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SCUBA DIVING SNORKELS
Snorkels have changed dramatically, even over the past 4 years! It is amazing how many design changes and different variations the industry has come up with for an object that is for all intents and purposes a 12 inch tube!
Many divers over look the importance of their snorkel and over the years tend
to leave it in their dive bag. These people do not realize they are doing themselves a
disservice. For those on SCUBA,
the snorkel offers a diver their first glimpse underwater.
Divers who spend anytime doing a surface swim should be doing so with a
snorkel in their mouth. Many
people do not realize that how well they will do on their air consumption
begins from the moment they put their gear on and not when they begin their
descent. If you are surface
swimming and checking the water for visibility and holding your breath you are
actually fatiguing yourself. Additionally,
in the unlikely event a diving accident occurs, most snorkels are easily
converted into a pocket mask to prevent the transfer of bodily fluids.
Obviously snorkels can play an important role in your dive if you let
them. So now how does a diver go
about picking the snorkel that is right for them?
FLEXIBLE TUBING VERSUS SOLID TUBING SNORKELS
Not to long ago a diver did not have any choice on which option to choose from. To date many snorkeling and SCUBA purists prefer the solid tubing snorkels. Solid tubing snorkels are shaped so that they contour to the divers head. Since they lack many connection points of other snorkels fewer things can go wrong with them. The solid tubing snorkels also tend to be made of more resilient materials although this is not always the case. These snorkels are great for those who plan to do only snorkeling. When diving with these snorkels however the solid tubing tends to bang against the diver throughout the dive. Additionally everyone is different and not all divers will be able to use a slid snorkel comfortably over an extended period of time due to jaw fatigue. Jaw fatigue occurs simply because the contouring of the snorkel does not match the diver. Before buying a snorkel keep in mind that any minor amount of discomfort or fatigue will be amplified over time.
Newer snorkels come with a
flexible tubing between the mouth piece and the snorkel shaft. This modification allows the snorkel to drop freely from the
divers mouth and thus go virtually unnoticed throughout the dive.
Additionally the flexible tubing also tends to compensate better for
the jaw fatigue associated with non-flexible snorkels.
VARIATIONS IN DESIGN
Snorkels come in three
varieties; dry, semi-dry, and open ended snorkels.
The top portion of dry snorkels are often a dead give away for this
type of snorkel. Dry snorkels
often have a single valve on the top portion of the snorkel which shuts in the
closed position when the divers head is submerged beneath the surface.
Semi-dry snorkels often have side vents or flaps over the top portion
of the snorkel that act to divert splashed water away from the tube opening.
Open ended snorkels tend to lack any distinguishing features, although
some will have a large enclosure around the opening that serves as resistance
to being submerged.
When purchasing a snorkel it is a good idea to keep in mind how you are going to be using the snorkel. If you are going to be scuba diving you may not need some of the features that dry and semi-dry snorkels offer. For those divers on a budget I recommend starting off with a regular snorkel and learning proper skin diving techniques reduce the need for the more high tech snorkels. All divers love the ocean however not all divers have the same comfort level when in the water. For these people I highly recommend finding a dry or semi-dry snorkel until your comfort level in the water increases. The reasoning for this is the less amount of time spent clearing the snorkel allows the wary diver more time to focus on the aquatic world beneath them instead of the splashing and gentle waves rolling past them.
Copyrighted by Ryan Jaeger & Matthew J. Wahlrab 2002 - 20032