Why do people spit their regulator out as soon as they surface?

[MarkA]

If by some happenstance I'm floating around for 10 hours on the surface, and I'm so delirious that I'm face down, there's no way I'm in a fit state to use a snorkel safely

If I'm face up (and why would I not be) then I'm perfectly capable of closing my mouth to avoid inhaling seawater, and taking breaths as normal between waves. I know where my mouth is, but not where the open end of a seawater-collecting head-straw is.

IMO a snorkel is an oldschool useless piece of kit that solves no problems, except possibly if I need to swim somewhere quickly using front crawl - for example escaping a great white after I've failed to kill him with my oldschool BFK!

It is simple maths to know where the open end of a snorkel is. Generally people are vertical in the water waiting for the boat. The snorkel generally sits at 45°. Let’s say the snorkel is 30cm from the mouthpiece to the open end. This means the open end of the snorkel is about 20cm higher than your mouth. Although I don’t have it clipped to my mask I do carry one.

I have never been in the sea waiting to be rescued. But have dived with people who have spent hours waiting to be rescued, and they did use their snorkels.

Going back to the OP. I would keep my second stage in. With a 50 bar reserve there should be enough for getting on for an hour.

 

[MarkA]

Very dry sarcasm indeed!

Should not have responded

 

[tridacna]

Yes. But it does happen. Don’t know what training you can do. Seems being prepared for this very rare happening is the answer. PLB, means of being spotted, etc.

Sarcasm lost on a foreigner. My Portuguese is infinitely worse than your English I suppose.

 

[MarkA]

Sarcasm lost on a foreigner. My Portuguese is infinitely worse than your English I suppose.

My apologies. I probably shouldn’t have responded. My Portuguese is also infinitely worse than your English.

 

[boqurant]

It is simple maths to know where the open end of a snorkel is. Generally people are vertical in the water waiting for the boat. The snorkel generally sits at 45°. Let’s say the snorkel is 30cm from the mouthpiece to the open end. This means the open end of the snorkel is about 20cm higher than your mouth.

Oh, is it simple math? That's a relief - I can use my 2 scientific university degrees to solve it then! Your example is actually 21.2cm.

The "math" is not the issue. A snorkel is a water-collecting device, held blindly behind your head, through which you hope to breathe. With your BC inflated your face should be fully clear of the water (otherwise you're overweighted and doing it wrong) and it's trivial to orient to rest on your back not upright. In flat water a snorkel makes zero difference. In swell or chop your 21.2cm snorkel height (at best, and if you're properly oriented then that's much lower) won't clear over the top of the waves, and it's a liability because it collects water without you knowing - and you cant clear it if you can't otherwise breathe.

If you want to paddle around to look at fish during surface intervals, that's the only time a snorkel is useful.

 

[boqurant]

This happens to you "everyday"?? You have other much more serious skills to work on here.

Yeah... cos I took a "quicky" course (speak English much?) and didn't learn how to play the extremely complicated snorkel

 

[covediver]

A lot of people find the regulator to be a bit uncomfortable on the surface, or they want to talk to their buddy. I usually keep mine in on the surface if there is any swell or I have to surface swim. I was told by my instructor not to board the ladder with the regulator in the mouth because if you get bumped by the swim stair or ladder, you are going to lose some teeth. Might be a California thing given the swell. I never heard of that happening.

 

[happy-diver]

Is this he

 

[tridacna]

I was told by my instructor not to board the ladder with the regulator in the mouth because if you get bumped by the swim stair or ladder, you are going to lose some teeth. Might be a California thing given the swell. I never heard of that happening.

In NJ we have more swell than you in CA and no instructor I’ve seen gives that advice. You’re more likely to be YELLED at to keep your reg in your mouth when you climb back on.

 

[GreggS]

In NJ we have more swell than you in CA and no instructor I’ve seen gives that advice. You’re more likely to be YELLED at to keep your reg in your mouth when you get climb back on.

Exactly. If you stumble and fall ascending the ladder or when you get on deck, the regulator mouthpiece is going to be a lot softer than than the ladder or the deck/transom. Think of it this way...it's not unlike some mouthpieces football players wear. It will actually protect your teeth more so than not.