Snorkel Choice

[DSR-3]

It's time to replace the old, standard, leaky snorkel. I see that now there are various dry, semi-dry, purge-valved, etc. models for sale everywhere. Many are pretty spendy too! I do lots of snorkeling while on vacation in Mexico & Hawaii when not diving. I've never worn one while diving, and don't have room to pack one in my BC, so it will be just for snorkeling. Are the new features worth the $$, and more importantly do they work- or at least not work worse that the old tube! Thanks for any feedback or suggestions.
-Eric

 

[Damselfish]

For snorkeling, I think snorkels with purge and splash guard are great. They do work.

 

[Walter]

A simple J is best.

 

[redacted]

I like a purge but do not care for any splash guards or dry breath stuff on the top. I would not spend a lot. I like the connector that Scubapro uses. I'd suggest ebay for good prices.

Example: http://cgi.ebay.com/SCUBAPRO-Dive-D...ryZ71163QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Jamdiver]

I think a snorkel with the following set of features would be pretty useful.
Purge valve and semi-dry.
I wouldn't pay more than US$20 for a snorkel frankly. It's very basic gear..

 

[raposarose]

I know someone who had a totally dry snorkel. It was ok and did stay dry, but the apparatus at the top obstructed air flow a bit and breathing was harder than a regular snorkel. So it did work, but check to see how you feel about the airflow. A simple purge snorkel with no dry/splash stuff works well for me, I haven't tried a splash guard snorkel. To me it's a matter of preference whether you want the J or a flexible snorkel (though for scuba diving I prefer flexible).

As far as good prices, I got a purge Zeagle snorkel for $15 or something like that.

 

[Damselfish]

A simple J is best.

A bit of a simplistic, blanket statement. A snorkel to take along while diving, and a snorkel to use when the intent is to actually snorkel, have different needs. I can be in the water for hours snorkeling and while obviously a plain snorkel is cheaper and will get the job done, a dry snorkel is more pleasant and takes less effort. Repeatedly blasting bits of water out gets tiring after awhile. (I'm not talking about coming up from a freedive - yes I know how to clear by displacement - just water that gets in there while on the surface.)

For snorkeling I prefer non-flexible, or if it's flexible I don't want it trying too hard to get away from my mouth - causes jaw fatique if you have to hang onto the thing too much. I wouldn't get complicated dry splash guards with floaty balls or anything that will really restrict airflow, but I don't find simple splash guards restrict airflow.

 

[*Floater*]

I also prefer the purge valve option, but not the dry option. I tried a dry snork and it worked fine when I was snorkling on the surface, but when I dove down below the surface, it shut the water and air out, whereas the non-dry snorkel allows a diver to breath the remaining air in the tube until the snork is fully flooded. In the latter case you may get some water in your mouth too, but that's better imo than the feeling of your air being suddenly shut out.

 

[DSR-3]

Thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like it's worth trying a "new & improved" model (I'll still pack the old beaters). I see that the place I'm ordering a sausage from has one for $15 (Edge mfg). I'll post a follow-up when I return in case anyone cares.