I include one on every dive I make.

SeaRat

 

[detroit diver]

John C. Ratliff once bubbled...
...... My shotgun snorkel is now on my dive helmet. .....SeaRat

Dive helmet? That belongs on another thread.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Detroit Diver says:

Dive helmet? That belongs on another thread.

Oh, Why? Several people stated that they are taking a fold-up snorkel in their BC. Why can't I say I put mine on an old Skid-Lid bicycle helmet I'm using for diving?

SeaRat

 

[detroit diver]

It wasn't where you stored the snorkel. It was the helmet itself.

Why the helmet?

 

[John C. Ratliff]

That's a good question, and I will start a new thread with this entry. I now use a helmet because in 1973 I was picked up by the US Coast Guard after my buddy and I became stranded off the Oregon coast in 20+ foot waves. We were rolled trying to come ashore on a rocky coast, and stayed in the water well over 3 hours trying to figure out how to get back in, unsuccessfully I might add. I was wearing a white-water kayaker's helmet, and that's what the Coast Guard saw and allowed us to come home that evening (thank goodness our girl friends had called the Coast Guard when we couldn't make it in and the waves had kicked up.

That's the primary reason. Have you noticed that most diving gear presently is dark (blue or black)? Have you tried to find a yellow or intenational orange BC, wet suit, dry suit? We have become invisible to searchers, and as an ex-Pararescueman, I still feel the need to be seen.

A second reason is that in about 1974 I investigated a diving fatality where the diver was trying to make an exit in Newport's Yaquina Bay, on the jetty rocks in waves, was hit by a five foot wave, and knocked into the rocks. He died of drowning, but was knocked unconscious by hitting the rocks after being slammed by the wave.

So, why not wear a helmet?

SeaRat

 

[mddolson]

I use a snorkel.
I find it handy for surface swims, it conserves air swimming to and from descent point.
I wear a backplate and wing.
On the surface, wing inflated places me in a face down position.
While it's possible to roll over and swim on my back, there are times when I want to face the direction I'm swimming on the surface.
While it's never been an absolute nessessity, I'm comfortable knowing the snorkel is there if I need it.

A snorkel is considered an escential piece of equipment by the certifying agencies by whcih I'm certified to instruct.
I wear one when I'm teaching, to lead by example.
I haven't found the snorkel to be that much a hinderance when pleasure diving to be bothered removing it.

Mike D
:blfish:

 

[Waterborne]

There are only two good reasons for a snorkel. I have an older Dacor open top with a purge valve on the bottom.

1. The snorkels with the one way purge valves make an excellent substitute for a pocket mask for rescue breathing.

2. You attatch a funnel to the top of it with some duct tape, take it to the bar and learn how to really "snorkel." A picture tutorial from Key West is available upon request.

To be serious now, I use a snorkel when I am on shift as a rescue diver. Other than that it sits in my dive case.