Should I wear a snorkel or not

[L13]

I thought I was pretty clear. Oh well. It was 1975 and the weather people were barely able to predict the sunrise, much less a summer storm aka Squall. Those conditions were not there when we arrived at the dive site. We surfaced in them. It was not a major storm. It was a Squall. The seas had calmed quite a bit when they came back for us and the rest of the day was nice. Other people even dove some more but my girlfriend and I were done for the day. The Dive Master and Boat Captain asked us many times if we were ok or needed meds or anything but we were fine. It really was no big deal....afterwards. We were cold and thirsty and otherwise fine.

So, waves are well understood these days, and we can find calculators to determine the likely hood of this story. Since there was no sign of the storm when they started the dive and was at full force when they surfaced lets assume the wind was acting for 1 hour. Lets assume a 135 km/hr wind speed (about 72 knots, a localized category 1 hurricane speed). And ...

• height of waves is 1.7 meters, or about 5.5 feet, hmmm...
• no where near 15ft...

Lets assume they did a 3 hour dive, and the storm started the instant they submerged and continued for an hour after they surface. 4 hours total...

• Now we have 4.8 meter, 15.5ft waves...
• But he claims that it was calm and people were diving later that day? After 4 hours of category 1 winds? He said "it was not a major storm."

It just doesn't add up.

​

 

[berndo]

I thought I was pretty clear. Oh well. It was 1975 and the weather people were barely able to predict the sunrise, much less a summer storm aka Squall.

I think the waves might have been smaller than in your memory. It's been a while. 15 feet is crazy high, it's really hard to believe, especially when you diving conditions were fine within hours before and after.
People tend to overestimated sizes of scary stuff like sharks and waves a lot in my experience. Even 5 feet waves can feel really big when you're floating in the water and you're not used to it.
I'm not saying you're lying, the story just doesn't sound very believable.

 

[Joneill]

I thought I was pretty clear. Oh well. It was 1975 and the weather people were barely able to predict the sunrise, much less a summer storm aka Squall. Those conditions were not there when we arrived at the dive site. We surfaced in them. It was not a major storm. It was a Squall. The seas had calmed quite a bit when they came back for us and the rest of the day was nice. Other people even dove some more but my girlfriend and I were done for the day. The Dive Master and Boat Captain asked us many times if we were ok or needed meds or anything but we were fine. It really was no big deal....afterwards. We were cold and thirsty and otherwise fine.

Sorry, but a pop up squall like this will absolutey NOT generate 15 foot, long period swells as you described - so your story comes across as a bit “embellished”.

But for the OP: wear a snorkel if it makes you feel more comfortable. I don’t wear one as I find them quite annoying underwater and they can cause mask leaks - especially in strong currents.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I jumped into the water at the Spiegel Grove one day with a medium current. One of my fins came off and while trying to retrieve it I got separated from the granny line and was unable to swim back to it even after recovering my fin.

The captain and mate saw this happen and watched me drift away. There were probably 15 divers already in the water so they had to wait to come get me. I drifted 1 mile down current. I put up my safety sausage and stuck my snorkel in my mouth and continued to drift until they recovered all their divers. Then they came and picked me up.

I was happy that I had the snorkel because I did not have to keep popping my head up and down out of the water to breathe while waiting on the boat to rescue my dumba$$.

My advice is "Take Your Snorkel" it makes life easier when drifting on the surface in current.

 

[formernuke]

I jumped into the water at the Spiegel Grove one day with a medium current. One of my fins came off and while trying to retrieve it I got separated from the granny line and was unable to swim back to it even after recovering my fin.

The captain and mate saw this happen and watched me drift away. There were probably 15 divers already in the water so they had to wait to come get me. I drifted 1 mile down current. I put up my safety sausage and stuck my snorkel in my mouth and continued to drift until they recovered all their divers. Then they came and picked me up.

I was happy that I had the snorkel because I did not have to keep popping my head up and down out of the water to breathe while waiting on the boat to rescue my dumba$$.

My advice is "Take Your Snorkel" it makes life easier when drifting on the surface in current.

Same happened to me except it was after the dive. It was a training dive so I did have a snorkel on my mask. I didn't even think about it. Just laid back and help my smb up.

 

[L13]

I jumped into the water at the Spiegel Grove one day with a medium current. One of my fins came off and while trying to retrieve it I got separated from the granny line and was unable to swim back to it even after recovering my fin.

The captain and mate saw this happen and watched me drift away. There were probably 15 divers already in the water so they had to wait to come get me. I drifted 1 mile down current. I put up my safety sausage and stuck my snorkel in my mouth and continued to drift until they recovered all their divers. Then they came and picked me up.

I was happy that I had the snorkel because I did not have to keep popping my head up and down out of the water to breathe while waiting on the boat to rescue my dumba$$.

My advice is "Take Your Snorkel" it makes life easier when drifting on the surface in current.

Why pop your head up and down rather than just lay on your back?

 

[Celt]

A squal line is a sudden localised series of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front. It’s intense, and short lived but very frightening if you’re caught on the surface in any kind of swell which will be coming from a different direction. In early March and April on the southwest of Ireland we can have swells that are generated 1000 miles out into the Atlantic and blowing across these swells a squall is a sight to behold. I’ve dived in 15 foot swells with the sea completely calm, no wind, on a wreck off the Fastnet. We’d set our last stop at 20 feet. When at the surface in the trough. The Fastnet lighthouse at 54m high, would disappear from view.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Why pop your head up and down rather than just lay on your back?

If in a calm lake with no swells or waves that would work fine. In the ocean, 7 miles offshore it is rare to have that luxury and waves would continually roll over your face.

In a BPW configuration you are working hard to remain face up.

 

[Joneill]

A squal line is a sudden localised series of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front. It’s intense, and short lived but very frightening if you’re caught on the surface in any kind of swell which will be coming from a different direction. In early March and April on the southwest of Ireland we can have swells that are generated 1000 miles out into the Atlantic and blowing across these swells a squall is a sight to behold. I’ve dived in 15 foot swells with the sea completely calm, no wind, on a wreck off the Fastnet. We’d set our last stop at 20 feet. When at the surface in the trough. The Fastnet lighthouse at 54m high, would disappear from view.

Right - I can imagine that surfacing in an intense squall on top of existing 15 foot seas would be quite scary - but a squall will not generate 15 foot swells itself (which is what was seemingly being claimed).

 

[L13]

I’ve dived in 15 foot swells with the sea completely calm, no wind...

was your boat tied off to buoy in 15ft swells?