Snorkelling vest - will a non-swimmer sink?

[fluffyandsilvia]

My wife is an advanced qualified scuba diver but can't swim (the advantages of learning in South America!). Once underwater she is fine but on the surface she gets nervous. This means she is also more nervous snorkelling than diving and usually uses a life jacket if on a snorkelling trip. We are going on a long trip, involving some remote beaches where we won't find any life jackets and she would like to buy one but we can't reallistically be carrying around a big life jacket in a couple of small backpacks so we have been looking at inflatable snorkelling vests.

Does anyone have experience of using specifically this kind of vest? As they say on the websites "Please note this is NOT a life jacket" my wife is worried they won't be enough to keep her afloat (she only weighs about 55kg).

Thank you.

 

[Capt Scotty]

Would your money be better spent on swimming lessons?

 

[Grover48]

Yes it will and they work well.

The reason for the printing is the lawyers. It will not qualify as a PFD and fulfill the legal requirements.

My wife uses a snorkeling vest when we snorkel and is very satisfied with the performance.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Get swimming lessons. Why would anyone allow a non swimmer near deep water in the first place, vest or not. That's just plain reckless. And how can you say you love your wife if you allow her to do this? Or get certed in the first place without knowing how to swim?

 

[spectrum]

fluffyandsilvia,

If your wife is not going to become a strong swimmer then it might be better to get her into a situation where she can comfortably snorkel indefinitely with no real effort.

Most folks can skim the surface indefinitely with a mask, snorkel and fins. A few are "sinkers" and need to maintain some swimming lift for buoyancy. If she is OK in a test pool she will be slightly more buoyant in the ocean.

Short of becoming a strong swimmer it would be best that your wife be comfortable on the water in a more fail safe way. Perhaps you can work with her to discover that with snorkel gear she is not going to sink. If she happens to be one of those mentioned "sinkers" then something like a 3mm shorty should tip the balance and still be something she can overcome when diving down.

Other than all that the snorkeling vest will do the job and is probably the most back pack friendly solution.

Pete

 

[Damselfish]

An inflatable snorkeling vest will work fine and nothing wrong with having one. But it should be to make snorkeling less work for a sinker, not to float a non-swimmer. You're talking adults on a remote beach not kids in the pool with a lifeguard. Get the swimming lessons first. Just because they certified her doesn't mean she should be diving or snorkeling if she can't swim. Besides the practicality of knowing how to swim if something happens and she needs to - gear fails, she falls in the water without it, whatever - she'll never be truly comfortable in the water if she can't swim. That's a recipe for panic and problems when everything doesn't go perfectly. I would not dive with someone that could not swim.