Things Scuba Instructors teach that are either bad or just wrong.

[Marie13]

My OW instructor took my snorkel away from me during dive 3 or 4 as I kept mistaking it for my power inflator. He stuck it in his BC. I was SO happy to be rid of it.

 

[BoltSnap]

My OW instructor took my snorkel away from me during dive 3 or 4 as I kept mistaking it for my power inflator.

I'd have made you breath from the snorkel and switch to inflate the BC million times

 

[Boarderguy]

Swim from A to B on surface without wasting air from tanks or for emergencies to get back to exit point when you have exhausted your air perhaps??

I use it extensively myself, been doing that since I started scuba diving circa 1973; I am not old but not "newbie."

Surface swim on your back while chatting with your buddy. Use a scooter. Use a boat. If I can't do the swim on my back then I'm using the other two options. Snorkels just pull on a mask strap and are 1 more thing to lose in the ocean.

 

[BoltSnap]

Surface swim on your back while chatting with your buddy.

There are many reasons why this isn't efficient for swimming a direct line to target and would make you have to correct your direction and wasting air and power. I have done this for many decades and have experimented in pool and took videos and analyzed the swim postures, effort, distances, etc. over a very long time and came to the conclusion that swimming on back isn't an option and isn't ideal at all. If I get tired swimming with snorkel on surface, I just stop and not move at all looking at the bottom with all muscles are relaxed and just chill until I am rested and my pulse goes back to normal, not a second sooner.

Use a scooter. Use a boat.

I'll be happy to get donations from you to buy one of them, I prefer a DPV

Snorkels just pull on a mask strap

Not if it is mounted right to your mask and you are using it properly.

1 more thing to lose in the ocean.

I have NEVER, ever, ever, lost a snorkel in the ocean/sea/openwater since the early 70's and I have used a lot of them. One I remember was cracked when a tank fell on it but never in the ocean/sea.

 

[BoltSnap]

Try working harder.

I am an old man, I am reaching capacity swimming with snorkels for 500m or more on surface in addition to what I do u/w.

Did you know that the EU bans export of boat and motors to Libya? We can get boats in or made here but motors are a huge problem, they have to be smuggled in and cost even more.

 

[Boarderguy]

There are many reasons why this isn't efficient for swimming a direct line to target and would make you have to correct your direction and wasting air and power. If I get tired swimming with snorkel on surface, I just stop and not move at all looking at the bottom with all muscles are relaxed and just chill until I am rested and my pulse goes back to normal, not a second sooner.

I'll be happy to get donations from you to buy one of them, I prefer a DPV

Not if it is mounted right to your mask and you are using right.

I have NEVER, ever, ever, lost a snorkel in the ocean/sea/openwater since the early 70's and I have used a lot of them. One I remember was cracked when a tank fell on it but never in the ocean/sea.

I didn't say efficient, on your face is far easier and faster. On your back you can chat with your buddy while slowly fining out there. Nav is easy enough by picking 2 points on shore and keeping them lined up as you swim out. I don't get fatigued doing a nice easy frog(?) kick and don't surface swim if conditions require extraneous effort.

I don't have a scooter yet, but my frequent dive buddy does and I hold onto a leash to be dragged out.

I lost a mask in 2001 or 2002 and it may or may not have had a snorkel on it. If the mask goes the snorkel is lost as well.

 

[BoltSnap]

I didn't say efficient, on your face is far easier and faster.

We agree here 100%.

On your back you can chat with your buddy while slowly fining out there.

When I dive with buddies, I seldom chat with them. I save all effort and energy for swimming/diving/spearfishing/photo taking

Nav is easy enough by picking 2 points on shore and keeping them lined up as you swim out.

Not practical most of the time especially if you have to navigate a certain course precisely. Swimming face down and looking at your compass is most accurate. It is less likely to find two objects to line up properly and conveniently to do this and still be close to accurate especially where I dive where it is "desert" and not much at shore to line up

I don't have a scooter yet, but my frequent dive buddy does and I hold onto a leash to be dragged out.

In other words, your buddy with the DPV pulls you behind him to the drop down point and you get a free ride? Does that work well without issues? Interesting to say the least.

I am saving my pennies to buy a professional DPV, such as the blacktip, with a backup such as Scubajet. I hope to have saved enough by Spring 23.

 

[Boarderguy]

In other words, your buddy with the DPV pulls you behind him to the drop down point and you get a free ride? Does that work well without issues? Interesting to say the least.

I am saving my pennies to buy a professional DPV, such as the blacktip, with a backup such as Scubajet. I hope to have saved enough by Spring 23.

He and I trade off on piloting his blacktip travel depending on conditions and what our plan is. Most of the time I just grab the leash and enjoy the ride.

I would love to have a dpv (blacktip travel) of my own but that isn't in the cards. I want a drysuit and the wife needs a better wetsuit. Both of those are higher on the list than my desire to not fin anymore.

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

DPVs are not on topic in a Basic thread,

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[BoltSnap]

He and I trade off on piloting his blacktip travel depending on conditions and what our plan is. Most of the time I just grab the leash and enjoy the ride.

Excellent, so I don't have to worry about my buddy who doesn't have a DPV, he can just hitch a ride on the leash (if I am diving with a buddy)

Thank you for sharing this information.

How much range, miles or kms, do you get from your travel blacktip this way in full kit?

 

[Boarderguy]

Excellent, so I don't have to worry about my buddy who doesn't have a DPV, he can just hitch a ride on the leash (if I am diving with a buddy)

Thank you for sharing this information.

How much range, miles or kms, do you get from your travel blacktip this way in full kit?

Fighting a ripping current and with 2 divers we've had it run for 40 minutes on speeds 7 and 8. That is with two 9AH batteries on it. With normal speed (3-4) we can get two+ hours of use with 2 divers on it.