Let's Re-Brand "Snorkeling"

[Chad Carney]

Don't lose your "we can change the world" optimism, Ralph. It's been a fascinating thread and a lot of interesting personal and historical information has emerged since you posted your original message.

One of the most pleasant reads I recall of late.

Thanks guys!

Chad

 

[mgmonk]

Thank you, again, David, for actually taking this thread seriously. Your information has been disseminated here in Thailand. I had two French customers that were both scuba and free divers that had no idea that "plongée libre" actually entailed both activities. Really interesting information about the submarines as well.

and to the OP.... shrug off the "dorkeling" comments and keep this thread alive as long as you can. I want to hear more.

 

[DennisS]

My brief moment of we-can-change-the-world optimism has passed. However, since I plan to enjoy snorkeling for the rest of my life, I would like to have a name for it, at least for use within my own head, that suits the activity. David, do you speak German? Can you make one German word for "water stroll?" That might sound good. Any other German name suggestions?

Snorkeling works fine, ask anyone what snorkeling is and they will explain it. Are you looking for something more stylish, dashing, daring?

Water coasting
Reef Gliding
Flippering

Nah, snorkel works fine. Everyone knows what you are talking about.

Luckily there is no group offended by it or it would be PC mandated like the large grouper and large coral heads.

 

[mgmonk]

by the way... I liked SOAKing

 

[fire_diver]

Thank you, again, David, for actually taking this thread seriously. Your information has been disseminated here in Thailand. I had two French customers that were both scuba and free divers that had no idea that "plongée libre" actually entailed both activities. Really interesting information about the submarines as well.

and to the OP.... shrug off the "dorkeling" comments and keep this thread alive as long as you can. I want to hear more.

Things must be REALLY boring over where you are if this is something important to you. I mean really, renaming snorkeling? Might as well suggest we rename the "dive buddy" (already been discussed), or the airplane. It's an interesting "idea" but is in no way serious.

 

[RalphinOrmond]

David, thanks for the post on the German words. I think "wasserwandern" is excellent! I really don't plan on using it in conversation, especially not with Germans, since my only other German is "Kaiser roll," which won't take me too far outside of a deli. But wasserwandern is a cool word and I plan to keep it as my personal name for the wonder-filled activity well deserving to be known as wasserwondern.

 

[David Wilson]

It's a pleasure, Ralph. And if you want to bring the idea of "wonder" into the equation, then German's kinship with English comes to the rescue. "Wonder" is "wundern" in German. When attached to other words, the prefix becomes "Wunder" as in "Wunderkind", meaning a miraculous child or infant prodigy. So perhaps we can talk about "Wasser-Wander-Wunder" - the "wonder of aquatic perambulation" if we want to be a bit wordy. Incidentally, there's a water park in Austria called the "WasserWunderWelt", meaning "wonder world of water". The English version of their website is at:
Webcams WasserWunderWelt

Tomorrow morning I'm hoping that the weather will be clement enough for me to visit my own wonder world of water, off a sandy North Sea beach here in the North East of England, where I intend to enjoy an hour's carefree snorkelling with just a few dogwalkers watching from the shore, a glorious rising sun on the horizon and the occasional plane heading westwards to the local international airport, sharing the sky with squawking seagulls. I'm going to enjoy what the Germans call "Augenweide", "pasture for the eyes", above and below the waves. I have the best of both worlds when I go on my regular snorkelling forays. I hope your experiences on and below the surface of the water, Ralph, are equally refreshing to the mind, body and spirit.

 

[redstrom]

I think you can call it whatever you want....

...the trick is to convince the rest of the population.

 

[atitawhile]

Some great ideas here, the problem would be to convince the rest of the world. I think I understand where OP is coming from though. It would be nice to instill a little bit more "coolness" behind it. Just a tough thing to implement!

Definitely a great read.

 

[mgmonk]

Things must be REALLY boring over where you are if this is something important to you. I mean really, renaming snorkeling? Might as well suggest we rename the "dive buddy" (already been discussed), or the airplane. It's an interesting "idea" but is in no way serious.

Yes, thanks for making such a well thought out comment. The SE Asian tropics is no Oklahoma as far as boring goes, that's for sure. Plus, I've never written a book on treasure hunting, so that's another snarky comment you should have made.

As for the only serious back on forth that's gone on here in the last few days, yes, I find it really interesting. How words have evolved over time and from continent to continent is incredibly important. Language development/etymology/linguistics are the tools we use communicate and evolve. As an in instructor, I have already introduced some of the things I've learned here into my classroom. Especially the French origins of "free diving" that meant, simply, diving without surface supplied air.

David has introduced me to something new, and I always find something new anything but boring. I hope I don't ever stop educating myself.

Now, as for "re-branding" anything, I couldn't really be bothered. I leave that to the marketers of the world. I would suggest, fire_diver, that you might think about "re-branding" treasure hunting. "Pirate-ing" comes to mind. "Equipment assisted rubbish rummaging" would also be suitable.

Any more useful posts you could add would be appreciated.