Snorkel location other than your mask?

[tfsails]

I like to have a snorkel when I'm ocean diving off a boat. It's mounted on the left side of my mask where it belongs. I'd whole lot rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

I am "guilty" of never taking it when I'm shore diving in the ocean or in our local quarry.

 

[Sas]

For safety reasons we don't allow anyone to dive off our club boat if they're wearing a snorkel on their mask. If they want to take one they're discourage but stuffed in a pocket if they need a crutch. Trainees i dont allow to take one at all (non padi).

What are the safety reasons in particular? I can think of a few but was wondering more specifically you meant. I can think of many pieces of gear I would consider unsafe on boats, do you have other rules like this for other gear?

I think not allowing snorkels is on par with making people wear them Whilst I leave mine at home, I don't expect my own choices to be enforced on others. An adult should be allowed to make their own decisions about gear, even if others find them unsafe.

 

[Nemrod]

I'm assuming you are serious about this as I have read many of your replies elsewhere so...

What's the deal with 'snorkel police' or and other kind of equipment requirement? I have never been to Florida and my experiences around California are limited. I have made a series of charter dives around Catalina but my gear was more or less standard for the times so there would have been no question. At Monterey, for the locations I have visited, there's nobody checking anything but I haven't done a charter boat dive.

Are charters or municipal agencies really checking equipment?

Richard

While I have been an active diver since 1966 the majority of my intensive diving was done in the 70s, 80s and 90s. During this period the PadI abc agency became ubiquitous and all powerful. They had or may still have some sort of snorkel rule to which I apparently had failed to get the memo. I was told I could not dive without a snorkel and a weight belt. I have run into this a lot to this day, especially in south Florida. I was even banned once for my wing/BP circa 82 because I was told it would not float me face up if unconscious. Now, realize, 26 years ago I was not the submarine demi-god that I am now, I just wanted to go diving and those mean old PadI people were making issues. Then it was alternate air and then it was computers and on and on. Well, they messed with the wrong diver, it is my turn now .

A folding snorkel is fine, or stick it through your belt, some people find them useful, I don't.

N

 

[String]

What are the safety reasons in particular? I can think of a few but was wondering more specifically you meant.

To name a few we've seen them snag in and around kelp and snap straps or remove masks, have seem them cause a mask to leak and fill constantly and quickly in a strong current, have even seen the stress and snap a mask strap during standard backward roll entry.
Also witnessed someone (from a charter boat, i assume he trained abroad) descend a shotline to a wreck at 40m and due to the surge get his (useless) snorkel caught on the shot line ripping his mask off causing him to panic and attempt to bolt for the surface. Can think of more items like that too. Our logic being its something that isn't needed, has absolutely no practical benefit to a diver and has the potential to cause safety problems so its not worn.

I can think of many pieces of gear I would consider unsafe on boats, do you have other rules like this for other gear?

Drysuits only for some of the offshore/further afield sites. My view is the UK is drysuit only all year but concede if some imbeciles want to freeze and only do 1 short dive a day in summer close to shore in a wetsuit they can. Further afield not allowed (i) due to the wind chill factor to/from the site but mainly if they get separated from the boat the survival time in a wetsuit is far far lower than a drysuit, especially if surface conditions are poor so for offshore sites its dry only.
Not really many other rules but depends on the dive being done and so on. Wouldn't allow a sea cave dive with a single tank, no reel and no torch for example. Other than no snorkels and dry only for offshore people can generally do what they like as long as its not outright dangerous.

I think not allowing snorkels is on par with making people wear them Whilst I leave mine at home, I don't expect my own choices to be enforced on others. An adult should be allowed to make their own decisions about gear, even if others find them unsafe.

Quite possibly but dive clubs here work differently. One person elected by the club is legally responsible for ensuring the dive is carried out as safely as possible and answerable to the authorities if something goes wrong. Going from that the person cannot allow people to dive in a way he would class as dangerous. Its different for a paid commercial charter where nobody is responsible except the diver themselves (which is why no qualifications are needed or even checked, no buddy is required and so on).
For example, if i allowed someone to dive with a snorkel and they had an incident and got hurt (mask ripped off, paniced, bolted to surface, embolised or whatever). The inquiry would be something like:

"do you wear a snorkel for the dive?" ... No
"Why not?"...I consider them completely useless and dangerous
"So you allowed someone to dive in a way you would not do so yourself and in your view was dangerous?"....Yes
<game over>

As i said, thats for the way clubs work here. For a charter you could be a completely unqualified diver turning up solo with a 25ft snorkel and only a fire extinguisher for a gas tank and they'd let you dive as there's no responsibility to the captain for the diving there so its a different situation.

