BASIC EQUIPMENT FOR SCUBA DIVING AND SNORKELING (Part 2)

Basic Equipment for SCUBA Diving and Snorkeling (Part 2)

Following on from last weeks post regarding the basic equipment required for SCUBA diving and Snorkeling this week we will cover the most basic piece of equipment the humble snorkel.

Snorkels

Considered by some as a mandatory piece of diving equipment, by others a recommended piece of equipment and by others a nuisance, the snorkel does have its uses, even if it is only to ward of aggresive Titan Trigger fish!

The basic function of a snorkel is to permit you to breathe at the surface without lifting you head out of the water. When snorkeling this provides you with a great view of the undersea world from the surface allowing you to spot something you want to take a closer look at and without loosing sight, make a surface dive and take a closer look, all in one easy movement. For divers the snorkel allows you to fin face down in the water at the surface to your descent point, providing a lower profile than swimming on your back hence being less tiring. If you surface some distance from your exit point the same can be said. This is even more important in choppy water when fining on your back may not be possible.

The key features of a snorkel in today’s world would include a large bore tube designed with smooth bends, a comfortable mouthpiece, self draining tube and an easy to use snorkel holder.

The tube is generally made from plastic, look for flexible plastic as it makes it more resistant to impact, with a silicone or rubber mouthpiece, silicone tends to be the material of choice unless you like the taste of rubber.

Snorkel Styles

Snorkels should be between 35 and 45 cm in length depending on the size of the head of the diver/snorkeller this will ensure that the snorkel is long enough to protrude from the water surface whilst the diver/snorkeller has their face immersed and at the same time is not too long as to extend the dead air space and provide the minimum of breathing resistance, hence the bore of the snorkel should be between 19 and 25 mm so that it is possible to clear the snorkel easily.

Some snorkels have a flexible part attached to the bottom for the tube an example of this would be the Scubapro Escape snorkel, this allows a SCUBA diver to let the mouthpiece hang free and away from their face when using their regulator, for the snorkeller it allows a degree of lateral movement without disturbing the mask seal. When choosing a flexible bottom portion try to find one with a smooth internal face to reduce internal turbulence when breathing.

Most snorkels now incorporate a one way valve at the base or below the mouthpiece. Exhale sharply and any water will be expelled through the valve as well as through the top of the snorkel to permit easy breathing. In addition some snorkels include devices at the top to minimize water from spray and choppy seas entering the tube the Scubapro Trinidad Snorkel would be a model with these attributes.

Your snorkel will attach to your mask strap using a snorkel holder. These range from a simple figure of 8 PVC strap to hard plastic clips or clips that have clever mechanisms to easily detach the mask from the snorkel for storage. For the diver who is not fond of wearing his snorkel attached to his mask underwater there a variety of foldaway snorkels that can easily fit in your pocket.

To find out more about the snorkels available today please contact us for more information.

Next Post: Fins

BASIC EQUIPMENT FOR SCUBA DIVING AND SNORKELING

Basic Equipment for Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

The items generally considered as basic equipment are your Mask, Fins and Snorkel.

These three items of scuba/snorkeling diving equipment are used to allow your eyes to see your legs to propel yourself and your body to breath.

The mask provides air in front of your eyes so that they can focus thus enabling you so see the underwater environment you have come to view whether diving or snorkeling. The snorkel provides a means for you to breathe at the surface whilst your head is immersed in the water, when snorkeling this allows you to view items of interest from the surface before descending to take a closer look and whilst SCUBA diving it helps you conserve energy and air whilst swimming on the surface. Fins will allow you to move through the water quicker but with less effort when snorkeling thus enabling you to see more of the snorkel site when diving they allow you to overcome the added drag that results from the SCUBA system on your back.

Masks

Our eyes are not designed to focus underwater so we use a mask to provide airspace in front of your eyes to enable them to focus. If you did not have a mask for sure you would not go diving or snorkeling but if all you had was a mask you could still view the wonders of the underwater world in shallow water.

Although masks have changed in many was since their inception they basically consist of the same elements these being a clear face plate, flexible sealing skirt and a strap.

The faceplate is made from tempered glass, this type of glass is used because in the unlikely event that the glass should break it clings together thus limiting the hazard of sharp splinters. The glass can be in one piece for your eyes, single lens or two pieces, one for each eye, double lens. The lens is mounted in a frame usually made from a plastic or composite material and comes in many colours and shapes.

The flexible sealing skirt is usually made from clear or black silicone, although divers and snorkelers tend to prefer clear silicone skirts as the allow more light to enter the eyes there are a few divers such as underwater photographers and technical divers who favor black silicone so that they can reduce the amount of stray light entering there mask and distracting them form the tasks they have at hand. This skirt would also encompass a flexible nose pocket to enable the diver/snorkeler to equalize the pressure in their mask and ears.

The Strap is quite simple single or double band made from silicone, rubber or neoprene. They are adjustable in length for the users comfort.

Mask Styles

Masks are now available in many different styles from large oval single plates, rarely seen now, to high tech masks with integrated head up displays.

Some masks try to give the best field of vision possible either horizontally like the Scubapro Crystal View complete with integrated seamless side windows or vertically such as the Seac Sub Italica mask offering an almost unlimited field of vision with twin inclined lenses.

Some divers prefer low profile masks as they are easy to equalize and clear. Also being low profile the faceplate is closer to the eyes thus providing a good field of vision although not quite as good as the special features listed above provide. Examples of these masks would be the Seac Sub extreme mask, Seac Sub Libera Mask and Saekodive Runner Mask.

Frameless masks are now becoming quite popular with many options available on the market the Scubapro Trinidad being on such model, not having a frame reduces the weight of the mask leads to a low volume and good field of vision.

If you would like to know more about masks contact us we have a wide selection including those featured in this post available.

Next post: Snorkels