Snorkel or no snorkel and why

[lamont]

You are coming back from dives on an al80 with 75 cft of gas left? That's pretty special.

I didn't say I was diving an Al80... haven't been underwater with one of those in a long time...

 

[Northeastwrecks]

I don't like to use a snorkel. I'm not quite sure why people spend $30+ for a "dry" snorkel when it will be under water most of the time, plus I see them as a potential snag hazard. If you don't use a snorkel, at what point in your diving career did you get rid of it? Your thoughts?

I stopped using one on Dive 5. I'm a diver, not a snorkler. If I need to swim on the surface, I do it on my back. Finally, it would interfere with with deploying a stage reg (not an issue when I first started, but it would be today).

 

[String]

Ive never done a dive with a snorkel in my life and in fact have never worn one while wearing diving gear (not even for training). I have a self-draining snorkel purely for when i go snorkelling when abroad. It never gets into my dive bag.

 

[redacted]

Do you have a pic as to how you place it behind the wing? This is an interesting idea. Shouldn't be an entanglement hazard there, and could be useful in some situations.

Pics are in my photo gallery. I had forgotten how I did the attachment. It does not involve any more drilling so thick plate is not required. Upper end of snorkel is held in a bungee loop with is attached to the plate with a zip tie thru holes for upper strap slots. Lower end is held by a piece of velcro tape thru the outer lower strap slot. Probably been there for 3 to 4 years and at least 250 dives without a problem. Some snorkels will fit, others won't. Pretty much has to be a flex style.

 

[ZzzKing]

Lots of folks must not like snorkels - I've found at least a dozen of them. I wear a snorkel when snorkeling and when swimming longer distances. I carry a snorkel when I scuba for emergency use only. It is attached to my BP beneath the wing. I believe it will help me survive if I have to spend an extended time waiting or swimming on the surface. In calm water, I could nap. In rough water, it helps as an aspirator.

I got a sunroof in my new car so I could snorkle to work.

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

I ditched my snorkel after my first three checkout dives. It only got in the way and collected sea weed. I now only use it for snorkeling.

 

[sharky60]

I use my snorkel all the time! I also use a snorkel because when I was certified, (man, sounds like my Dad... "when I was a kid, back in the day"), I was taught that it was part of my equipment and I should use it on the surface to cut down on air usage. I know that there have been many times that I would have been drinking salt water while waiting for a boat if I didn't have it. I also like to snorkel out and drop down when I do shore dives.

I have a swivel mask attachment which allows me to move it out of the way while underwater so it never gets in my way. I don't even know if they sell them anymore, but it was a great $1 buy 20 some years ago.

 

[kidspot]

fwiw - neither my BOW (NAUI) or Rescue (PADI) Instructors wore snorkels during the class - I quit wearing mine on the second OW dive in my BOW course. Of course by that point in time I and one other guy in the class (who was borrowing one of my snorkels) had lost ours in the surf... I tried a collapsible snorkel for awhile, but found that it let so much water in it was simpler to just take a breath once in a while if I wanted to surface swim face down (I usually just swim on my back).

Aloha, Tim

 

[latidail]

I stopped using a snorkel about a year into my diving. Now I've been diving for years, and I have never had the need to use it.

Not only that, I have long hair, and it tangles on the black clip where the snorkel fits in, so I scrapped it too.

I do have a snorkel, extra fins, extra regulator, and an extra mask. I don't care if people like that I take so much or not. I'm not going to ruin a dive because of equipment failure.

Also some newbies get freaked out, and I loan them my snorkel for snorkeling.

 

[urmegr]

got rid of my snorkel about dive 100 - although I still use it for extended surface swims on shore dives and on DPV dives, in case of a breakdown. But I always dive with one when teaching open water classes.