Should I work on my swimming before trying snorkeling?

[TMHeimer]

Well, you SHOULD be comfortable.........

 

[divad]

If I am still a novice swimmer, should I focus on just getting the basics of swimming, treading, before trying snorkeling? .

Being a good swimmer is a good thing in general. Snorkeling is much easier..........until the bear comes and rips off your mask, snorkel and fins in the middle of a freezing lake, then gets bored and leaves you there, and your not sure if you're a good swimmer or not...... but you're pretty sure that the bear's not coming back to help you.

 

[TMHeimer]

evad, One of the best takes on this subject I've read.

 

[jonhall]

If I am still a novice swimmer, should I focus on just getting the basics of swimming, treading, and diving before trying snorkeling? What are the best snorkel options for a beginner?
I would say that I am a novice swimmer, I suppose. I can, either via backstroke, sidestroke, breaststroke, or freestyle stroke, swim to the end of a lane and back without much trouble. I can dive down, too, but I still need to get better at treading water, and am not really comfortable in water that goes over my nose.

Sounds to me like you should find a pool to practice your swimming, treading, and diving, before you leave in January, just to become more confident and comfortable. You can obviously swim if you can do the strokes you mentioned and swim, I'm assuming, 50 yards (end of a lane and back) but your just not comfortable. Practice/swim! I'm one who believes that a stronger swimmer makes for a stronger snorkeler/scuba diver.

The bad news is, I'm not used to swimming in a lake, so I would prefer to have a swimming partner. The other possible bad news is that when I get there, it's going to be freezing cold.

Not knowing what the park offers, if there is a designated swimming area, stay within it (once it warms up.) If there is a floating platform, practice swimming to it and back to shore. Again it sounds like you need confidence which you can get by practicing. The "swimming" part of swimming in a lake is like swimming in a pool. Just the surroundings are going to be different.

I was going to get a snorkel, socks and fins online, but they seem to get pretty expensive, and I'm not even sure if I'm going to have room for them in my backpacks or be able to even use them yet. I don't know if they will even fit. Also, I'm trying to save as much money as possible for my trip, so I'd rather save my big expenses for when I get there.

Sounds like you've decided what to do here. Save your money for now. I would suggest borrowing a mask and snorkel from someone and going to a pool to practice breathing through the snorkel. If you are "not really comfortable in water that goes over my nose" you may find it uncomfortable at first. It's not uncommon for people to have a hard time breathing through their mouths only at first, but if your goal is to become a scuba diver, you'll work through any problems. You just need the opportunity to practice,

Good luck on getting accepted. Sounds like a great opportunity.

 

[Buliwyf]

All of my Caribbean vacations involve me carrying my fins, mask, and Snorkel in my back pack for the whole trip. Even on cruises. I jump in the water just about everywhere. Waiting for a boat at the marina? Ya'll can stand on the docks, I'm jumping in somewhere.

And on a cruise it's an epic pain. Because we hit our excursion in the morning, go to the ship for lunch, go back to the island to shop until it's time to leave. Carrying the fins and backpack the entire day!

It's worth it though, the best snorkeling/diving I've done was near a dock in 4 feet of water in between an excursion and lunch. No one else was even in the water and I had a million fish to myself and they all wanted to school with me. Completely unplanned.

I use Scubapro Seawing Nova full foot fins or Gorrilla fins and boots as they are fairly light, and quite fast for snorkeling. I use an Oceanic dry snorkel, as I like to dive and swim in rougher waters.

My mask is just a simple $25 DGX cheap mask:
DGX Ultra View Frameless Mask
It's as good as my expensive masks.