Snorkel or not?

[Cacia]

Keep in mind, the snorkel is not a "pipe to the heavens for that life giving breath." It only sits a few inches above your head.

valid points shared by many experienced divers. I have only recently re-thought my no snorkel situation and haven't even attached it yet.

We dive a style of a freedive-scuba combo in some ways here. The "Hawaiian sling" tradition and the fact that we must first dive for submerged bouys to clip off the boat contributes to the style.....Having a snorkel in big seas so that you can breathe deeply in a relaxed horizontal position allows my lungs to "open up" and for me to get down deeper the first try. Sometimes the bouy is 30-40 feet if the current is blowing it sideways. I don't go with a tank, because I need to have agility around on the bow, and jump quickly when I see the marker underwater OR the GPS hits 0.000. Also, my computer does not like the bounce going for the bouy gives me.

Yes, (I have recently concluded) you CAN breathe. BUT in big seas you can breathe and REST horizontally if your face is in the water. Just my ever-evolving opinion.

 

[Jon C]

Hello to all from Fort Worth, Texas...here on biz...leaving tomorrow.

Well, here is a left turn on this discussion...

In Laguna Beach (Southern California) it is the law that scuba divers must have a snorkel. Also, instructors must stop teaching by 10:00 a.m. I have no explanation beyond premeditated civic aggitation.

There has always been an uneasy relationship with the city and scuba divers.

In any case, I take one anyway as I like to check things out as I swim out. But I think it should be optional.

Jon

 

[ckaspar]

Yes I did.........I always like a good laugh.

And if you haven't noticed I have NOT said whether to use a snorkel or not.I believe in people making their own choices in diving after they have experience ,NOT going by what other people say or do.I have 30 years diving experience mostly in the NorthEast doing Deep Wreck diving .Whats good for me may or may not be good for someone else.Yet with my experience I don't try to shove my way of doing things down someone else throat or consider them wrong if they do it differently.As you dive more and in different enviornments you will realize that sometimes you have to make changes in your diving patterns and equipment.But I am a dinosaur I just started using a computer last year and when I started diving "Horse Collar " BC's were just starting to be used.

Experience is the best teacher.

I am glad I could make your day a little brighter!

Please understand that it is not my intention to "tell" somebody or "try to force" somebody to use a snorkel.

The Original Poster asked a question on peoples opinions and based on what he had said in his post I replied

Here is what he said:

I have recently started lake diving without my snorkel on my mask. I had realized I never use it. I either dive from shore or from & to my boat.

I was just letting him know my opinion. He is lake diving so major chop and swell should not be a problem and he said he hardly uses it anyway.

I also hold the same opinion I stated beofre for the other examples mentioned by other posters but it is OK if you and I disagree.

I also agree that experience is the best teacher but is some cases, and I am not nescessarilly pointing a finger at you, but flawed experience can be just as dangerous as inexperience, i.e. my valve example. I was reading a thread about that yesterday. A guy was OOA at 70 because his buddy turned his air off but 1/4 turn. I know that is an old teaching that is very outdated now but people still do it blindly without question as to purpose or reasoning

Just something to think about.

 

[Buoyant1]

I had a bulky clunky Ocean Master with the mega dry big ol' plastic thing on the top, and it seemed to be a hinderance more than anything....but, I still would rather do a surface swim using a snorkel and have it to check out what's below before everyone is ready, so I went to a very light weight unobtrusive tube, that's a joy to keep on my mask.

If I'm snorkelling? I'll use the other one....

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I don't carry one in the Quarry. I do in the Ocean.

 

[Mark_J]

After reading some of the responses here I got to wondering about air consumption. Apart from long surface swims or drift dives where a snorkel could be an asset do people really cut their air so close they can't keep their reg in their mouth on a boat dive until they can climb back on board?

 

[cpe111]

I had occasion once to use a snorkel whilst diving - my wife and I were on the GBR and she started to run low on air - turns out the o-ring on the stage1 was on its way out - we did a nice slow ascent and surfaced about 200m from the boat. Snorkels in mouth we swam back - the advantage was that we were able to watch the aquatic world below us on our way back. Without a snorkel it would probably have been finning on our backs - and missing all the cool stuff.

Personally - I'll probably continue to carry one - just becasue you never know when you are going to need it - if that is never then great - but if you do need it and you dont have it

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I always have a snorkel hanging from my mask in open water. It is much safer in rough water to have a snorkel. period. I also noticed that when diving in cold water (say below 50 degrees) and when swimming to shore, that I would warm up much faster when breathing the warm humid air from the snorkel rather than the cold dry air(evaporative cooling and expansion cooling) from my regulator. Having the ability to swim in on your belly is nice too

Most all my buddy's don't wear one, but I do.

 

[nolatom]

After reading some of the responses here I got to wondering about air consumption. Apart from long surface swims or drift dives where a snorkel could be an asset do people really cut their air so close they can't keep their reg in their mouth on a boat dive until they can climb back on board?

Not on purpose, but if you can't find the anchor line for whatever reason, and you turn the wrong way trying to find it, eventually you have to surface before you *do* get too low, to see where the boat is. If it's close, great. If it's far away but downcurrent, also great. If it's far away and upcurrent, or close but upcurrent in a strong current, then conserving air during your surface swim is a good idea, both for you and your buddy, because it's going to take a while, and why drain your tank doing it? You might need that air for a real emergency. I prefer to swim face down, so the snorkel in my pocket gets used occasionally, and I switch back to the reg when I'm ready to take my fins off and climb aboard.

 

[IceIce]

Personally, I took out snorkel because it got in my way too much, and I was not really need and felt comfortable wearing it.

I dived in the ocean with small and big swell. I did have difficult times, but I can't see why it's easier with the snorkel. When my face was down in the water in between swell, I just had to hold my breath and exhaled when I needed too. Sometimes, with a snorkel, if the water level is up above your snorkel you drink more water than you could when you don't wear one. And it's difficult to exhale, you have to blow the water out.

Also, some snorkel, or maybe because of poor arrangement too, tend to lay on an angle instead of vertically. But it's really difficult to have it vertical when you bite it, it has to go through the cheek and therefore, it was angled. Because of that, when the swell comes, water can go in easily, and all of the sudden you inhale water and you need effort to exhale out the water, provided it doesn't fill back again.

I know for myself, this equipment is no use for me when I ripped it off my mouth when I faced rough surface, a condition where a lot of people say we need snorkel the most.

I respect people's preference. I agree to disagree.
My vote, snorkel is for snorkeling.