Snorkel dry vs. not

[Angela2932]

What a difference! I've been swimming back and forth (back and forth, back & forth, actually kind of boring . . . ) in the pool with my new Tusa Platina II, and it makes such an incredible difference! Really wish I'd had this instead of the crappy dry (dry as in no air, but no way to clear the water either!) snorkel when I attempted my open water dive! I think things would have turned out much differently .

The Tusa is extremely easy to clear, and just for practice, I occasionally flood it, learn to deal with water in it, and clear it. I'd never recommend any other type to anyone .. . Trying to get by with my "cheap" snorkel instead of buying another one was one of those bad penny-wise, pound foolish decisions that led to a whole series of unfortunate events, that involved injuring my knee in my too eager attempt to bail out on the dive. Oh well, . . . mountains of learning from THAT little misadventure!

 

[Chad Carney]

Angelina,

Glad you picked up a good snorkel. Most from reputable brands are equally good, with or without purges.

You obviously had a dud. Your instructor never checked it?

Chad

 

[cowin8579]

An expensive snorkel that is similar to a j type but semi dry is the platinum type made by tusa/scubapro. It resists gurgling, and it has some form of dry top. By looking at it, I see no moving pieces or obstruction. It doesn't work like a traditional dry snorkel. When I submerge I don't get water in my mouth. Maybe it's just the pressure of going down?

I own a dry snorkel, but this type pops the water out. I hear the pressure and then I get a very efficient purge. The opening at the top is also larger than my dry, meaning more air and frequent dives.

 

[Keyweirdiver]

I borrowed my girlfriends dry snorkel one time and found that when I free dive down my tongue gets sucked into the mouthpeice. Now this gets rather painfull rather quickly but he only other option is to breath into it, which wastes presious air!!

Any one else have this experience??

 

[cmburch]

Freedivers tend to spit the snorkel out when diving.

It may be like mask squeeze since it is sealed airtight.

 

[Dave C]

Key West - yes, I have heard bad things about dry snorkels for anyone who dives beneath the surface. I've never tried one, but I have the impression that they are only good for someone who just floats at the surface.

 

[snorkelcorey]

"I have a Scuba Pro Snorkel, that I've had for the 2 years. I've been using it a few times, and I've never had a problem with it. I really like it, it's a good Snorkel." Snorkelcorey.

 

[Keyweirdiver]

After my post about the dry snorkel "squeeze" as you free dive I realized the easiest solution was "just spit it out"..... but then the whole point of it being a DRY snorkel becomes mute because it is now full of water....

So dry snorkels are pointless unless you plan to spend 100% of the time on the surface!!

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping to re-take (long story) the pool portion of my PADI open water certification in September. In preparation for this, I've been doing lap swims in the local YMCA with my fins, snorkel and mask. Today, I worked on taking off the fins, replacing them, flooding and clearing the mask, and then tried taking off the mask and replacing it underwater. I ran into a gliche in that I couldn't seem to clear the snorkel. It's not one I bought at a dive shop, but at a sporting good store. It's got a valve that closes off as you go under water. But I'm really not being very successful at clearing it! I thought it should just take a strong force of air blowing out. . . . .but nothing but gurgles! I stood for awhile in the shallow end, filling it with water, and trying to clear the water. .. . but just gurgles! It's not like I have a lung problem or anything!


Than I tried occasional snorkeling/swimming along, and diving down toward the bottom of the water, as part of my "get more comfortable in the water." But when I would surface, expecting the valve to open, it wouldn't. I can reach up and manually move it open, but is this the way it's suppose to work?

So, is it more practical to have a snorkel that DOESN'T have this "dry" valve feature?

Thanks for any thoughts on this!

I can't stand "dry" snorkels. The trap gets stuck sometimes and just adds that much more work to breathing. They also add a lot of drag. I think they are a waste of time. I can't imagine any scenario where a regular snorkel with a forceful puff of air won't suffice. The only feature I ever look for in addition to a simple J-snorkel is the simple purge valve at the bottom that makes clearing a little easier. When a student comes to me with a "dry" snorkel I explain how pointless they are and show them how easy it is to clear a normal snorkel.

KISS - Keep It Simple and Safe