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.

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