OK, gunna start it up again.....Q: what's your problem with using a snorkel??...I

[diver 85]

have a reason for asking---->(was looking thru some pics I took just last week in CZM & seeing this one I had that question pop into my head---again)....Made 9 dives in Cozumel for a total BT of ~11 hrs, & not ONCE did that purple thing danglin' on the left side of my head bother me.

I can think of a few reasons why you 'hate' them(the least of which may be 'they don't look cool on a diver---they're for lowly snorkelers)--......Could be an important piece of equipment left behind @ the end of a LONG dive where a 30 minute surface float is necessary till the dive boat finds you(ever dive Barracuda & end up in the open ocean OR miss the tag lines on the Fling 125 miles offshore @ the Flower Gardens in a 4 knot current??--just 2 examples that popped into my head), YES, it can happen, No?.....

And guess what, my wrist computer strapped down good & tight sideways on my right forearm bothers me---but do I leave it @ home with other gear????.....(No)....

Let's hear it---again-- from everyone, what's your beef ???......--sometimes I don't understand it all, I guess, lol....

 

[Potapko]

I don't wear one because I don't use one when I am diving. period. Granted I only have done around 250 dives but to date I have never been in a situation where I wished I had it with me, even in 2 meter waves waiting for the boat.

Guess that's my reason
ymmv

 

[DaleC]

It gets tangled in my longhose.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I don't have a problem with a snorkel at all ... they come in handy for snorkeling.

I just never needed one for diving ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[joe8mofo]

I don't carry a snorkel for 3 reasons:
1. I don't use it while diving
2. It gets in the same position as my inflator/deflator hose and it tends to get grabbed before the inflator/deflator does in some instances.
3. It leads to being less streamlined

 

[Kingpatzer]

I use my snorkel for surface swims to save air, and since I'm rarely the very last person done with a dive, I'll frequently just snorkel around the boat waiting on whoever is.

 

[Walter]

I wore mine for years. Now I wear it only when I'm teaching or free diving. It's not really a problem, but in current from an anchored/moored boat it causes drag.

 

[fnfalman]

If you like wearing a snorkel while diving, then knock yourself out. If it doesn't bother you, great! Keep on truckin'.

As for me, I'll use a snorkel when I go snorkeling.

 

[redacted]

I found it annoying when I was doing a surface swim, on my back, and the waves action kept hitting me in the side of my head with the snorkel. I don't ever carry a snorkel attached to my mask any more unless I am snorkeling. I do attach a snorkel to my BP when open ocean diving at places like FGB.

 

[*dave*]

I keep a roll up in my pocket while instructing to satisfy standards, but have never needed it.

Surface swims are the commute portion of the dive for me. I'd skip them if I could, but the best I can do is get through them as quickly as possible. There is nothing to see and I'd need to reference a compass to navigate, so I find it best to kick out on my back. This allows me to reference shore feature to navigate, breathe easier than if I was snorkeling and allows a more powerful and full kick.

Driving a scooter or diving against a ripping current, the snorkel can flap around and even cause a mask to flood, but mostly, it's just annoying.

If they were so great to breathe out of, people would be walking around wearing snorkels. They don't enhance my SCUBA experience, so they aren't part of my standard kit.