 

[Ladyvalea]

I carry a snorkel tucked out of the way between the back-inflate bladder of my Seaquest Balance BCD and the fabric that is adjacent to the back when the BCD is worn. When the BCD is in use, the bladder more or less covers the snorkel.

I hand stitched two bungee loops to the outside edge of the left shoulder weight pouch. The snorkel is pushed up through the loops and kept from falling out by a third, adjustable bungee loop. I drilled a small hole in the outside, upper corner of the plastic BCD plate that provides lower back support and the loop goes through this hole. A thumb-forefinger squeezable clamp on this loop limits the size of the loop around the snorkel.

This whole arrangement is extremely convenient. I can reach the mouthpiece of the snorkel with the nearest hand and pull the snorkel out of its storage place very easily. Note that I obtained a clip that allows it to be attached easily to the mask strap. My wife, who is very conservative on these matters, finally decided that she liked my arrangement better than wearing a snorkel she rarely ever uses. So, I modified her BCD to accept a similar snorkel placement.

Thanks for the idea! The picture is worth a 1000 words ...maybe someone can invent something that can atttach to a BC ..

 

[Sas]

To name a few we've seen them snag in and around kelp and snap straps or remove masks, have seem them cause a mask to leak and fill constantly and quickly in a strong current, have even seen the stress and snap a mask strap during standard backward roll entry.

That is what I have experienced with wearing a snorkel on my mask too.

Quite possibly but dive clubs here work differently. One person elected by the club is legally responsible for ensuring the dive is carried out as safely as possible and answerable to the authorities if something goes wrong. Going from that the person cannot allow people to dive in a way he would class as dangerous. Its different for a paid commercial charter where nobody is responsible except the diver themselves (which is why no qualifications are needed or even checked, no buddy is required and so on).

Ok that changes everything. If I was legally responsible for another diver then I would be having input what their gear could be as well Otherwise I don't care what they wear!

 

[String]

Just to clarify my stance i dont care how anyone dives - its their own choice. If they want to dive a mix of propane and methane from a 28l cylinder in a pair of speedos in 3c water thats fine. Everyone should be responsible for their own diving and nobody else

HOWEVER, that has to change if i'm legally responsible for that dive and trip (so that would be everyone in my club doing a club dive and guests on the club boat). Then i have to start caring as i have to start justifying myself if things go wrong so then its in my interests to get involved.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

I like having a snorkel on me when I dive... but I don't like it on my mask while diving..it get in the way of the inflator hose. I don't want to buy another snorkel like a foldin one ...so I heard someone say attach the traditional snorkel to your BC? or trap it in you Knife bungee on you leg? So how does the snorkel stay on your BC and will it most likey fall off if its on you leg while finning?

any other tips? thanks

Ah yes, that lovely feeling of going to grab your inflator hose and getting your snorkel.

I also like carrying a snorkel and use it all the time on the surface. I'm thinking I might just ignore PADI's recommendation and move it to my right side where it won't get in the way of the inflater hose. I don't see how it will create a problem having it come from the same side as my regulator.

 

[rstofer]

If you're swallowing salt water every time you take a reg or snorkel out of your mouth then quite honestly you're doing something massively wrong with your technique, kit and/or weighting.
.

Kind of hard to mess up with a 6# weight belt, no wetsuit, a 38# lift BCD and an Al 80. No matter how far you get your head above water, the ocean is bigger. Or the sea spray...

You don't always get to choose where you surface. Sometimes you have to swim.

There's a reason coastguard rescue "divers" wear snorkels - they dont have dive gear, don't have buoyancy compensators and aren't actually going diving. They're swimmers.

As is a diver on the surface. The difference is the diver is also carrying an anchor (weight belt and tank). And the CG doesn't go anywhere without flotation.

There may come a time when I remove the snorkel from the mask strap. There will never be a time I leave it behind. Surface swims are so much easier with a snorkel.

Richard

 

[String]

Kind of hard to mess up with a 6# weight belt, no wetsuit, a 38# lift BCD and an Al 80. No matter how far you get your head above water, the ocean is bigger. Or the sea spray...

All i can conclude from that is (i) you have extremely odd anatomy and shape (ii) Extremely poor dive skills or (iii) lying.

If you cant breathe without taking in salt water on the surface then you really shouldnt be diving. Its a problem that affects nobody else at all.

Odd how you have this massive problem and nobody else does even in rough sea areas. You'll find the ocean is also bigger than a 15cm bit of plastic tube too but you seem to be ignoring this.