Should I wear a snorkel or not

[lowwall]

The state of Queensland by law requires all dive operators customers to have a snorkel (does not have to be worn on your mask but at least needs to be with you; fold up pocket snorkel or bungy a regular one to your backplate) and surface with minimum 50 Bar.

Regardless of cylinder size? Surface with 50 bar in your Spare Air and you're golden, but 45 in a 15L and it's ?

 

[mcohen1021]

if you are going to wear a snorkel for scuba, I strongly recommend also wearing a helmet

 

[lachica]

And what happens if you dont?

Wouldn't this be more of a regulation to help insurance carriers out of paying out? "Well X diver was injured from the dive but violated Y law, since X diver was unlawfully diving coverage as been denied."

 

[AfterDark]

How do they enforce that especially the 50 bar? Is there a law enforcement person at all sites checking tank pressure?

Same way all regs enforced, spot checks and fines for the proprietor. The owner / operator enforces the regs. What happens if a divers has less than X bar? A warning or a refusal of future service.

 

[formernuke]

Same way all regs enforced, spot checks and fines for the proprietor. The owner / operator enforces the regs. What happens if a divers has less than X bar? A warning or a refusal of future service.

I agree but that is through the operator saying you broke the rules so we won't do business with you anymore.

It just seems very hard for a government to enforce something like this as a citation or criminal matter.

 

[AfterDark]

I agree but that is through the operator saying you broke the rules so we won't do business with you anymore.

It just seems very hard for a government to enforce something like this as a citation or criminal matter.

Right they use the proprietors to enforce the regs, just like they use them as tax collectors to collect sales tax for them.

 

[formernuke]

Right they use the proprietor to enforce the reg, just like they use them as tax collectors to collect sales tax for them.

Good analogy

 

[Coelacanthic]

To prevent entanglement the primary and snorkel should be on different sides, but which side is dictated by how the hose connects to the reg. The octopus can be left or right - my preference is from the left.

 

[Coelacanthic]

My training here in South Africa was heavily influenced by BSAC.
Snorkels and knives were prerequisits.
I snorkled for years before scuba, so the snorkel was on my RHS. Have never acclimatised to LHS really. I spearfished and played u/water hockey. Maybe I should have been French as Spiros came over my left shoulder.
The commercials here seem to have an aversion to snorkle/knives.
The one time I ditched the snorkel, I had to do a long surface swim! That taught me!
I usually have a snorkel attatched to my cylinder band using an inner tube as a strap. It is usually just a mouth piece attatched to a wide bore bent plumbing pipe that I recycled from my hockey kit as I tend to bite off the teeth grips.
I had a fold up one for my pocket at one stage.
I always dive with a small knife on the inside of my left calf or BC strap. When I finally lose all my knives (I seem to have collected these during my dives) , I might consider a line cutter.
I consider a cutting instrument essential after brushing with fishingline quite often.
The back attached snorkel is part of my BC so is not extra clutter.

 

[Bob DBF]

I have worn a snorkel since before I started scuba, and wear one except when it would be a hazard on the dive, at which point I carry it unde the straps of my BFK. I mostly shore dive, with long surface swims, and find the snorkel quite handy. The boat dives are mostly hunting trips so the main point of the dive was not to surface near the boat, so more than a fair amount of surface swims were involved.

I'm not the scuba police, so I really don't care how others kit up. I have seen some regret the choice to ditch their snorkel, but not any large numbers. Ymmv.