Snorkel tube in scuba diving

[Steelyeyes]

I'll preface this by saying I'm not looking to change what divers do. Just share my experiences. To this date, the one piece of bad diving advice I got from ScubaBoard was ditching the snorkel. I should have considered my diving and not the consensus of divers from around the world.

I imagine even in an area like South Florida you could get away without the snorkel for a long surface float with decent conditions because the swells over there are generally spread far apart. However in the Gulf of Mexico that is usually not the case. In fact we commonly refer to it as the "Gulf Chop". Wave intervals are typically very short. By the time you hit the trough another wave is right on top of you. Add any wind or a typical near by "out of the blue" Florida summer storm and those waves are now white capping over you and often are just sloppy. 3 foot waves turn into a washing machine.

Being on a boat high and maybe dry is one thing. But being in the water, with your mask on and your BC floating your head and maybe the tops of your shoulders above the surface leaves your mouth nearly at the constantly changing water line. The snorkel does what it does, extends your airway up and above your head and the water for the most part.

I think a better question to ask yourself is this. If you were going to be dropped in the middle of the ocean with a BC for an undetermined amount of time and had the choice of being given a snorkel or not, what would you choose?

When I surface I fully inflate my BCD, lay on my back with my legs bent so I can scull with my fins if I need to. My mouth is about the highest point on the out of water portion of my body. If things got a bit dicey I'd have no trouble pulling a few pounds of lead out and sending it on it's way to Davy Jones' Locker. In any event my head is up, my eyes are above the water where any help is going to come from, and I don't have something clamped in my mouth. Just a personal take on it. I'm sure others have a completely different idea.

 

[Bob DBF]

if I have a long surface swim, I find it infinitely easier and more efficient to kick out on my back vs. face down with a snorkel...

I have done that as well, but I have found it more rewarding to keep an eye on what is below the surface. As with many things in diving, and life, each to his own.


Bob

 

[Steelyeyes]

long surface swims - good point. Why do you do that? We have not ever experienced a site / conditions that required a surface swim. We do take snorkels for drift dives were there may be a long surface interval after the dive before pickup.

We have been puzzled by divers in bonaire doing a surface swim out to the boat anchor buoy and then descending. We start our dive right away and descend directly from the dock.

What type of conditions dictate a surface swim over a subsurface swim?

A long shallow sand bottom before you get to anything interesting is one example.

 

[archer1960]

if I have a long surface swim, I find it infinitely easier and more efficient to kick out on my back vs. face down with a snorkel...

Agree, as long as I have a visual reference to keep a good course. Compasses don't work upside down...

 

[tbone1004]

Agree, as long as I have a visual reference to keep a good course. Compasses don't work upside down...

mine do.... but you can usually get some visual reference. If not, if you are using a diving compass, it usually has a side window and then you can navigate from there by tucking your head a bit to verify the reference

 

[archer1960]

mine do.... but you can usually get some visual reference. If not, if you are using a diving compass, it usually has a side window and then you can navigate from there by tucking your head a bit to verify the reference

My Suunto won't work past about 30 deg of tilt, but yes, the window in the side could be usable, depending on the situation.

 

[dmaziuk]

if I have a long surface swim, I find it infinitely easier and more efficient to kick out on my back vs. face down with a snorkel...

Interesting... I found that to be the case the case with a jacket for sure, but a bp&w (and I expect back inflate) makes it just as easy to swim face down.

In the pool with a kickboard it's easier on my back on my back -- my back doesn't bend too well to keep the mouth out of the water, but with the snorkel that's not a problem either.

 

[TMHeimer]

Agree, as long as I have a visual reference to keep a good course. Compasses don't work upside down...

Puzzling. I just either raise my head or turn it and look. If there's still no visual reference that's a big problem...

 

[Nemrod]

As I have never been in the Gulf of Mexico I am obliged to assume you are correct and there you need a snorkel.

I have never needed one anywhere else. I will remember to take one if I visit. I have experienced many different types of waves and swell over the years. When the waves break over your head I find they also overtop the snorkel. This requires you to blow out the water, either through the top or through the valve if one is fitted. After a short time the salt in the sea water becomes the main issue. I would suggest that in the majority of cases it is therefore much much better to keep the regulator in your mouth and use the available gas.

Surfacing to a missing boat and being nearly out of gas such that you cannot breath at 1ATM for 5 minutes is a combination of two bads. Of course we can experience two bads at once and carrying a snorkel is not a big deal for open water diving. I find the widespread idea of keeping it attached to your mask quite ridiculous though. BC pockets are made to carry back up equipment.

You or me do not need a snorkel any more or any less in the Gulf of Mexico than anywhere else. Some dives call for a snorkel, most do not, same as anywhere. I have little use for one and have done a ton of dives in the GofM.

N

 

[AJ McFinnagain]

Honestly, there's valid arguments for and against having it at all times. At the end of the day the decision is up to you on what risk you're comfortable with.

I'm a former US Coast Guardsman and have done a few swims in open seas to get to people for SAR cases (wasn't an AST, but was the Cutter Deployable Swimmer for our unit) and on the surface it was absolutely good to have. I was able to look down into the water for long periods of time searching for other victims once recovering the primaries.

My personal line of thought is this:
If I'm in a survival situation how would I react? I fill both SMB's as use them to get me as high out of the water as possible for visibility. If in rough seas, I'll be looking up for help and not down underwater (unless the USN has a submarine near and hears my Dive Alert or EPIRB...which would be awesome). I honestly can't think of a time when I was doing SAR case and in the open water that I didn't have my snorkel on. It was a dry valve snorkel so it help keep a lot of the water out.

Another point to make is that when you're swimming on the surface you should be swimming facing the direction of travel and not on your back. This way you head towards your objective an can keep an eye on any approaching obstacles. Yes it's easier to swim on your back, but it's honestly more risky. Then again, if you're floating on your back looking up, a snorkel becomes a straw so...yeah.

Take it for what it's worth, but I always have mine with me.