SCUBA skills enhanced by snorkeling

[durian]

I am an AOW diver and want to ask you experienced vets a question. I will be going back to Thailand in June. I am thinking that if I do some snorkeling that I can practice some diving skills. For example, mask clearing, bouyancy, etc. I know it is limited but I have had the most problems with bouyancy and masks. I have purchased a good fitting TUSA Platinum and want to play with it as well as practice bouyancy just by exhaling and expanding air in chest. Obviously snorkeling is much cheaper than diving and I can do it from the beach. Does this sound worthwhile to you, or do you think that practicing these skills without the weight etc may be a wasted effort? Any other skills that can be practiced in a snorkeling environment?

 

[DeepTrip]

I am an AOW diver and want to ask you experienced vets a question. I will be going back to Thailand in June. I am thinking that if I do some snorkeling that I can practice some diving skills. For example, mask clearing, bouyancy, etc. I know it is limited but I have had the most problems with bouyancy and masks. I have purchased a good fitting TUSA Platinum and want to play with it as well as practice bouyancy just by exhaling and expanding air in chest. Obviously snorkeling is much cheaper than diving and I can do it from the beach. Does this sound worthwhile to you, or do you think that practicing these skills without the weight etc may be a wasted effort? Any other skills that can be practiced in a snorkeling environment?

I have no idea on practicing Buoyancy with snorkling. With snorkling, there is no way to take a breath underwater. You will need to breath (inhale and exhale) to practice buoyancy.

usually when snorkling (and free diving), I practice my equalizing. Mask clearing is also possible.... and challenging . Then trying your finning technique, try finning without driving the mud at the bottom, and as efficient as possible.

But I mosly practice in confined water (pool) since no swimable beach in Jakarta. I'll add more when they cross my mind.

 

[durian]

very stupid me, of course I can not practice bouyancy under water whole snorkeling, unless I was a fish. I'm emarrassed.

 

[jagfish]

Yeah
Just do the diving. If you want to get better at something, the best thing to do is practice the something...

JAG

 

[rmediver2002]

I am an AOW diver and want to ask you experienced vets a question. I will be going back to Thailand in June. I am thinking that if I do some snorkeling that I can practice some diving skills. For example, mask clearing, bouyancy, etc. I know it is limited but I have had the most problems with bouyancy and masks. I have purchased a good fitting TUSA Platinum and want to play with it as well as practice bouyancy just by exhaling and expanding air in chest. Obviously snorkeling is much cheaper than diving and I can do it from the beach. Does this sound worthwhile to you, or do you think that practicing these skills without the weight etc may be a wasted effort? Any other skills that can be practiced in a snorkeling environment?

I think working on your free diving skills is one of the best things newer divers can be doing to improve thier diving skills, most importantly comfort level in the water.

Watermanship used to be the foundation of SCUBA training but has for the most part fallen by the way side...

Don't practice right after diving, but feel free to practice before a trip. When practicing you should practice with a buddy and be aware of the dangers of hypercapnia.

Like you said it is free and you can go as often and for as long as you like...

Jeff Lane

 

[chickdiver]

I think working on your free diving skills is one of the best things newer divers can be doing to improve thier diving skills, most importantly comfort level in the water.

Watermanship used to be the foundation of SCUBA training but has for the most part fallen by the way side...

Don't practice right after diving, but feel free to practice before a trip. When practicing you should practice with a buddy and be aware of the dangers of hypercapnia.

Like you said it is free and you can go as often and for as long as you like...

Jeff Lane

Ditto.

It's too bad that so many of the OW training agencies de-emphasize snorkeling skills these days. Free diving skills ARE the foundation for SCUBA skills.

 

[El Orans]

My club has snorkeling sessions during the winter and I found them to be very useful for improving my diving skills. So, by all means, do snorkel.

After all, when not diving, you can snorkel all day long...

 

[melfox26]

Just eat the cost and go diving, isn't Thailand supposed to have great diving?

 

[Walter]

Practicing skin diving will make you a better and safer diver. Much more so than more SCUBA diving. While SCUBA experience is important, that SCUBA experience has to be be based on a good foundation. That foundation is skin diving.

Some agencies haven't done away with skin diving in the OW course. YMCA, for example, uses skin diving as an intregal part of the OW standards.

Mask clearing while skin diving isn't all that challenging. It's one of the first skills I teach my OW students. No one ever has much trouble with it. In fact, they all can clear their masks at least 3 times on one breath. It's a snap for everyone!

melfox26,

Skin diving is diving.

 

[sharkmasterbc]

I agree that skin diving skills will make you a lot more comfortable in the water but watch out because while skin diving we are "holding our breath"...which is completly opposite to what is taught in SCUBA (remember the golden rule). We still teach skin diving in confined water but it is a completly seperate module now and on that night the students do not even go near SCUBA gear, I think this helps make the distinction between the two completly different styles of being underwater. Practicing mask clearing while skin diving/snorkeling is definetly a very good way to gain confidence and improve your skill level...