Why dont many SCUBA divers use a snorkel?

[scjoe]

I think the main reason for the trend is that people are no longer trained in skin diving before they become trained in scuba. Back in the day when that was the case and courses were close to 100 hours long, the use of a snorkel became second nature. This doesn’t happen in the training that occurs now.

 

[Bob DBF]

As you can see from the picture I even use it during my surface interval.

I do long surface swims and like to look down in case something catches my intrest. That being said I have used a snorkle since I was 5 or 6 and never been inclined to give it up. I still do a lot of free diving for abalone, sighseeing and sometimes spearfishing so the snorkle stays on the mask and I don't notice it, since it's always there, and has never been a bother. I have dove without one and it drives me nuts when it's not there.

I am moving to a BP/W and it seems to be easier to surface swim on my back, making a snorkle useless, so I may have to rethink this in the future.

Bob
-------------------------------
I may be old but I'm not dead yet.

 

[seacreatures]

What the OP described sounded a lot like a tool? A snorkel is just that a tool and when needed it is a good tool to have, which takes you back to plan your dive and dive your plan, so as a creature of the see there is no right or wrong just another tool choice

BTW if my name was Bob I would always have one too

 

[Scubagolf]

I keep a foldable snorkel in my BC pocket. It's there if I need it for a long surface swim but doesn't get in the way at other times.

Same here.

 

[ptyx]

A snorkel is a marginal comfort item in a very limited number of situations.
It's competing for pocket space against SMB, whistle, mirror, spool, spare mask, wet notes, shears and mesh bag to pick up trash.
It doesn't win often.

(And no, snorkel attached to the mask isn't an option - it's a pain swimming, it's a pain in the surf, it's a pain in kelp and it's a pain with a long hose).

 

[wadedeeper]

I tend to agree that wearing or not wearing a snorkel is a personal preference. To me, I usually have a fold-up snorkel stuffed away in a pocket for those times I feel like swimming face down or whatever. Otherwise, I tend to dive without mainly because it irritates me. Though I have broken far less mask straps since omitting it from my mask...but then I also prefer swimming out on my back rather than face down...again...personal preference.

 

[fnfalman]

I am a proponent of having a snorkel while diving. How else am I going to entertain myself underwater?

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I love snorkels. For snorkeling. I don't wear them diving for a few reasons:

Entanglement. Kelp, fishing line, spool/reels (the latter is best typified by cavern and cave environments).

Incompatibility with hoods: When you place a snorkel on a mask strap, you limit yourself to wearing the mask strap on the outside of your wetsuit or drysuit hood. Every time I did that, the mask skirt got caught on the edge of the hood, resulting in leaks and me purging like a chump every 10-seconds. Without the snorkel, I'm free to wear to wear the mask strap on the inside of the hood, thereby eliminating one more cause of leaks (and reducing the risk of accidental mask loss.)

Confusion: I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a diver mistake a snorkel for their large-diameter inflation/deflation hose. One one or two occasions, the diver was ascending or descending out of control by the time they managed to locate the correct hose. Nothing bad happened, luckily.

Currents: Hanging on an anchor line with a roaring current = good chance that the snorkel jangling around your face will be downright annoying, if not the means for the mask to dislodge. Not fun.

They're some of the reasons I don't wear one, but if folks feel more comfortable with them, that's fine, too.

 

[Damselfish]

I don't wear one while diving, it gets in the way and pulls on my mask. I keep a rollup in a pocket should I ever need it, but have yet to use it. I use my reg for surface swims or waits, works better than a snorkel. I'm generally finishing my dive with close to half a tank anyway so don't need to conserve air.

 

[gcbryan]

I don't get face down surface swimming. It's tough on the back (my back anyway). If you're close enough to the surface to use a snorkel you're not deep enough for all of the weight of the tank and the weightbelt (again in my case) to be neutrally buoyant.

Then there's all the other reasons that have been listed in these posts a million times. Personal preference, good for snorkeling not for scuba, etc.